Echoing Pope Leo XIV’s repeated calls for an end to the war in the Middle East, Archbishop William E. Lori insisted during an April 11 prayer vigil that peace is more than the absence of conflict.

After President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to Iran earlier this week that threatened a “whole civilization will die” if certain conditions were not met, Archbishop William E. Lori announced he will celebrate a Vigil for Peace at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland April 11 at 6 p.m.

On a warm April 6 evening in Annapolis, Mayra Rodriguez – Planned Parenthood’s 2016 Employee of the Year – stood before several hundred participants at the 47th annual Maryland March for Life with a starkly different message. She urged those gathered to confront what she described as the truth about abortion and its consequences.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore announced March 31 the appointment of Heather Cucuzzella as associate superintendent of its Catholic schools.

This Easter marks a remarkable moment in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, where more than 1,280 catechumens and candidates entered into full communion with the Catholic Church — a number drawn from those attending formal rites and not including several hundred others welcomed at individual parishes. In this episode of Catholic Review Radio, host Rita Buettner highlights two of these journeys.

Safety and security start with being welcoming. One of the handouts at the Westminster seminar, “The Power of Hello,” addressed how greeting people who come to the church helps provide a welcoming environment, as well as giving ushers a chance to assess any areas of concern. It’s not meant to create a sense of paranoia, but caution.  

Jesuit Father Joseph P. Lacey, who spent more than two decades as pastor of St. Alphonsus Rodriguez in Woodstock and 22 years as a missionary in India, died March 28 at the St. Claude La Colombière Jesuit Community in Baltimore. He was 85.

A funeral Mass for Religious Sister of Mercy Mary Gess Kirby will be offered April 11 at 11 a.m. at Mercy Medical Center’s McAuley Chapel in Baltimore. Sister Gess died March 27. She was 92 and had been a Sister of Mercy for 68 years.

Deacon John Martin, who served many years at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Baynesville, died March 25. He was known for his compassion and warmth.

That commitment to fostering community, even in challenging circumstances, defined Father Frank Brauer’s priesthood. He died March 30 in Florida after a short time in hospice care. He was 79.