All together now: ‘I love my cross, I love my beads’ August 16, 2011By George P. Matysek Jr. Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, The Narthex Published in 1925, the yellowed and crumbling “Manual of Select Catholic Hymns and Devotions” had been tucked away on a dusty choir-loft shelf alongside stacks of old, unused sheet music. The hymnal’s binding had been broken long ago – a sign of frequent use in a parish that was once among the largest and most […]
Our Lady of the Butterflies July 14, 2011By George P. Matysek Jr. Filed Under: Blog, The Narthex An image of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child is made out of African butterfly wings. (CR Staff/George P. Matysek Jr.) One of the great joys of my recent pilgrimage to the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland was meeting Father Anastasio Roggero. The Carmelite priest, who shepherds the Church of Our Lady Victorious […]
Letters that made a difference April 26, 2011By George P. Matysek Jr. Filed Under: Blog, The Narthex Father Milton Hipsley holds his rosary at his Mercy Ridge residence in Timonium last year. (CR/Owen Sweeney III) Father Milton Hipsley’s letters started arriving on my desk in the summer of 2009. Very neatly written in all capital letters, the notes always seemed focused on the importance of kindness and of taking time for
‘The greatest temptation of my life’ March 31, 2011By George P. Matysek Jr. Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, The Narthex Dominican Father Carleton Parker Jones calls it the “greatest temptation” of his life.
Calling St. Polycarp March 10, 2011By George P. Matysek Jr. Filed Under: Blog, The Narthex When Marilyn Szewczyk was about to launch a network of pro-life pregnancy centers in Maryland, she turned to St. Polycarp for help. Reasoning that the obscure early Christian martyr didn’t have many people asking for his intercession, Szewczyk figured she’d have easy access to his ear.Lynn Anne Sukeena, one of Szewczyk’s daughters, told me that […]
Cardinal Keeler and the Psychic Reader March 3, 2011By George P. Matysek Jr. Filed Under: Blog, The Narthex Cardinal William H. Keeler, master of the one-liner, meets with George P. Matysek Jr. (CR Staff/Owen Sweeney III)During a March 2 testimonial at a special celebration of Cardinal William H. Keeler’s upcoming 80th birthday, Richard Berndt told a story that demonstrated why friends know the retired archbishop as a master of
Mystery of George Washington’s missing (and recovered) letter to Catholics February 16, 2011By George P. Matysek Jr. Filed Under: Blog, The Narthex Part of a 1790 letter to Catholics written by President George Washington is shown in this photograph. The letter is housed in the archives of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. (Courtesy Archdiocese of Baltimore) In honor of President’s Day, tomorrow’s issue of The Catholic Review will feature an article on a very valuable letter housed in […]
Sargent Shriver: Cardinal Gibbons’ godson remembered January 22, 2011By George P. Matysek Jr. Filed Under: Blog, The Narthex Sargent Shriver is shown in a Life photograph. The former vice presidential candidate was the godson of Baltimore Cardinal James Gibbons. This week’s cover story in The Catholic Review spotlights a mother and daughter who are planning to jump into the icy Chesapeake Bay at the end of the month to raise money for the Special Olympics. Was […]
Remembering a Baltimore culinary classic December 8, 2010By George P. Matysek Jr. Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, The Narthex The founders of Haussner’s, William Henry Haussner and Frances Wilke Haussner, always treated priests with extra kindness, Mrs. Jakowski said. When long lines of waiting customers would stretch along Eastern Avenue – as was often the case – the owners would pluck priests out of the crowd and make sure they and their guests were given priority seating.
‘As good and as holy a priest as there ever was’ April 22, 2010By George P. Matysek Jr. Catholic Review Filed Under: Commentary, The Narthex The people of the Archdiocese of Baltimore will miss you, Archbishop Borders. We thank you for the gift of your priesthood and the gift of your leadership. May we learn to live by the motto that governed your life – that we will listen that we may serve.
Reporter’s notebook: Martin Sheen says Gospel values needed now more than ever December 15, 2002By George P. Matysek Jr. Filed Under: Blog, The Narthex The congregation that packed St. Peter Claver Church for Philip Berrigan’s funeral Dec. 9 was slowly making its way onto ice-covered streets of West Baltimore when I spotted the president of the United States standing outside the 114-year-old brick building.
