WASHINGTON – At the end of a Feb. 15-19 meeting in Tanzania, the primates of the world Anglican Communion warned of “fracture” in the U.S. Episcopal Church and urged it to abide by a 1998 Lambeth Conference resolution that defines marriage as heterosexual and rejects the blessing of same-sex unions. They asked the Episcopal Church’s...Read More

St. Ignatius, Baltimore, will celebrate its 150th Novena of Grace beginning March 4, with the traditional nine days of prayer to the Jesuit missionary St. Francis Xavier. Daily novena services will be held at the 7:25 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. Masses at the historic Calvert Street church. Missionary Francis Xavier – who was born 501...Read More

As Frank Kasper watched young people in the Transfiguration Catholic Community, Baltimore, after-school program play a lively game of catch, he knew getting them to concentrate on homework would be challenging. The Transfiguration parishioner, a retired computer programmer from Charles Village, was one of two volunteers who helped the five elementary school-aged children who showed...Read More

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California Catholic bishops are joining with a coalition of medical, ethical and disability rights groups to fight a new effort to legalize assisted suicide in the state. The Web site of the California Catholic Conference, the public policy agency of the state’s bishops, includes a link to Californians Against Assisted Suicide,...Read More

ROME – Pope Benedict XVI urged Catholics to rediscover the traditional “penitential weapons” of prayer, fasting and works of charity in order to make Lent a time of inner renewal. He made the comments during an Ash Wednesday Mass Feb. 21 at the Basilica of Santa Sabina in central Rome. The liturgy began with a...Read More

Bernard Stabb, 62, is a very healthy eater, exercises almost daily and lifts weights regularly, and he had no idea he was at risk for serious heart problems. This self-described health nut said he saw an ad in his local paper for St. Joseph Medical Center’s new online heart awareness test. After logging on to...Read More

It is hoop-heaven this coming week as the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association will wrap-up their boys’ basketball tourney Feb. 23 with the A Conference tipping off at 7 p.m. at Gilman School, Baltimore, while the B and C Conference finals will begin at 6:30 p.m. at The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. Log on to the...Read More

WASHINGTON – The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities is urging the House to amend legislation forbidding discrimination on the basis of genetic information to include unborn children, unimplanted embryos and those in the process of being adopted as “family members” under the bill.Read More