Page 1864 – Archdiocese of Baltimore

WASHINGTON – Present trends suggest a declining future for many communities of men and women religious, but religious are called to imagine a different future, Sister Doris Gottemoeller said Feb. 3. Sister Doris, former president of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas and of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, and Father Canice Connors, a former provincial minister of the Conventual Franciscans and former president of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, were the main speakers at Washington Theological Union’s annual Religious Life Symposium. The theme of this year’s symposium was “Re-Imagining Religious Life in the 21st Century.” Sister Doris addressed the overall theme, while Father Connors described a specific effort by a community of Conventual Franciscans in Syracuse, N.Y., to create a new center of Conventual life and ministry.

Early church grew thanks to married couples

VATICAN CITY – From the earliest days of Christianity, the faith was nourished and the church grew thanks to the commitment of believing married couples, Pope Benedict XVI said. Continuing what he described as a verbal “portrait gallery” of important figures in the early church, the pope focused his Feb. 7 general audience remarks on Priscilla and Aquila, a married couple who assisted St. Paul in his ministry in Corinth, Ephesus and Rome.

Nuns acknowledge racism, pledge to fight it

IMMACULATA, Pa. – The Oblate Sisters of Providence in Baltimore and three Immaculate Heart of Mary congregations have publicly pledged to fight racism, acknowledging “that the dynamics of racism influenced our beginnings and impacted the unfolding of our four histories.” “Racism led to barriers of separation among us for over a century,” they said in a joint statement prepared for formal release on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 21.

Stamps lead to devotion for young parishioner

What started out as a service project for a 14-year-old St. Francis of Assisi, Baltimore, parishioner has developed into a love of stamps and a devotion to a community of retired sisters. When Molly Friedel of Carney was an 11-year-old Girl Scout looking for a service project to earn her “I Live My Faith” religious badge, she turned to the Father Barggraff Council of the Knights of Columbus in Perry Hall, where her father Ken is a member. This branch of the Knights had been collecting postmarked stamps for retired Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius at Villa Sacred Heart in Danville, Pa. since 1994 to help that group meet its financial obligations. “At first it seemed like a way to help the nuns and to help me earn my badge,” said Molly, an eighth grader at Pine Grove Middle School in Carney.

Crossing the Desert

Although Dr. Robert J. Wicks thinks his book “Riding the Dragon” is the most helpful, his latest title, “Crossing the Desert,” is his best written. “Crossing the Desert: Learning to Let Go, See Clearly, and Live Simply” is a spiritual growth book that addresses an emotion many humans experience at some point in their life, feeling lost in the desert of life, under great stress or in spiritual desolation, according to Dr. Wicks, a professor at Loyola College in Maryland, Baltimore.

Mother Seton students learn about law enforcement

Three deputies from the Sheriff’s Department of Frederick County spoke to eighth graders at Mother Seton School, Emmitsburg, about careers in law enforcement. Demonstrations included a tactical vest, an 82-pound K-9 dog named Bayco, and a taser device (stun gun). Discussions included S.W.A.T. officers, handling hostage situations and escorting President George W. Bush to Camp David.

Nativity reaches out to hurricane victims

As Patrick Nolan volunteered to help victims of Hurricane Katrina rebuild, Mississippi resident Karen Parker said something to the teenager that he will remember forever. “You can get bitter or get better,” she told the Church of the Nativity, Timonium, parishioner.

Lithuanian bishops try to keep open American parishes

VILNIUS, Lithuania – Lithuania’s Catholic bishops said they would try to do everything within their authority to help keep open Lithuanian-American churches in the United States. “Lithuanian bishops cannot directly deal with the issues of the parishes that are in the territory of another bishops’ conference, but will seek in their own turn that those parishes are not closed,” said the statement, released after the bishops’ meeting in mid-January.

Catholic colleges urged to partner with poor countries

WASHINGTON – One of the Vatican’s top education officials Feb. 4 urged U.S. Catholic college and university presidents to examine how they can provide “creative and effective support” to Catholic academic institutions in the developing world that are struggling with inadequate resources.

Magic rebounds – Snapping a four-year skid

The smile on Mercy head coach Mary Ella Marion’s face as time expired for the 41st meeting of “The Game”, between Baltimore archrivals Mercy High School and The Institute of Notre Dame said it all. For Marion and her squad it was elation, pride and relief as the Magic upended IND for the second time this season while also ending a four-year skid at this annual gathering Feb. 2 at The Towson Center on the campus of Towson University.

Pope urges young people to express love in unselfish ways

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI urged young people to express love in unselfish ways, looking past social goals of competition and productivity in order to become “witnesses of charity” in the world. He held out Blessed Teresa of Calcutta as an example of a Christian who translated love into concrete action to help the poorest of the poor.

Youth share concerns in Howard