Deacon Earl A. Smith, one of the first African-American deacons ordained to the permanent diaconate in the United States, died Sept. 10. He was 91. A funeral Mass will be offered Sept. 18 at St. Edward in Baltimore – Deacon Smith’s home parish and the faith community where he ministered as a deacon.Read More
OAKLAND, Calif. – Their family home in Fallujah, Iraq, was shelled, burned and looted. They languished for two years in Istanbul, Turkey, within the cultural and vocational limbo accorded refugees who are waiting to be permanently resettled somewhere, sometime. Now that Hana, Wafa and Sana Toma have found a permanent home in the Oakland Diocese...Read More
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Oscar-winning actress Jane Wyman, once married to future president Ronald Reagan, joined the Catholic Church as an adult and became a benefactor to several Catholic causes. Ms. Wyman died Sept. 10 at her home in Rancho Mirage. The cause of death was not disclosed. While her age was placed at 90,...Read More
VATICAN CITY – On the feast of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Pope Benedict XVI said the church is called to be like the mother of God and look to Christ. The church is called to pay witness to the sanctity of life and work toward a future of peace, he...Read More
When Pamela Protani spent part of her day feeding and playing with children with mental and physical disabilities at a South African orphanage last month, she was stunned by the reception she received on the streets of Pretoria. “It was indescribable,” said Ms. Protani, a parishioner of St. Joseph in Fullerton who was one of...Read More
Approximately one year after its launch, the Mid-Atlantic Catholic Schools Consortium will gather educational leaders from across the region and around the country for a Sept. 19 summit designed to help shape the future of Catholic education in the Mid-Atlantic.Read More
VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Zimbabwean Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo, the most outspoken critic of the country’s leadership who is also facing allegations of adultery. In an undated letter written by the archbishop and released by the Vatican press office Sept. 11, the archbishop wrote that he offered his...Read More
WASHINGTON – Priests serving in U.S. mission dioceses say they could benefit most from updates on Catholic thinking and practice – but keep it short, please, they said.Read More
UNITED NATIONS – The poor are disproportionately affected by the environment and are particularly vulnerable to climate change, said Catholic representatives from around the world Sept. 6 at a U.N. conference on climate change. Small groups can adopt good practices to mitigate the adverse impact of climate change and promote human rights, they said in...Read More
Loyola Blakefield, Towson, graduate Mike Gioioso got the call last week that he was moving up the ranks of the Orioles’ organization from the Bluefield Orioles out of West Virginia to the Aberdeen Ironbirds, a short-season Class A affiliate of the Orioles. Gioioso, a versatile infielder, graduated from Loyola Blakefield in 2003 and then attended...Read More
A disappointing start to an otherwise hopeful season, The Catholic High School of Baltimore Cubs dropped their first field hockey league game on Sept. 6 to St. Timothy’s, Stevenson, 1-0 in overtime on a penalty flick. The team is coached by Anne Winters, a theology teacher at the school, who brings knowledge and a big...Read More
HEILIGENKREUZ, Austria – In a visit to one of the world’s oldest monasteries, Pope Benedict XVI underlined the power of prayer as a form of “service to the world.” The pope, winding up a three-day visit to Austria Sept. 9, paid a call on the Cistercian Abbey of the Holy Cross, the oldest continuously active...Read More