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One may wonder why the sacrament of baptism welcomes an individual into the church as an infant when the other sacraments of initiation, first Communion and confirmation, occur when the person is aware of what is happening. “The Catholic Church believes that the child receives grace at baptism,” said Father Leo E. Patalinghug, associate pastor of St. John, Westminster, “the grace to be initiated into the life of Christ. Why wait for the child to receive this special grace?”

SAN FRANCISCO – “It is a mistake to judge Islam on the basis of terrorists, just as it is (unfair) to judge Christianity from the Crusades,” an Islamic scholar told a San Francisco audience. Mona Siddiqui, founder and director of the Center for the Study of Islam at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, made the comment in response to a question following a highly annotated lecture on divine love and divine law as they relate to human dignity in Islam.

WASHINGTON – Pope Benedict XVI’s post-synodal exhortation on the Eucharist reminds Catholics that “the Eucharist is a mystery to be believed and to be celebrated and to be lived,” said Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl, one of four representatives of the U.S. bishops at the 2005 world Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist. “He (the pope) tells us that we need to reflect on the Eucharist in terms of how we experience and live out the Eucharist in our lives,” Archbishop Wuerl told the Catholic Standard, Washington archdiocesan newspaper, March 13. He made the comments shortly after the Vatican released the apostolic exhortation, “Sacramentum Caritatis” (“The Sacrament of Charity”).

Since 2002 the Carmelite Sisters of Baltimore have been inviting young women to a Come and See Weekend at their monastery. During this time women get a taste of what it is like to be a Carmelite and a true understanding of the community. “We are trying to foster contemplative prayer for everyone in the world,” said Sister Colette Ackerman, O.C.D. “It’s important to give them the opportunity to experience religious life firsthand.”

UPDATED WASHINGTON – In a sharply worded letter to his religious superior, Jesuit Father Jon Sobrino said that a Vatican document criticizing his work is an effort “to put an end to the theology of liberation.” Father Sobrino defended his theology and said that there is an a priori attitude among many Vatican officials and Latin American bishops against him and other liberation theologians. The letter was sent to Father Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, superior general of the Society of Jesus, after Father Kolvenbach had sent Father Sobrino a notification by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith strongly criticizing theological aspects of two of Father Sobrino’s books.

Spring cleaning takes on a whole new meaning when preparing to sell a house. Nina Sloan, an agent for Long and Foster Realtors in Lutherville, suggests some easy and inexpensive design tips to help people sell their home as quickly as possible. Ms. Sloan recommends getting someone else, an agent or someone who does home staging, to look through the home. “Those fresh eyes will point out things that you wouldn’t normally see because you are so used to your home,” said Ms. Sloan. “Selling your home is a team approach. You and your realtor need to work together to achieve your goal of selling your property.”

Buses traveling to a prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. followed by an anti-war rally around the White House will depart from The Cardinal Gibbons School, Baltimore, at 5 p.m. March 16. The cost for a seat on the bus is $20 and $10 for college students. Tickets can be purchased on the bus.

Why Catholic? Journey Through the Catechism I love being Roman Catholic! I love being part of the multitude of cultures which make up the church. In the Archdiocese of Baltimore alone, the Catholic population includes people of European, Asian and African descent who speak many languages and embrace numerous cultural traditions. I love being Catholic because, in a world that is often torn apart by ethnic and political differences, we stand united in the mission of our church and understand that we are able to use our gifts and cultural customs to help fulfill that mission.

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican strongly criticized the work of Jesuit Father Jon Sobrino, a leading proponent of liberation theology, saying some of his writings relating to the divinity of Christ were “not in conformity with the doctrine of the church.” In publishing a detailed notification March 14, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said it wanted to warn pastors and ordinary Catholics of the “erroneous or dangerous propositions” in Father Sobrino’s work.