Fixed up and polished, Havre de Grace church ready for Easter School Sisters of Notre Dame sell Villa Assumpta to Baltimore senior housing nonprofit Saint’s relic in Hunt Valley brings comfort to cancer families Shrine is a place of prayer, pilgrimage and ‘encounter’ with St. John Paul II’s life, legacy BMA exhibition highlights how Matisse reimagined the Stations of the Cross Local News Fixed up and polished, Havre de Grace church ready for Easter Katie V. Jones March 26, 2026 Father Francis Ouma sees the imprint of parishioners everywhere inside the newly renovated St. Patrick Church in Havre de Grace – in every restored surface and carefully renewed detail. School Sisters of Notre Dame sell Villa Assumpta to Baltimore senior housing nonprofit Jay Sorgi March 26, 2026 Villa Assumpta, the longtime regional motherhouse for the School Sisters of Notre Dame, will be redeveloped into a nonprofit continuing care community for senior living. Saint’s relic in Hunt Valley brings comfort to cancer families Jay Sorgi March 26, 2026 About 50 pilgrims arrived Feb. 6 for the weekly prayer gathering at the chapel of the Catholic Community of St. Francis Xavier in Hunt Valley, some traveling across state lines. In the presence of a first-order relic of St. Michael of the Saints, a 17th-century Spanish priest and member of the Trinitarians known for his deep devotion to the Eucharist, the names flowed like water. BMA exhibition highlights how Matisse reimagined the Stations of the Cross George P. Matysek Jr. March 25, 2026 In spare black-and-white lines – almost graffiti-like in their directness – Matisse grouped all 14 Stations together in an expansive mural more than six feet tall. More Local News World News Life must be defended in a world wounded by warfare, pope says Carol Glatz March 26, 2026 The sanctity of life, from conception to its natural end, must be defended, especially now, in a world marked by “the madness of war,” Pope Leo XIV said. Russian drone strikes damage historic church, monastery in Lviv ahead of Holy Week OSV News March 26, 2026 A historic Bernardine monastery complex and the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in the western Ukraine city of Lviv were hit by aerial drone strikes March 24, just ahead of the observance of Holy Week. Gosnell death brings closure, renewed pro-life commitment, says investigating detective Gina Christian March 26, 2026 The death of notorious abortionist Kermit Gosnell in prison brings a sense of closure to one of the lead investigators, who relied on his deeply held Catholic faith to bring Gosnell to justice. New U.S. global health policy seen as a way to eliminate malaria in concert with faith leaders Kurt Jensen March 26, 2026 The future of efforts to eliminate malaria in sub-Saharan Africa may depend in part on a U.S. policy shift now drawing mixed reactions. More World News Commentary A simple guide to Holy Week Heidi Busse March 26, 2026 During this special time, we enter into the passion of Christ — his Crucifixion, death and Resurrection — through liturgical celebration and personal conversion. Question Corner: Does holy water ‘absolve’ us from venial sin? Jenna Marie Cooper March 25, 2026 With respect to holy water in particular, St. Thomas Aquinas specifically identifies the “sprinkling of holy water” as a means for the remission of venial sin in question 87, article 3 of the “Third Part” of his work the “Summa Theologica.” The Donatist comeback George Weigel March 25, 2026 The strange, Donatist parallelism between the SSPX leadership and the German Synodal Path illustrates what’s come to be called the “horseshoe effect:” in a moment of cultural turbulence, social fragmentation, and political dysfunction like our own, the extremes of left and right bend toward each other rather than occupying two ends of a linear spectrum. Who was Venerable Father Flanagan, Boys Town founder? Deacon Omar F.A. Gutierrez March 25, 2026 Father Flanagan is an icon of the power of diaconal identity. It both shows us and makes effective now the power of Christ the Servant. Where Father Flanagan saw pain, he rushed in and embraced the child of God who suffered. When he saw injustice, he spoke out eloquently and forcefully called others to greater charity in Christ. Why does the Annunciation loom so large in Catholicism? Elizabeth Scalia March 23, 2026 The Annunciation is the full-on proof of Augustine’s words: “God created us without us, but he will not save us without us.” Just as God’s own Word of assent was necessary for the creation and sustained expansion of the universe, Mary’s “yes” was necessary to its salvation. More Commentary Featured Video The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA), home to the largest public collection of Matisse’s work in the world, will open an exhibition March 29 featuring a rare group of preparatory drawings for the artist’s Stations of the Cross. The exhibition runs through June 28 and includes more than 80 drawings that trace the development of the monumental work. Read the full story here.
Fixed up and polished, Havre de Grace church ready for Easter Katie V. Jones March 26, 2026 Father Francis Ouma sees the imprint of parishioners everywhere inside the newly renovated St. Patrick Church in Havre de Grace – in every restored surface and carefully renewed detail.
School Sisters of Notre Dame sell Villa Assumpta to Baltimore senior housing nonprofit Jay Sorgi March 26, 2026 Villa Assumpta, the longtime regional motherhouse for the School Sisters of Notre Dame, will be redeveloped into a nonprofit continuing care community for senior living.
Saint’s relic in Hunt Valley brings comfort to cancer families Jay Sorgi March 26, 2026 About 50 pilgrims arrived Feb. 6 for the weekly prayer gathering at the chapel of the Catholic Community of St. Francis Xavier in Hunt Valley, some traveling across state lines. In the presence of a first-order relic of St. Michael of the Saints, a 17th-century Spanish priest and member of the Trinitarians known for his deep devotion to the Eucharist, the names flowed like water.
BMA exhibition highlights how Matisse reimagined the Stations of the Cross George P. Matysek Jr. March 25, 2026 In spare black-and-white lines – almost graffiti-like in their directness – Matisse grouped all 14 Stations together in an expansive mural more than six feet tall.
Life must be defended in a world wounded by warfare, pope says Carol Glatz March 26, 2026 The sanctity of life, from conception to its natural end, must be defended, especially now, in a world marked by “the madness of war,” Pope Leo XIV said.
Russian drone strikes damage historic church, monastery in Lviv ahead of Holy Week OSV News March 26, 2026 A historic Bernardine monastery complex and the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in the western Ukraine city of Lviv were hit by aerial drone strikes March 24, just ahead of the observance of Holy Week.
Gosnell death brings closure, renewed pro-life commitment, says investigating detective Gina Christian March 26, 2026 The death of notorious abortionist Kermit Gosnell in prison brings a sense of closure to one of the lead investigators, who relied on his deeply held Catholic faith to bring Gosnell to justice.
New U.S. global health policy seen as a way to eliminate malaria in concert with faith leaders Kurt Jensen March 26, 2026 The future of efforts to eliminate malaria in sub-Saharan Africa may depend in part on a U.S. policy shift now drawing mixed reactions.
A simple guide to Holy Week Heidi Busse March 26, 2026 During this special time, we enter into the passion of Christ — his Crucifixion, death and Resurrection — through liturgical celebration and personal conversion.
Question Corner: Does holy water ‘absolve’ us from venial sin? Jenna Marie Cooper March 25, 2026 With respect to holy water in particular, St. Thomas Aquinas specifically identifies the “sprinkling of holy water” as a means for the remission of venial sin in question 87, article 3 of the “Third Part” of his work the “Summa Theologica.”
The Donatist comeback George Weigel March 25, 2026 The strange, Donatist parallelism between the SSPX leadership and the German Synodal Path illustrates what’s come to be called the “horseshoe effect:” in a moment of cultural turbulence, social fragmentation, and political dysfunction like our own, the extremes of left and right bend toward each other rather than occupying two ends of a linear spectrum.
Who was Venerable Father Flanagan, Boys Town founder? Deacon Omar F.A. Gutierrez March 25, 2026 Father Flanagan is an icon of the power of diaconal identity. It both shows us and makes effective now the power of Christ the Servant. Where Father Flanagan saw pain, he rushed in and embraced the child of God who suffered. When he saw injustice, he spoke out eloquently and forcefully called others to greater charity in Christ.
Why does the Annunciation loom so large in Catholicism? Elizabeth Scalia March 23, 2026 The Annunciation is the full-on proof of Augustine’s words: “God created us without us, but he will not save us without us.” Just as God’s own Word of assent was necessary for the creation and sustained expansion of the universe, Mary’s “yes” was necessary to its salvation.
