“It’s a leap of faith.” It’s an oft-used expression in our vernacular used to describe those actions of ours that defy logic, come with no guarantee or proof and which promise the greatest reward for our risk. It requires us to “put ourselves out there” head-first—totally and completely. Perhaps the greatest leap we Catholics will...Read More

The Catholic Review In October of 2008, I wrote a column in this space entitled, “Taking Stock.” In it, I wrote of our concern over the faltering economy and its impact on our local Church. I detailed the steps we were taking to improve efficiency, accountability and effectiveness here at Archdiocesan headquarters in Baltimore, including...Read More

The Catholic Review I must not have been more than six or seven. My brothers and I would dutifully accompany my mother many a Monday night for the novena of the Miraculous Medal, a strong devotion of the day evidenced by a large parish church half-filled. The priest would lead the novena from the pulpit....Read More

The Catholic Review January 22. It may be just another day for many Americans, but for Catholics and others who value the sanctity of life, it is a once-a-year chance to come together in great numbers and call for an end to legalized abortion and the movement toward a culture of life. Last Friday, an...Read More

The Catholic Review The Catholic Review recently reported on the discovery over the summer of a time capsule on the site of a former independent living facility for elderly women at Roland Avenue and Coldspring Lane in North Baltimore known as Kirkleigh Villa. The capsule was revealed during demolition of the building once known as...Read More

The Catholic Review About two months ago, I wrote a column titled, “Advisory: Sacrifices Ahead.” The intent of the column was to remind you, our good Catholic people, that the work of addressing the challenges facing Catholic schools in our Archdiocese is moving forward and that changes are on the horizon. My “advisory” wasn’t meant...Read More

The Catholic Review The Baltimore Sun’s obituary paints a colorful picture of Christopher Coffland: “His biography reads like that of several people combined: played professional football in Finland, coached football in Australia and lacrosse at Boys’ Latin School of Maryland, worked as a university counselor at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, tended bar in Baltimore,...Read More

The Catholic Review Bagels and Tastycakes. Likely the one and only time these words will ever appear together in a column of mine, these staples of households in New York and Philadelphia were on the line recently as Archbishop Timothy Dolan and Cardinal Justin Rigali placed a friendly wager on who would win the 2009...Read More