When Joshua Casteel, a conscientious objector, spoke to the pope about the Catholic Peace Fellowship’s initiative, “The pope listened carefully, then thanked Mr. Casteel and told him he would pray for him.” (CR, May 3) Would the pope not say the same to a conscientious protector?Read More

I stipulate at the outset that religious vocations are urgently needed and vitally important to the mission of the church. In no way do I wish to denigrate the sacrifice of those so called. I remain most grateful for their commitment and service. However I am somewhat disheartened that marriage, as a vocation, is hardly...Read More

WASHINGTON – Along with all the other military jargon and abbreviations, a relatively new term keeps bubbling up to the surface at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, as well as in popular parlance: IED. It’s short for improvised explosive device. IEDs account for a large share of the wounds sustained by U.S. soldiers in Iraq...Read More

DALLAS – Bishop Kevin J. Farrell was installed May 1 as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Dallas during a Mass at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe attended by an overflow crowd of more than 2,000 people. The two-hour Mass was concelebrated by archbishops, bishops and priests from Texas and from...Read More

There are only so many hours in a business professional’s day and by the end of the week it’s nice to take some time away from the hassles of the workplace. At the Malvern Retreat House in Pennsylvania, a new retreat specifically developed to help individuals integrate spirituality with business will take place June 1-...Read More

Memorial Day is a legal holiday, observed annually on the last Monday in May to honor our nation’s armed forces who served gallantly in too many campaigns. The holiday, originally called Decoration Day, is traditionally marked by parades, speeches, ceremonies and the decoration of graves with flowers and flags, hence the original name. Memorial Day...Read More

CUMBERLAND – Bishop Walsh School in Cumberland has recently adopted a president-principal administrative model, joining a growing list of Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore that have done the same. Of the 21 high schools in the archdiocese, 12 already employ a president-principal model. The John Carroll School in Bel Air announced this...Read More

MURINGOOR, India – Police have filed criminal charges against 10 top officials of a popular Catholic retreat center in southern India. The accused include two Vincentian priests and a nun. The charges against the Divine Retreat Center officials were filed April 30 at the direction of Kerala state’s High Court, which ordered a probe of...Read More