Standing next to toppled plastic figures of St. Joseph, the Blessed Virgin Mary and assorted sheep, Loretta Hoffman shook her head sadly and pointed to an empty manger flipped on its side by vandals. “That’s where the baby Jesus was,” she said, noting that her husband, Gil, had secured the figure with wires to prevent...Read More

Praising the recommendation by a New Jersey panel to abolish the death penalty in favor of life imprisonment without parole in New Jersey, Richard J. Dowling, executive director of the Maryland Catholic Conference, said it could serve as a “model” for Maryland. The New Jersey Death Penalty Study Commission, created in 2005, submitted its findings...Read More

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The resignation of Polish Archbishop Stanislaw Wielgus of Warsaw has prompted embarrassment and disappointment in the Vatican, along with a sense of relief that Pope Benedict XVI did not allow the awkward drama to continue a single day longer. In an official statement, the Vatican praised the “humility” of Archbishop Wielgus,...Read More

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Rep. Nancy Rep. Pelosi’s ascent to the post of speaker of the House puts her in the spotlight for a variety of "firsts." She’s the first woman, the first Italian-American and the first Californian to hold the post. At a Jan. 3 Mass at Trinity University in Washington, Rep. Pelosi’s alma mater,...Read More

Though a new roof for Shrine of St. Alphonsus, Baltimore, can’t be constructed with discarded aluminum cans, cell phones, printer cartridges and copy machine toner units, it can be helped along by recycling those items. With the help of several parishioners, church officials have been selling the items to local recycling centers and earned cash...Read More

The Loyola Blakefield, Towson, swim team proved they knew the ‘reason for the season’ when they began their Christmas break by diving into charity work. Thirty-six swimmers participat­ed in a 100-mile swim at the school Dec. 20-21, raising more than $5,000 for the new Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Baltimore. Proceeds will be presented...Read More

In the Hispanic culture, the Epiphany is almost as important as Christmas. It is the day when the three kings traveled far from home to visit a newborn baby, in the City of Bethlehem. For the past four years, Woodmont Academy, Cooksville, Spanish teacher Patricia Stack has been helping to educate students from pre-kindergarten to...Read More

IRVING, Texas (CNS) -- Participating in Boy Scouts is a great way for youths to meet people in all walks of life and help them discern their own vocations, says Monsignor John B. Brady, a 65-year veteran of Scouting. In an interview with Scouting, a family magazine published by the Boy Scouts of America, Monsingor...Read More