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In the nearly 14 years I’ve covered the State House in Annapolis, I’ve heard a lot of arguments for and against the death penalty. Proponents often insist the ultimate punishment deters violent crime and exacts justice. Opponents say it’s inhumane and unfairly targets minorities. Few people have provided more powerful personal testimony against the death […]

Advent calendars are a cherished part of Catholicism, especially with young people.  Baltimore’s Loyola University Maryland has an interesting web version, where each day promises something exciting. Check it out at Christmas at Loyola University.

God and Jesus  get a lot of credit in sports when someone crushes a game-winning home run or runs for 180 yards and three touchdowns. Buffalo Bills receiver Steve Johnson wasn’t so lucky Sunday. He dropped a potential game-winning touchdown in his team’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Then he blamed God, who apparently had […]

(CR Photo/Owen Sweeney III) Sis Carnes and Little Sister of the Poor Lawrence Pocock share a conversation. Thom Loverro of The Washington Examiner has a nice column about how the phrase “playing the Little Sisters of the Poor” has become one of the ultimate sports insults.  I’ve visited St. Martin’s Home for the Aged in […]

Handel’s Messiah is always big this time of the year and choirs around the archdiocese are probably working on “For Unto Us a Child is Born” and the “Hallelujah Chorus” for Christmas. Here’s what can happen when the organist accidentally hits the transpose button at a most unfortunate moment. By the way, Ed Polochick and […]

Even in a difficult economy, parishioners of St. Mary in Hagerstown are stepping up to support their church. One year after their pastor, Father J. Collin Poston, spoke at all the weekend Masses about the real need for increased giving,  donations spiked dramatically. The parish recently reported that for the 11 months ended Oct. 31, St. Mary’s offertory was $598,898, […]

Catholic News Service photo/Giancarlo Giuliani, Catholic Press Photo A few days before Christmas in the first year of his papacy, Pope Benedict XVI sported a red velvet cap trimmed with ermine. Known as a “camauro,” the old-fashioned headwear promptly earned the nickname “Santa hat” among some. Others questioned why the German pontiff seemed to be […]

Be it resolved, religion is a force for good in the world. That’s the resolution two debating titans will take up tonight in Toronto in a matchup that’s likely to attract a lot of attention around the world. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a convert to Catholicism, will argue in favor of religion’s positive impact, […]

The Mystery of Harry Potter: A Catholic Family Guide (catalog.OSV.com) A few weeks ago, I reached out to Nancy Brown, author of “The Mystery of Harry Potter: A Catholic Family Guide” for a story I was doing to coincide with the release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I” in theaters. That book […]