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Archdiocese celebrates 200 years of meeting challenges

When Bishop John Carroll took possession of what was then the Diocese of in December 1790, America’s first Catholic bishop faced tremendously daunting challenges. With few resources, he was called to build parishes and schools, raise a native clergy and meet the pastoral needs of a diocese that encompassed the entire country.

By the time the diocese was raised to archdiocesan status in 1808, it was clear the newly elevated Carroll was more than up to the task. In his 25 years as spiritual shepherd, Archbishop Carroll founded three colleges and two seminaries, cared for a Catholic population that doubled in size and strongly promoted the foundation of many religious orders – among numerous other accomplishments, according to Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien.

In an April 13 celebration of the 200th anniversary of the raising of the Baltimore diocese to archdiocesan status, Archbishop O’Brien said there are numerous challenges that face Catholics today that are no less daunting than those of two centuries ago. But just as Catholics persevered then with faith and prayer, so, too, do believers today.

The bicentennial Mass was celebrated at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore – the country’s first Catholic established by Archbishop Carroll and restored by Cardinal William H. Keeler.

Following the liturgy, Archbishop O’Brien dedicated a white marble bust of Cardinal Keeler honoring the cardinal for his contributions to the archdiocese and the basilica.

In his homily, Archbishop O’Brien said Catholics cannot rest and never have rested “contently and complacently in our secure sheepfold.”

“Indeed in our midst are pastures poisoned with drugs, dark valleys overwhelmed with the hopeless homeless, fields plagued by abortion mills, reverberating with gunshots and murders,” he said. “There are tables not filled, but empty of food both for the physically hungry and for the spiritually starved.”

Those challenges are not solely in pockets of Baltimore City, the archbishop said, but in areas large and small, urban and suburban, “indeed in all counties of our great archdiocese.”

Catholic Charities does a great job reaching out to the poor and vulnerable, the archbishop said. Priests, , religious and laypeople have also zealously lived the Gospel, he said.

But just as Archbishop Carroll needed priests 200 years ago, Archbishop O’Brien said, so, too, does the archdiocese need men to give their lives to God as priests today. He encouraged young men in particular to consider the religious life.

“Baltimore is as much a diocese now as it was 200 years ago,” said Archbishop O’Brien. While there are countless more structures and programs, he said, “we are ever in need of more hearts and souls convinced that as Christ the Good Shepherd laid down his life to save his sheep, so must each of us strive, by virtue of our very , to do the same.”

After the celebration, many people admired the 250-pound, life-size bust of Cardinal Keeler. Sculpted by 27-year-old Nate Risteen, the art shows a smiling Cardinal Keeler wearing the of Archbishop Carroll.

Mark Potter, executive director of the Basilica of the Assumption Historic Trust, said the sculpture resulted from the cooperation of the Historic Trust and the cardinal’s family, who both wanted to honor the cardinal.

“The (family’s) interest in gathering funds for some remembrance of him, and the trust’s desire to also honor him with a bust, brought about this perfect solution,” he said.

More than 20 members of the cardinal’s family were on hand for the dedication, many of them snapping photos as Archbishop O’Brien and Cardinal Keeler pulled off a white garment to unveil the bust. Dr. Louis Keeler, a cousin of the cardinal, said his family is immensely proud of Cardinal Keeler’s many achievements.

“I’m certain books and papers will be written about the Keeler years of the American ,” he said.

Cardinal Keeler thanked participants for attending the Mass and dedication. He told he was very happy to see the history of the archdiocese being celebrated with a Mass, archival display, lectures and more.

“I’m very delighted that Archbishop O’Brien is emphasizing the many aspects of our history during this bicentennial year and especially calling for a study of the documents of the , which I was blessed to attend,” he said.

Undaunted missionary spirit

The following is Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien’s April 13 homily from the bicentennial Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Baltimore.

It was barely six months ago that I took possession of this Premier See of our Nation. You might recall that I began the liturgical events of the occasion in this historic basilica with a prayerful visit to the crypt below to kneel before the remains of our founding bishop, John Carroll, whose pectoral cross I am wearing.

Bishop Carroll took possession of his See in December 1790, and his inaugural sermon makes clear his state of mind. Of his appointment he said, “I have always dreaded it.” And given the immense challenge that faced him, it is easy to see why. “Everything had to be raised from its foundation,” he said with scant resources at hand and a Catholic people among the poorest in the city and countryside. He specified the challenge in his sermon: canonical structures, schools, native clergy, a newly founded seminary, schools and the evangelization of her near and distant flock.

His goal, he said, was “to have nothing in view but God and your salvation.” He went on to say, “My heart sinks almost under the impression of terror which comes upon it. In God alone can I find any consolation … He will not abandon me … Pray, dear brethren, pray incessantly (for me).”

Pray, they must have. And no, God did not abandon him.

As founding bishop, this premier missionary and persevering evangelizer of our new nation truly laid the foundation of Catholicism in America. He convinced and some skeptics at home of the compatibility of Catholicism and a free democracy. A friend and confidant of Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson and a supporter of many civil causes and institutions, John Carroll is to the Church in our country what Washington is to our country. In Archbishop Carroll’s 25 years of shepherding, the Catholic population of the expansive Church of Baltimore doubled as did our number of native priests. He founded three colleges and two seminaries and strongly promoted the foundation of many religious orders, receiving the vows of the now St. Elizabeth Seton. He would go on to encourage and support the establishment of both the first distinctly American community of religious women and of the first Catholic school in our land.

The list of Archbishop Carroll’s accomplishments could continue almost endlessly. But as we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday, and as we prayerfully mark the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, it is good to take stock of the spiritual wealth of the Church in our land and its humblest of all beginnings. A sheepfold few in number then and now so vast – surely due to Christ’s good shepherding of a flock certain of his presence, and consequently full of hope: If the Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.

As we enter our third century as an Archdiocese, our challenges are different from those faced by Archbishop Carroll, but no less daunting. Now as then, the sheepfold, which is the Church, can never be an island, isolated and impervious to the people she serves. We Catholics cannot rest, and never have rested, contently and complacently in our secure sheepfold. Indeed in our midst are pastures poisoned with drugs, dark valleys overwhelmed with the hopeless homeless, fields plagued by abortion mills, reverberating with gunshots and murders. There are tables not filled, but empty of food both for the physically hungry and for the spiritually starved. And this, not solely in pockets of Baltimore City but in areas large and small, urban and suburban, indeed in all counties of our great Archdiocese.

Archbishop Carroll was proud and ever aware of this country’s blessings and insisted that they be shared by all, saying:

“Freedom and independence, acquired by the united efforts and cemented with the mingled blood of Protestants and Catholic fellow citizens, should be equably enjoyed by all.”

I have had the privilege these six months to be witness to daily deeds of love and concern for neighbor that hold out solid hope. I have seen our priests and Protestant ministers joining their flocks to solve pressing community problems; Jewish friends generously supporting Catholic Charities on behalf of the neediest of all faiths and no faith; teachers totally committed to forming and mentoring the next generations of American citizens, rather than settling for lesser-challenging and higher-paying employment; more prosperous parishes partnering with those that are needier.

I have come to know the great works of our own Catholic Charities, whose presence is felt in every corner of our Archdiocese, from the tidal waters of the Chesapeake Bay to the mountains of Garrett County. Our thousands of employees and volunteers tirelessly ‘cherish the divine within’ every person they serve in countless ways. Having now seen firsthand many of the ministries of Catholic Charities, I am ever more convinced that our Lord’s call to serve the neediest among us is truly lived out in our Archdiocese every day. And every person assisted has a profoundly moving story to tell. Whether they are one of the 1,700 seniors living in one of the 19 different seniors’ residences, or the 7,500 children adopted by loving families in our Archdiocese over the last 65 years, or the 400 developmentally disabled adults in our adult day programs, or the 700 people who simply enjoy a hot nutritious meal, their lives have been touched by others willing to proclaim Christ’s love. That we honor His Eminence William Cardinal Keeler following this Mass is especially appropriate on this Good Shepherd Sunday in light of all that he has done these 19 years to initiate and expand the charitable and educational mission of this Archdiocese so significantly.

What I have witnessed, in short, is a missionary zeal of which John Carroll himself would be proud, priests – religious and diocesan – brothers and sisters in , deacons and lay ecclesial ministers, purposefully and joyfully witnessing to the Master’s pivotal Gospel invitation.

Laypeople, giving and giving again of their time, talent and treasure to serve in our parishes and schools, on our Archdiocesan boards and hundreds of service projects that the Good Shepherd’s flock might have life and have it more abundantly.

As we today recall and stir up the grace of the Holy Spirit that then enkindled the zeal and guided the successors of Archbishop John Carroll, and all our Catholic ancestors, we call upon that same Holy Spirit for renewed energy in our local Church of Baltimore to make Jesus Christ better known and loved in our communities.

At every Mass, the Holy Spirit is called down upon the gifts of bread and wine to transform them into Christ’s Body and Blood, the Eucharist. And is not the very purpose of the Eucharist to transform us into Christ so that He can continue His works of love through us? “By this will the world know that you are my disciples, that you love one another.”

The divine energy of renewal that we seek, the strength for the task of renewed evangelization, will always be available from within the sheepfold. And, it will come most especially in the Sunday Eucharist, Holy Mass celebrated prayerfully, reverently and with a joyful spirit in each of our churches. The Eucharist has enormous potential for renewing the Church in Baltimore. And how especially effective in drawing us to Christ in the Mass, is outside of Mass. Pope Benedict, whom we prepare to welcome to our nation this week, reminds us, “The act of adoration outside Mass prolongs and intensifies all that takes place in the liturgical celebration itself.” I confidently look forward to the initiatives which our new office of liturgy will be taking this fall to promote a new, Eucharistic- centered evangelization, ever in support of our parishes.

Elsewhere I have recently noted the inevitable and consistent connection between Eucharistic adoration and vocations to consecrated life and the priesthood. I thank those parishes that have given our faithful people opportunities during the week to pray before the exposed Blessed Sacrament and there to offer special prayers for vocations. I am asking our Catholic Review periodically to highlight the churches and chapels throughout the Archdiocese that offer such opportunities for Eucharistic adoration listing specific days and hours.

From the first diocesan synod in Baltimore in 1791 to the present, the need for priests has been a principal concern to the of Baltimore. Then as now, we have been blessed by the commitment of religious clergy who greatly enrich our parishes and schools with their distinctive Catholic spirituality and sensitive pastoral care. Many have immigrated to our shores with faithful from their European homelands. Probably more than any other diocese in our country, Baltimore continues to be blessed by these selfless women and men as an integral part of our Catholic family and our heritage.

We can be rightly and uniquely proud as well of Mother Mary Lange, who founded the Oblate Sisters of Providence here in 1829. The Oblates’ mission has expanded beyond the borders of and the . One day, we pray Mother Mary will be raised to the altar, universally recognized for the saintly life that continues to inspire her daughters.

Surely, as we look ahead, this rich soil of premier Catholicism holds the seeds of many such future consecrated religious who will continue to serve the poor and disenfranchised who will always be with us.

Certainly, no diocese can do without a strong core of diocesan priests and through the decades this Premier See has boasted a presbyterate of unrivaled excellence. Such is the case today. Despite the many imaginative vocational initiatives in recent years, this Archdiocese must be concerned about the future of our priesthood.

I call upon all our parishes and schools to address directly and on all levels the need for priests to serve the People of God in the years ahead.

I would briefly address the many young men in our Catholic community whom, I am convinced, God is calling to the priesthood. Our culture, our Church of Baltimore, with hope looks forward to a new generation of American with John Carroll’s single and simple purpose: only God and our salvation.

I have also been privileged in recent years to witness the heroism of your generation, to see so many willing to give their lives totally and even to death for others in the service of this nation. I will continue to challenge you, young Catholics of Baltimore, to do so in service of God and Christ’s Church.

You might find stimulating the words of another Bishop of early Baltimore, the Sulpician William Louis DuBourg, who founded the present St. Mary’s Seminary and University. In 1812, he was named administrator of the territory of Louisiana. Finding himself desperately short of priests in this new, French-speaking territory, he wrote to all the seminaries in France seeking seminarian volunteers to venture here as missionaries. Posters were placed throughout the dioceses of France with this unlikely promise:

We offer you: no salary, no recompense, no holidays, no pension. But much hard work, a poor dwelling, few consolations, many disappointments, frequent sickness, a violent or lonely death, an unknown grave.

And they came. They came because Jesus Christ was at the heart of it and was alive in them. They came in good numbers with the missionary heart of John Carroll: “In God alone can I find any consolation … He will not abandon me.”

Good people of God, young and old, Baltimore is as much a missionary diocese now as it was 200 years ago. Look around and have no doubt. Yes, we now have countless more structures and buildings and programs, but we are ever in need of more hearts and souls convinced that as Christ the Good Shepherd laid down his life to save his sheep, so must each of us strive, by virtue of our very baptism, to do the same.

It is in that spirit that I close with the words of our first bishop, premier missionary and persevering evangelizer. Following that Diocesan Synod of 1791, Bishop Carroll wrote a pastoral letter to his people, the first such pastoral in the United States. He concluded with a Pauline prayer:

For this cause I bow my knee to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, … that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory that Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts; that being rooted and founded in charity, you may be able to know also the charity of Christ, which surpasseth knowledge, that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God. Now to Him, who is able to do all things more abundantly than we desire or understand … to Him be glory in the Church, and in Christ Jesus unto all generations, world without end. Amen.

Gaels celebrate the opening of Plevyak Field

The John M. Plevyak Field had its much anticipated opening April 4 when the Mount St. Joseph Gaels hosted top-ranked Gilman in MIAA A Conference lacrosse. Although the first contest ended in defeat for the home team, the opening of the new facility was a cause for celebration.

The field is part of an $18.5 million capital improvement project to upgrade the athletic facilities at the Irvington school. Construction continues in earnest on the project, which will be completed in three phases and ultimately includes the construction of a new , as well as a refurbishment of the existing Memorial Gymnasium.

Situated in the same location as the school’s previous stadium, Plevyak Field features seating for 1,000, a new press box, a new synthetic turf field and state-of- the art track.

Another aspect of the new facility is a purple walking bridge, which connects the main academic buildings of the campus to the new athletic facilities. Its installation is underway.

The opening of the new field and stadium is exciting for the president of Mount St. Joseph, Brother James M. Kelly, C.F.X., who was eager to address the school’s aging athletic facilities, following the previous construction of a new library and other academic facilities.

“We needed to address the physical side of the campus after the spiritual and academic sides were completed,” said Brother James. “We, here at the Mount, educate the whole man in body, spirit and soul.”

A casualty of the project, however, will be the loss of St. Joe’s outdoor pool. The pool and the adjacent tennis courts sit on the site earmarked for the new gym, which will feature a trophy room and hall of fame. New tennis courts will be built in another location.

Among the donors is former St. Joe baseball great and current major leaguer Mark Teixeira. Teixeira, who plays for the Atlanta Braves, remains close to the St. Joe community and helped get the project rolling with a $1 million contribution.

Top twosome sail in Mount de Sales golf

Kathy (Dukehart) Benzing, a 1960 graduate of Mount de Sales Academy, loves the game of golf. In fact, she’s been playing for 15 years and loves every minute of it.

This year, her passion for golf and the great outdoors has taken her in a new direction as she is now known as “Coach.”

Benzing said that Sister Elizabeth Anne, O.P., principal of the Catonsville all-girls school, had wanted to start a golf team for years and 2008 was their year to compete in the IAAM B Conference.

With 10 golfers on the team, four of them brand new to the sport, the Sailors are out to a remarkable start, with a 3-1 league record as of April 13. Their only loss came at the hands of the , Baltimore, who edged the Sailors 2-1 with a rematch coming next week.

The Sailors use Forest Park Golf Course for their nine-hole home matches and travel around the area for away matches – which could be a county or city course, or a lush, sprawling, country club setting.

Benzing is most excited about her No. 1 twosome, senior Carol Nettina and sophomore Maggie Andrews, who are undefeated thus far (as of April 13) in their match-ups. “These girls are very good players, but they made me nervous during our last two matches, winning the nine-hole game on the last hole with their last putt.”

The Sailors No. 2 twosome is seniors Becca Murray and Maria Malagari, who possess a strong long game off of their drives. The remainder of the team switches in and out for the third and final grouping for match play.

“I just love being around Mount de Sales,” said Benzing. “It’s such an uplifting feeling.”

Benzing went on to say that her players are mostly enjoying the on-the-course learning of the rules and course etiquette.

Though it has been a rainy and cold spring, the Sailors were able to get out to the driving range several times and get in a few practice rounds on their home course prior to the season getting underway.

Study explores support for vocations, response to decline in priests

WASHINGTON – Although three-quarters of U.S. Catholic respondents in a new survey have noticed a decline in the number of priests serving in parishes, few of the men said they have considered becoming a priest and less than a third of all respondents said they would encourage their own child to pursue a religious vocation.

Those were among the results of a survey of 1,007 self-identified adult Catholics conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at in Washington.

The margin of error for the survey was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

The 178-page CARA report, titled “Sacraments Today: Belief and Practice Among U.S. Catholics,” was made public April 13. It summarized responses to a wide range of questions about Catholics’ attitudes toward and participation in the Mass and the sacraments, their knowledge of the Catholic faith, their views on church leadership and teachings, and their experience with vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

The survey also found that two-thirds of the respondents (66 percent) said that at the they attend no priest from outside the United States had come to regularly serve in the past five years. But more than half (55 percent) of those who attend Mass weekly or more often said such a priest had served in their parish during that period.

Among those who have had a priest from outside the U.S. regularly serve at their parish, more than half (53 percent) said they were very satisfied with the priest’s ministry and another 34 percent said they were somewhat satisfied.

CARA found that about one in eight Catholics (13 percent) had attended an ordination ceremony for a Catholic priest. The percentage was 20 percent for those who attended Mass at least weekly and 8 percent for those who went to Mass a few times a year or less frequently. Asked if they had ever considered becoming a priest or religious brother, only 3 percent of the men responding to the survey said they had seriously considered it. Another 6 percent said they had considered it “somewhat seriously” and 7 percent said they had “only a little seriously” considered a vocation to the priesthood or religious life. The vast majority (83 percent) said they had never considered becoming a priest or brother.

Very few Catholic men (5 percent) said they had given any consideration to the idea of becoming a permanent .

“Regardless of frequency of Mass attendance, Catholic men are less likely to say they have seriously considered becoming a deacon than a priest or brother,” the CARA report said.

Among women respondents, 15 percent said they had ever considered becoming a religious sister, with less than 1 percent of all Catholic women saying they had “very seriously” considered such a vocation.

Most likely to consider becoming a religious sister were women who had attended a Catholic college or university (41 percent), those who attended a Catholic high school (25 percent) and Catholics born between 1943 and 1960 (26 percent).

Only 10 percent of Catholics said they had ever encouraged anyone else to become a priest, deacon, or brother. But 31 percent of those who have never encouraged any type of vocation said they would encourage at least one of the four types of vocations.

Asked whether they would encourage their own child to pursue a vocation, 68 percent said no. Among those most likely to encourage their child to become a priest, deacon, sister or brother were weekly Mass attendees (55 percent) and Catholics with postgraduate degrees (46 percent).

On the question of the declining number of priests, more than half of the respondents (51 percent) said they had noticed the decline but had not been personally affected by it. The percentage was virtually identical (50 percent) in 2001, despite the fact that the number of U.S. priests has declined from nearly 45,000 in 2001 to just over 41,000 in 2008.

The CARA survey also asked about Catholics’ preferences for several possible options if their parish did not have a resident priest.

A majority of respondents said they would support or strongly support:

– Sharing a priest with one or more parishes (65 percent).

– Bringing in a priest from outside the United States (56 percent).

– Increasing the use of deacons (56 percent).

– Asking a retired priest to come in and do more (55 percent).

Receiving less than majority support were suggestions to increase the use of lay ecclesial ministers (supported or strongly supported by 47 percent) or merging the parish with another nearby parish (44 percent).

Yankee Stadium Mass to mark bicentennials of Baltimore and four other U.S. archdioceses

NEW YORK – The April 20 Mass at Yankee Stadium will mark the bicentennials of the archdioceses of , Boston, and Louisville, Ky., which was founded as Bardstown, Ky.

The four dioceses, before being named archdioceses, were erected in 1808 from the Baltimore Diocese, the nation’s first diocese, which became an archdiocese that year. The coats of arms of the five archdioceses will be displayed in right, left and center fields at the stadium. Their archbishops are scheduled to be concelebrants at the Mass; they are: Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York, Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston, Cardinal of Philadelphia, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., and Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien of Baltimore.

The New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Louisville archdioceses have been marking their bicentennials with yearlong celebrations including special liturgies, youth gatherings and programs of spiritual renewal.

But in the beginning, there was just Baltimore.

Baltimore, and the wider Maryland colony, was the Catholic homeland in a young nation that was largely Protestant, yet was to be shaped by the waves of Catholic immigrants who transformed cities such as New York, Boston and Philadelphia, among others.

The massive Baltimore Diocese led by Bishop John Carroll initially included the entire United States. The move by Pope Pius VII to make four smaller dioceses illustrated that “the church was becoming a permanent part of the American scene,” Father Clyde Crews, a historian at Bellarmine University in Louisville, told Catholic New York, the archdiocesan newspaper.

Tricia Pyne, archivist for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, noted that Bishop Carroll had for years requested the establishment of separate dioceses in the new nation.

The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 doubled the size of the new nation and Catholic settlers clamored for more priests. Rome, preoccupied with European strife, was slow to respond, she added, while the Napoleonic wars and the glacial pace of news slowed events until the 1808 creation of the new dioceses.

Bishop Richard Luke Concanen, a Dominican, was named the first bishop of New York, but was unable to leave Europe because of the Napoleonic wars. The administration of the new diocese fell instead to Jesuit Father , for the diocese.

Among his accomplishments, Father Kohlmann supervised the plans for what is now St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, which upon its completion in 1817 was the largest church building in the city.

Father Kohlmann is perhaps best known for his defense of the seal of confession, a struggle that culminated in historic New York state legislation offering legal support to the confidentiality of the sacrament.

According to Father Crews, the most prominent of the new dioceses in 1808 may well have been Bardstown. It was before large-scale immigration and the Catholic communities in East Coast cities such as New York, Boston and Philadelphia remained relatively small.

But Kentucky, then being settled by a large number of Catholics from Maryland, became a center of Catholic life, even in its unlikely frontier setting. Bishop Benedict Joseph Flaget, a refugee from the , became the first bishop of Bardstown and became known as “the first bishop of the West.”

He led a see that included Kentucky, Tennessee and what later became Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. More than 40 modern dioceses have been carved out of what was the Diocese of Bardstown, which moved to Louisville, a much larger city, in 1841.

The three counties around Bardstown became known as the “Holy Land” among Kentucky Catholics because of the relatively high percentage of Catholics, Father Crews said. The area boasts a number of motherhouses for sisters, as well as the famous Gethsemani , a Trappist institution founded by French monks.

Father Crews, a priest of the Louisville Archdiocese, noted the New York connection to the area: A New Yorker, Trappist Father Thomas Merton, became Gethsemani’s most famous monk in the mid-20th century.

During a Mass to open the bicentennial year of the Archdiocese of Boston, Cardinal O’Malley urged disillusioned Catholics to “come home” to the faith.

The cardinal, fully aware of efforts to rebuild trust among Catholics in the wake of the clergy sex abuse crisis and parish and school closings in the Boston Archdiocese, recounted the difficult beginnings of the archdiocese in an area of the country where anti-Catholic sentiment was widespread and often backed by the force of law. When the archdiocese was founded 200 years ago, “the entire Catholic population of the diocese would not have filled this church,” he said during a Dec. 2, 2007, homily at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston. “There were about 1,000 Catholics and two priests,” he added. “Those handful of Catholics of two centuries ago, have grown to over 5 million Catholics in New England today.”

In opening remarks for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s bicentennial celebration, Cardinal Rigali noted the archdiocese has a history rich in immigrants, the establishment of the Catholic school system and Sts. John Neumann and .

“Much has changed in geography, structure and in the number of parishes, schools and other agencies over two centuries,” he said. “Throughout the years, however, one witnesses constant devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ by the clergy, religious and .”

Contributing to this story were Donis Tracy in Boston and Christie Chicoine in Philadelphia.

Franciscan says Catholic schools in Holy Land must be supported

LONDON – Christianity could vanish from Israel and the Palestinian territories within two generations unless more is done to support Catholic schools, said the head of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.

Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, whose order maintains most of the Christian biblical sites in the Holy Land, said the religious identity of Christians had grown extremely fragile as more of them migrated abroad for a better life.

He told an April 11 press conference in that the main challenge for the Christians, who form 1 percent of the population of Israel and the Palestinian territories, was how to remain united.

Father Pizzaballa was in London to address the Terra Sancta Education Trust, a U.K.-based charity for the advancement of education and relief of the poverty of Holy Land Christian families. He urged British Catholics to support Holy Land Christians through pilgrimages and initiatives such as the twinning of schools in the U.K. and in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

The main way to maintain the unity of Christians in Israel – where 40 percent of Christians in the Holy Land live – is through the work of the order’s 14 schools, he said.

“The role of schools is very important because it is the only instrument through which we can preserve the Christian identity for the Christian community,” said Father Pizzaballa. “One hour a week in church is not enough to maintain the Christian identity. It is the main challenge that we have.”

He said that the Christian community in Israel was “stable” partly as a result of the state providing funding for church-run schools.

“We cannot impose the peace, but we can prepare for peace with education and formation of the younger generation,” he said. “There is no other way.”

Father Pizzaballa said problems in the Palestinian territories were far more severe because there was no funding for Christian schools, and there were also acute political and economic crises, with unemployment rates hitting almost 50 percent.

The eight-year intifada, or Palestinian uprising, had increased levels of poverty among Palestinians because they were no longer allowed into Israel to work. The Israeli separation barrier also physically has separated Christians in Israel from those in Palestinian areas.

Father Pizzaballa said these problems had led to an exodus of mainly middle-class Christians from the region. He said that in 1967 Arab Christians comprised 70 percent of the population in the Palestinian territories, but they now accounted for 8 percent of the people living there. “We want to preserve the legacy and the Christian character of this land,” he said. “It is not an accident that they are there. We want them to remain there according to the will of God and to preserve this heritage we have received from our fathers.”

Bicentennial exhibit highlights growth of the Catholic Church in America

In the expansive landscape of religious freedom in the United States following independence, the vigorous spread of Catholicism can be witnessed in original letters and documents now on display in a special exhibit commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Primary among the documents displayed as part of “From Diocese to Archdiocese: Baltimore 1808” in Laubacher Hall at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Roland Park are papal bulls of 1808 authorizing the establishment of Baltimore as an archdiocese. They also authorize the creation of four new dioceses in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Bardstown (now Louisville, Kentucky). Also included are the papal bulls appointing bishops to those dioceses: Bishop John Cheverus for Boston; Bishop Richard Luke Concanen, O.P., for New York; Bishop Michael Egan, O.S.F., for Philadelphia; and Bishop Benedict Flaget, S.S., for Bardstown.

Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien welcomed a crowd of more than 180 for the exhibit’s opening April 12.

Referring to the hand-penned papers and portrait drawings arranged in the display cases, Archbishop O’Brien said the collection represents the significant growth of the Catholic Church over the years. “It offers us an opportunity to reflect on the perseverance and the sacrifices evidenced by those who have gone before us, who tried to live their lives as conscientious Catholics and loyal American citizens,” he said.

“Baltimore has a prominent and unique place in the history of the American Catholic church and of America,” Archbishop O’Brien stated. “We here are so fortunate because we can go just about anywhere and see churches and monuments that remind us of the important role that connects us to the church beyond the borders of this archdiocese.”

Befitting an event that celebrates the church’s growth and development, the audience for the exhibit’s opening was largely made up of confirmation candidates and their families from Church in Towson, who were making a pilgrimage to St. Mary’s Seminary as part of their sacramental preparation. Also attending were members of the deacon formation program at St. Mary’s, including Jim Barth, accompanied by his wife, Kay. “I knew Baltimore was the first diocese,” said Mrs. Barth after examining the display, “but I didn’t realize Baltimore oversaw the whole country.”

As described in a visitor handout prepared by archdiocesan archivist Dr. Tricia Pyne, Baltimore’s boundaries when it was established in 1789 as the nation’s first diocese were those of the entire United States. At the time, Catholics made up only 1 percent of the U.S. population, residing mostly in and Maryland. Twenty years later, however, growing numbers of immigrants from Europe and the Caribbean were settling in all parts of the country, including the frontier. The number of Catholics in Maryland and the District of Columbia had nearly doubled, straining the resources of the 30 priests serving them, most of whom had come here as missionaries from Europe.

Bishop Carroll, assisted by his coadjutor and eventual successor Bishop , found it increasingly challenging to meet the needs of such a diverse and dispersed flock, so he appealed to Rome for help. The subsequent apportionment of the U.S. Church into five jurisdictions with their own bishops allowed for more personal stewardship, even though the new Archdiocese of Baltimore would sweep south from Maryland all the way west to the Mississippi River, encompassing the District of Columbia, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi.

In her remarks at the exhibit’s opening, Dr. Pyne highlighted another dimension of the growing Catholic presence in America by pointing out the inclusion of letters relating to women’s religious communities active in the archdiocese during that time. These include the Discalced Carmelites who established a monastery at Port Tobacco in Charles County in 1790, the Pious Ladies of Georgetown (later affiliated with the Visitation ) who ran schools for young women and African Americans, and the Sisters of St. Joseph (now Daughters of Charity) founded by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, a young widow who would have remembered 1808 as the year she arrived in Baltimore with her five children and opened her first school.

Correspondence relating to the delivery of the papal bulls, also displayed in the exhibit, tells a dramatic story of its own. “The Pastoral of the Bishops of 1810,” another item on display, is the published version of regulations concerning the laity which, together with previous diocesan legislation from 1791, would serve as formative statutes of the U.S. Church for nearly 20 years.

“From Diocese to Archdiocese: Baltimore 1808” is open to the public Monday- Thursday 4:00-6:00 p.m. through May 1.

Priests, seminarians jazz up vocations fundraising with concert

While Father Louis Bianco is certainly in tune with parish life at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, Homeland, where he serves as associate , the priest is also instrumental in other ways.

A graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Father Bianco is a master of the clarinet. The public will have an opportunity to hear the musical talent of Father Bianco, along with Father Mark Bialek, associate pastor of St. Joseph, Fullerton, and five seminarians, during an April 27 concert at St. Mary’s Seminary Chapel in Roland Park.

“Vox Domini – Music for the Journey,” is sponsored by the Vocation Office of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the Serra Foundation of Baltimore, and features clarinet, guitar and piano performance as well as singing. The 3 p.m. concert will benefit the “Take the Journey” vocation program that invites juniors in high school to consider a call from God to the priesthood.

“I think anytime we can get out there and have youths see us on a different level than just at Mass or church or some official function like that, it is positive,” said Father Bianco.

The five seminarians performing include: Rev. Mr. John Rapisarda, a transitional deacon for the archdiocese who will be ordained in June; Joseph Gill, who is fulfilling his pastoral year at St. John the Evangelist, Severna Park; Marc L. Lanoue, who is fulfilling his pastoral year at St. Ignatius, Hickory; Carlo Stebbings, who is a second- year theologian at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Roland Park; and Quy Vo, a third-year theologian from the diocese of Albany, N.Y., who is studying at St. Mary’s.

Mr. Gill, 24, who sings and plays guitar and has recorded several CDs, said he thinks the concert will be something different for the public.

“They may have seen Men in Black (basketball) games, but now come see a different side of seminarians,” encouraged Mr. Gill. He said the seminarians and priests will perform two songs each.

“This concert is a great way to combine a donation with a nice evening out listening to priests and seminarians perform and display their diverse talents,” said Andrew Veveiros, associate director of vocations for the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

As for why he thinks people should attend the concert, Father Bianco said, “I think, first of all, they are supporting a great program that the Serra Club and the Vocation Office provide for junior boys in high school. People will also be more aware of the need for vocations in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and they’ll have the opportunity to listen to music.”

As part of the Take the Journey program, students visit St. Mary’s Seminary for a day-long visit/retreat that promotes openness to God’s call, provides information about the priesthood and religious life and allows students to interact with the seminary community. Six schools have participated this year, with some 800 juniors visiting the seminary.

Concert tickets are $25. Only 500 seats are available. For tickets by mail, send checks to The Serra Foundation of Baltimore, Mr. Joseph Reynolds, c/o Office for Vocations, 320 Cathedral St., Baltimore, MD 21201 or call 410-547-5426 to reserve seats.

Archbishop catches glimpse of new church construction

LIBERTYTOWN – As workers installed ceiling lights, prepared walls for a coat of paint and erected a sanctuary platform on what was a bustling construction site April 10, Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien got a sneak peek of the new St. Peter the Apostle Church now rising in Libertytown.

Ignoring the friendly advice of a worker who warned the archbishop that his black clerical garb would get dirty in the dusty structure, the archbishop stepped carefully between stacked planks and large equipment to marvel at the emerging house of worship.

The new church will replace a 133-year-old brick structure that was destroyed in a 2004 fire. It incorporates a historic tower that was damaged in the blaze but left standing. The archbishop made St. Peter his first stop on a daylong tour that later took him to St. Timothy in Walkersville, St. John the Evangelist in Frederick, Visitation Academy in Frederick, St. John Catholic Prep in Frederick, St. Joseph-on-Carrollton Manor in Buckeystown, St. Ignatius of Loyola in Ijamsville and St. Michael in Poplar Springs. He was joined by Bishop W. Francis Malooly, western vicar, and Deacon Charles Hiebler.

Archbishop O’Brien is nearing the end of his mission of visiting all 151 parishes in the archdiocese.

Pointing to large Stations of the Cross hanging from the walls of the new church, Monsignor John Dietzenbach, pastor of St. Peter, told the archbishop the cherished religious artwork was recovered and restored after the fire. Pieces of stained glass broken in the fire will also be incorporated into a special window in a perpetual adoration chapel in the new church, Monsignor Dietzenbach said.

The new church will seat 800 – well more than twice the capacity of the destroyed church, the pastor added. It is expected to be dedicated in September.

In comments at the end of a Mass celebrated in the parish hall before he toured the new church, Archbishop O’Brien praised St. Peter parishioners for their dedication.

“That structure across the street is a sign of your great hope for the future of the parish,” said Archbishop O’Brien, gesturing in the direction of the new church.

The archbishop said he was impressed by St. Peter’s devotion to the Eucharist. He pointed out that two of the seminarians currently preparing for the priesthood for the Baltimore archdiocese are from St. Peter, crediting perpetual adoration as one of the main reasons the Frederick County parish is producing religious vocations.

“I’m sure there are more vocations,” said the archbishop, surveying the more than 120 people who gathered for the morning Mass. “I’m sure there are some right here in this chapel.”

The archbishop pledged to “do anything and go anywhere” to promote vocations.”

George Misulia, a longtime parishioner, said he’s convinced the archbishop’s dogged pursuit of vocations will yield results.

“He’s a man young men are going to follow,” said Mr. Misulia. “We’re praying for him.”

Before leaving St. Peter to tour other parishes, Archbishop O’Brien visited the community’s small perpetual adoration chapel and knelt in prayer in front of the exposed Blessed Sacrament.

Fire damages roof of St. Timothy parish center

WALKERSVILLE – Only a few months before St. Timothy, Walkersville, parishioners expected to occupy their new parish center, an April 9 fire may have delayed their plans.

The building, which was still under construction, suffered damage when firefighters had to cut a 100-square-foot hole in the roof to put out a smoldering fire.

The fire was reported around 3 p.m. when the foreman of the construction project noticed smoke inside the building, according to Father Andrew Aaron, pastor. The foreman telephoned emergency services and more than 80 fire fighters from Frederick and Carroll counties arrived within 10 minutes to fight the two-alarm blaze, Father Aaron said.

The fire started about 30 minutes after welders were working on the roof, the pastor said. No negligence is believed to have been involved, Father Aaron said.

“We were extremely lucky they caught it so soon and were able to contain it,” said Father Aaron. “I was relieved that no one was hurt and the damage was limited.”

There has been no estimate on the cost of the damage, and investigators still have to evaluate the building for water and smoke damage, he said.

“We’re going to get the place opened as soon as we can,” said Father Aaron. “We had hoped to open it in July and dedicate it in September. Who knows, maybe we can still stick to our original dates.”

The parish center is a $2.8 million project that will feature a hall with a basketball/volleyball court, meeting rooms and office space. The 12,000-square-foot building features a large inverted V as part of its exterior design, echoing the nearby church.

Parishioners have already raised $1.6 million, Father Aaron said

“For a relatively small parish, they’ve been very generous in supporting the project,” said Father Aaron, noting that there are 980 registered parishioners.

Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien visited the parish a day after the fire and said he, too, was glad the fire was not more serious. He believes parishioners will stay strong despite the setback.

“To launch out on a building project like this must mean the parishioners have pretty strong feelings about the church,” he said. “Their faith is strong. I think that will continue.”

Bishop Malooly awards 35 archdiocesan Medals of Honor

In an April 13 prayer service and ceremony at St. Ann in Hagerstown, Bishop W. Francis Malooly, western vicar, will recognize the outstanding service of 35 Catholics in the central region of the western vicariate by conferring on them the archdiocesan Medal of Honor. The medal is made of lucite with the coat of arms of the archdiocese on one side and flames of fire that represent the Holy Spirit and the words “love,” “service” and “disciple” on the other.

“It’s always enjoyable to gather together a group of people who take so seriously their responsibility as followers of Christ in their service to others,” said Bishop Malooly. “Not only do they provide great ministry, but they are a wonderful example to the rest of the community.”

The honorees are:

Kathleen and Joe Alexander, Holy Family Catholic Community, Middletown

Mr. and Mrs. Alexander are founding members of Holy Family. They have been involved in the pastoral council, greeter ministry, lector ministry, eucharistic ministry, liturgy committee, marriage sponsor couple, homeless shelter and various hospitality committees. Mr. Alexander was one of the first RCIA candidates at Holy Family and they both became active in that ministry. They also coordinated three years of Renew sessions and assisted with the coordination of the adult education program. They taught religious education at the middle school level and facilitated discussions for the pastoral council.

Mary Ann Breland, St. Joseph-on-Carrollton Manor, Buckeystown

Ms. Breland has been an active member and chair of the outreach committee. In addition to emergency assistance and the community food pantry, the committee programs now include Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets, Christmas gifts, a winter clothing collection to benefit the Frederick Cold Weather Shelter, gifts for the women and children at the Women’s Shelter, and collections for Frederick Birthright. In addition, when an unusual request comes in, Ms. Breland is often able to solve problems that other resources have turned away.

Rita Byard, St. Joseph, Emmitsburg

Ms. Byard has been an active member of the sodality and helps to serve the bereavement luncheons. Between 1968-88, she completed work that is now accomplished by two secretaries, the budget manager, the house service and cook. After retiring from 20 years as secretary, Ms. Byard began volunteering as a Sunday collection counter. She has also been a member of the women’s auxiliary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars for 25 years.

Nevin Camp, St. Francis of Assisi, Brunswick/St. Mary, Petersville

Mr. Camp has served as usher and an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion. As the owner of a heating and air conditioning company, he has been very generous in assisting the parish complex in this area. He is a former Grand Knight with the Knights of Columbus and one of his many projects as Grand Knight was to renovate the St. Francis rectory kitchen.

Mildred (Millie) Connor, St. Peter the Apostle Church, Libertytown

Ms. Connor is the director of the parish’s thrift shop. She volunteers numerous hours selling items in the thrift shop, sorting and displaying donated items and directing a band of volunteers. The proceeds from the thrift shop are directed toward St. Peter’s outreach to the poor. Ms. Connor also volunteers at the monthly coffee and doughnut Sundays.

George and Helen Deluca, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Thurmont

Mr. and Mrs. Deluca served many years as money counters. At every fundraising event to the present they take and sell tickets. They help at every benefit dinner, at the Labor Day picnic and “cash bashes.” Mrs. Deluca is also a greeter at one of the weekly Masses.

Maria Teresa D’Orazio, St. Joseph-on-Carrollton Manor, Buckeystown

Ms. D’Orazio is an active member of the outreach committee. In addition, she is involved with several healthcare coalitions through the Frederick County Health Department, is a co-founder of the Hispanic Apostolate of John, Frederick, is a volunteer and advocate for Mission of Mercy, is a founding board member of Centro Hispano and serves as an interpreter for the Frederick County Public School System and other health and human service agencies.

James Dowell (posthumously), St. John, Frederick Mr. Dowell was a member of the Knights of Columbus for more than 40 years. He was a participant in the funeral services ministry and a weekly participant in the eucharistic ministry. Mr. Dowell was also a member of the pastoral council and headed the Knights of Columbus’ sponsorship of a Frederick site of the community SHARE program food co-operative. He volunteered with Frederick Food Bank as well as numerous Frederick community services programs.

Joseph Hackett (posthumously), St. Timothy, Walkersville

Mr. Hackett served on the pastoral council from 1980-2004. From the beginning of the parish, he organized grass cutters from the Knights of Columbus for the rectory and mission church and then the new church. He was a fundraising visitor to many families during the capital campaign, encouraging donations to build the church, retire the debt and build the parish hall. He participated in the RCIA, visited the sick and prayed with the shut-ins. Mr. Hackett was a charter member of the St. Vincent De Paul Society and a lector.

Joseph and Mary Hellane, St. Joseph, Hagerstown

Mr. and Mrs. Hellane are lifelong members of St. Joseph. Mr. Hellane is an usher, money counter and a helper in the setup, celebration and cleaning and breakdown of most parish events. Mrs. Hellane is the chair of the social committee and an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion. She makes white garments for , and coordinates the craft group, the bazaar and yard sale.

Raymond Klaar, St. Francis Brunswick/St. Mary, Petersville

Mr. Klaar is active in several stewardship activities. He volunteered his skills to improve the parish computer and phone systems. He also volunteered to cut the grass at the St. Francis complex. He is the former business manager and is active in the Knights of Columbus, recently holding the office of Grand Knight.

Leo Komorowski (posthumously), St. Ann, Hagerstown

Mr. Komorowski was a “jack of all trades” at the parish who was involved in many woodworking projects for the church and parish center. He installed plaques for the Monsignor Manalis Center and church. Mr. Komorowski was also an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion and a choir member. An advisor to , he was active in the Knights of Columbus and VFW.

Nancy Marron, St. John, Frederick

Ms. Marron is an active member of the parish nursing team. She assists with monthly blood pressure screenings visits area nursing homes and senior centers to visit residents and distribute Holy Communion. She has also worked with the St. Vincent de Paul Society to assist patients with their medications.

Ms. Marron began a prayer shawl ministry program and provides printed information such as Care Notes, information on blood pressure, diabetes and other health issues.

For approximately 20 years she had been a religious education catechist for pre- school and second grade children in various parishes. She has also been active in music ministry.

Robert and Doris Maze, St. Anthony Shrine, Emmitsburg

Mr. Maze is a lector, corporator, finance committee member, an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, spokesman for the Lenten Appeal and a member of the Knights of Columbus. Mrs. Maze attends daily Mass with her husband and sends birthday cards to parishioners, checks on the sick of the parish, assists in the kitchen and helps the Knights of Columbus with social events.

William McGovern, St. Ann, Hagerstown

Mr. McGovern is a member of the finance and campaign committee and a former chair of the finance committee. He has been active in stewardship and was very instrumental in making the pictorial directory which showcased the more than 40 years of the parish. Most recently he had a major impact on Revitalizing the Living Stones Campaign.

Marilyn Metcalfe, St. Joseph-on-Carrollton Manor, Buckeystown

As a member and co-chair of the outreach committee Ms. Metcalfe has been very involved in developing parish programs to reach out to those less fortunate. In addition to emergency assistance and the community food panty, the committee programs now include Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets, Christmas gifts, winter clothing collection to benefit the Frederick Cold Weather Shelter , gifts for the women and children at the Women’s Shelter, and collections for Frederick Birthright. Ms. Metcalfe had been a co-chairperson for the committee until a recent stroke.

Roger Milihram, St. James, Boonsboro

Mr. Milihram has been very involved with maintenance issues around the church as well as the construction of the addition to the church in the 1970s. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus and leads a weekly rosary group. He opens the church for prayer on Wednesday mornings.

Ken and Arline Miller, St. Augustine, Williamsport

Mr. Miller has been a volunteer maintenance person for many years before stepping down for health reasons. Mrs. Miller has also been an active member of St. Augustine, serving as the choir director. She, too, has had to resign from this position for health reasons.

Margy Myers, St. Joseph, Emmitsburg

Ms. Myers has been an active member of the sodality who served as president. She has overseen the annual donation from the sodality to the church’s recent repair and renovation fund. She worked as a cook at Mother Seton School, Emmitsburg, and later continued her employment as cook for the Daughters of Charity teachers at Mother Seton School . She also volunteered as a librarians’ assistant at Mother Seton School.

Marie Nowakowski , St. Ann, Hagerstown

Ms. Nowakowski has been the co-chair of the liturgy committee for many years as well as a cantor for more than 10 years. She has been a choir member for more than 20 years. Ms. Nowakowski has also served as a volunteer in the parish office and an advisor to pastors. She is an extraordinary ministry of Holy Communion, a money counter, a member of the prison ministry and an RCIA volunteer.

John and Gloria Przybocki, St. Ignatius Loyola, Ijamsville

Mr. and Mrs. Przybocki have been married for 44 years, and members of St. Ignatius since 1973. Mr. Przybocki has been active in the Knights of Columbus at St. Ignatius as well as statewide. Mrs. Przybocki is the business manager for the parish. The parishioners serve as lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, choir members and cantors.

Paul Rhoads, St. Katharine Drexel, Frederick

Mr. Rhoads volunteers as an usher and collection counter. Prior to his time at St. Katharine he was a longtime usher and collection counter at St. John, Frederick.

Edward and Josephine Sadler – Saint Peter the Apostle Church, Libertytown

Mr. and Mrs. Sadler are extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion and members of pastoral care team that provides Communion to the sick and homebound. They are the foundation of the parish’s Ladies’ Club that provides hospitality and food ministry to grieving families after funerals. Mrs. Sadler has served as the club’s vice president for many years and is now president. Mr. Sadler is a vital member of the club, taking the job as dish washer. As members of the Ladies’ Club, they plan, prepare and serve Lenten dinners for the parish and are responsible for feeding more than 500 people who attend “Christmas in the Country.” They provide the same service in feeding hundreds of people at the annual yard sale and auction.

James Schrader, St. Timothy, Walkersville

Mr. Schrader served as the parish council president as well as vice president, member-at-large, liturgy committee representative and a staff member. He was also a founding member of the Central Maryland Liturgy Network and served many years as its chair. He is currently responsible for the parish adult faith formation workshops, programs, speakers and the RCIA program. Mr. Schrader and his wife, Kathie, are a sponsor couple. Mr. Schrader is also an active catechist in Central Maryland and the archdiocese. He serves the parish as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, an usher, lector, home-call minister and presides at communion services. He was also one of the first lay corporators.

Thomas Sweeney Sr., St. James, Boonsboro

Mr. Sweeney has been a member of St. James for more than 30 years. He has served on the parish council and the maintenance committee. He was the sacristan for a several years, and until recently, he was a lay corporator. He is an active member of the Knights of Columbus.

Karen White, St. John, Frederick

Ms. White uses her skills as a nurse to assist with monthly blood pressure screenings and ordering medical records cards, blood pressure and other health pamphlets. She also prepares and submits monthly announcements for the bulletin, quarterly reports to the pastor and makes follow-up telephone calls to parishioners with pre- hypertension and hypertension readings advising those who were diagnosed to see their doctors. Her other duties include visiting assisted living homes, nursing homes and shut-ins at private homes, administering Communion, saying the rosary, providing friendship and mental support. She serves as an advocate for parishioners who need community medical services. She assists with the healing Masses and the prayer shawl ministry.

Faye Williams, St. Francis, Brunswick/St. Mary, Petersville

Ms. Williams has been a lifelong parishioner, serving as secretary and office manager for more than four years. She recently became the business/office manager. As a former human resource manager, she has brought many skills with which she has reorganized the entire office systems. She is a member of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas and of the liturgy committee. She is a cantor and a member of our parish choir. Ms. Williams coordinates the music for funerals, Sundays, and other special Liturgical services.

Tony Wolfe, Holy Family Catholic Community, Middletown

Mr. Wolfe is one of the founding members of Holy Family and has been active in various ministries such as building out of the new office space, initial landscaping and upkeep of the church grounds, church auction, eucharistic ministry and various hospitality ministries. He was actively involved with adult education, Habitat for Humanity, the Homeless Shelter and the SHARE food program. He visits sick people in the hospital and nursing homes bringing them Holy Communion, and continues to stay very involved with the homeless people assisting them both financially and with finding shelter. He plays an important role as mentor and prayer partner to teenagers and encouraging young people to grow in their faith.