The coronavirus pandemic has not deterred the construction of Mother Mary Lange Catholic School, the first new Catholic school to be built in Baltimore City in almost 60 years.

While the 48th annual National March for Life in Washington, D.C., Jan. 29 became a virtual event because of the coronavirus pandemic and the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, the Maryland March for Life continues to plan for a modified gathering Feb. 4 in Annapolis.

Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore continue to display their value, as shown in the Catholic Review’s annual survey of cost of attendance at non-public schools in its geographic footprint.

Sister Mary Dee Smith, who entered the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart in 1965 and served 30 years in education in the Archdiocese of Baltimores, died Jan. 27 in Philadelphia. She was 81.

“You’re face-to-face with 19- and 20-year olds who had lost an arm or both arms, a leg or both legs, and writhing in pain,” Father Gills said, “and you would just touch them through prayer and somehow God would work through those prayers to lift them up and give them renewed hope and an optimistic view of the future.”

From Annapolis to Bel Air and points west in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the annual March for Life Jan. 29 was observed, despite the coronavirus pandemic.

“The Eucharist unites and strengthens us in our efforts to secure justice for the unborn, and to create a culture wherein every human life is cherished, nurtured and protected from the moment of conception until natural death,” said Archbishop Lori, chairman-elect of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

As civic leaders hope to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines in the coming weeks and months, Archbishop William E. Lori is renewing his call for everyone throughout the Archdiocese of Baltimore to get vaccinated as “an act of charity and love.”

Hundreds of elementary and secondary educators in the Archdiocese of Baltimore began receiving the COVID-19 vaccine the week of Jan. 18, when Maryland entered the rollout’s Phase 1B.

With the murder of Safe Streets organizer Dante Barksdale fresh in their minds, advocates for reducing violence in Baltimore City said during a Jan. 26 video conference that respect and dignity help them reach out to a suffering community.