VATICAN CITY – Truth, justice, charity and hope must be taken to the streets, lanes and alleyways crisscrossing the world’s cities and villages, said a new Vatican document.Read More

CUMBERLAND – Standing next to piles of neatly folded children’s shirts and dainty toddler’s dresses hanging overhead on hangers, Ellie Mantheiy was pleased with the quantity and quality of the apparel. “It’s mostly used clothing donated by parishioners,” said Ms. Mantheiy, coordinator of the children’s clothing outreach program at St. Mary, Cumberland. “Some of it...Read More

Living with eight different foster parents over the course of six years isn’t exactly a recipe for stability, but 18-year-old Morris Johnson didn’t let it hold him back. With strong support from Catholic educators and a deep faith in God, the young convert to Catholicism made it through Mother Seton Academy in Fells Point and...Read More

The aroma of baked lasagna and homemade sauces wafted through the parish hall of Our Lady of the Fields, Millersville, June 16, as the parish celebrated the feast of St. Anthony with an Italian Festival. “It’s a good way to evangelize,” said Lisa Pitocco, coordinator of the event and a native Italian. “We get the...Read More

VATICAN CITY – Perseverance and prayer are needed as Catholics and Orthodox work toward full unity, Pope Benedict XVI said, welcoming Orthodox Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus to the Vatican. The head of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus spent five hours with Pope Benedict June 16; his visit included a private meeting, a ceremony to...Read More

ASSISI, Italy – On a pilgrimage to the birthplace of St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Benedict XVI appealed for peace in the Middle East and a return to “responsible and sincere dialogue” to end armed conflicts. The pope’s one-day trip June 17 marked the 800th anniversary of the conversion of St. Francis, a figure the...Read More

“Retirement” isn’t in Father Paul A. Reich’s vocabulary. A Marianist priest for 50 years, the 78-year-old associate pastor of St. Joseph in Sykesville said he loves his ministry as much as ever and he has no plans of slowing down. “There’s always something to do once you’re ordained,” he said with a smile. “I’ve never...Read More

After celebrating his 60th anniversary as a priest on June 10, Father Casimir Peterson, 86, said his service as an altar boy and the guidance of the sisters who taught him at Our Lady of Pompei, Baltimore, were inspirational in his discernment to the priesthood.Read More