Who’ll tax the rain?
Apr 19 2013
In the flurry of activity in the 2012 Maryland legislative session, along with high-profile bills on same-sex marriage and the DREAM Act, our lawmakers passed a law that forced local jurisdictions to charge fees to remediate pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The fees on impervious surfaces – building roofs, parking lots, driveways, etc. that do not allow rainwater to seep into the ground – are, in effect, another property tax.
Now what? We wait with hope, more so with faith
Mar 08 2013
The members of the College of Cardinals meet this week at the Vatican to hear about the state of the church. Essentially, it’s a large board of directors or a huge search committee looking at the challenges facing the organization as it chooses a new leader. They will look at the qualifications they believe the new leader must have in order to steer the barque of Peter on the continuing way of faith.
Two leaders; two models of service
Feb 25 2013
Speculation abounds about “the real reason” Pope Benedict XVI decided to renounce his papacy and step back into a life of prayer for the church, effective Feb. 28. However, it is likely as simple as he said: He’s no longer physically capable of handling the enormous burden of the papacy.
Life issues: Related, yet distinct
Jan 25 2013
Some issues are typically partisan – gun control, abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty – with Republicans and Democrats coming down clearly on opposite sides of an issue. The problem is that it’s really not that simple.
Who will show the face of God?
Jan 10 2013
Times have changed since my days in grade school in a Chicago suburb. Back then, our school was staffed by about a dozen nuns and a similar number of lay teachers. The parish was staffed by three or four priests at a time, including the one primarily assigned to ministry at the hospital within the parish boundaries.
‘We’re not doing enough’
Dec 21 2012
In a memorial service in Newtown, Conn., President Barack Obama pledged to do all in his power to end the kind of violence that struck the small town Dec. 14 when a gunman killed first his mother at her home and then 26 students and adults at a school before taking his own life.
Study the issues, not the ads
Oct 05 2012
The election commercials are everywhere. Just try to watch the evening news or a night of TV without seeing at least a dozen commercials for this candidate or that, or for or against this proposition. The ads can even conflict with one another – without checking the facts, you can easily be confused or misinformed. Spending on Question 7 alone in Maryland – the casino measure – is already upwards of $20 million. Add in what the presidential candidates and those who seek a win in state and federal battles, and the ads – and accompanying dollars – are overwhelming.
Can the weather affect Communion at your parish?
Sep 06 2012
Hurricane Isaac rolled through the Gulf of Mexico, making landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River. The confluence of the river, the Port of New Orleans and oil terminals in that area prompted a quick spike in prices at the gas pump, just in time for Labor Day travel.
Pastor made city a safer place
Aug 09 2012
God filled Monsignor Damien Nalepa with passion for the Word of God and passion for the poor. He responded to that by serving wholeheartedly as a priest.
Pope will bestow palliums in Rome
Jun 28 2012
Each year on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, June 29, the pope bestows on new metropolitan archbishops from around the world a special vestment called a pallium.