St. Augustine School, Elkridge, Principal Patricia Schratz was challenged the morning of May 30 as she delivered opening remarks outside for the 150th birthday bash. Behind her, the hovering Baltimore Oriole bird wisecracked, kissed her head, and caused the yellow and blue-clad student body to snicker.Read More

When St. Bernardine, Baltimore, parishioners were asked to vote for their favorite usher, the overwhelming victory of Edmondson Village resident Joe Oden Sr. didn’t surprise any of his colleagues.Read More

The John Carroll School Bel Air; St. Mary’s High School, Annapolis; and St. Clare School, Essex, have reached Green School status and were officially recognized at the statewide Green School awards ceremony May 31 in Catonsville.Read More

When Charles B. Reeves Jr., 84, was a child his father would take him and his brother to Kernan Hospital, Baltimore, as he “made rounds” on Sundays. Charles Reeves Sr. became president of the Kernan board of directors in 1936, serving for 19 years. In 1959, the junior Mr. Reeves joined the board to take...Read More

WASHINGTON – For people in Hong Kong, the first 10 years of Chinese rule has been “a long series of frustrations,” said Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun. “On the surface, everything is like before,” Cardinal Zen told Catholic News Service in Washington May 30. However, he added, Chinese government authorities “are not keeping their...Read More

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI encouraged the bishops of the Central African Republic to continue efforts to promote peace and reconciliation in their country. “Peace and national harmony are among the most urgent challenges to which the church in your country must respond,” the pope told the bishops June 1 at the end of...Read More

VATICAN CITY – U.S. President George W. Bush is coming to the Vatican for his first formal audience with Pope Benedict XVI, a meeting seen on both sides as immensely important. Vatican officials said the June 9 encounter would give the pope and the president a chance to sit down for a survey of dramatic...Read More

As 12-year-old St. Bernardine Catholic School, Baltimore, seventh grader Katrina Freeman developed her award-winning Tobacco Use Prevention Contest entry, she prayed her efforts would free her father from his decades-long cigarette habit. Though her mega-watt smile sparkled as she was given a $50 gift certificate May 30 in the parish center at the Cathedral of...Read More