“Our church has a lot of power to change the community that we actually live in,” Hall said. “Since we have so much influence, we need to be back in the community, reaching out as best we can.”

Soledad O’Brien, an award-winning journalist who has ties to Baltimore, will be the keynote speaker at a Nov. 10 scholarship dinner benefiting African-American students who wish to go to Loyola Blakefield in Towson.

This month’s Names & Numbers features a pet blessing, a Nun Run and more. 

Deacon Phillip Harcum Jr., whose service to St. Bernardine Church in West Baltimore was so deep that its parish hall came to bear his name, died Oct. 26 at age 93.

All Saints Day, a solemnity set aside by the Catholic Church to honor saints known and unknown, will be celebrated Nov. 1.

“Missionary work is really a mandate, and not something special or unusual for us to be doing,” Smith wrote.

D.C. team loyalty can be hard to shake, according to Washington Nationals fans in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

“I’m excited to see a beautiful new school be created on that site. I’m thinking about all the opportunity that this school will provide young people who live in our city, to grow in every way – spiritually, physically, intellectually, emotionally, socially,” the archbishop said.

“The teachings of Jesus set your foundation,” Father Watters said. “As you especially championed African-Americans in this city, (the Gospel) resonated in your heart. … You modeled respect for all people, and dignity for those on the margins.”

In prioritizing young lives at risk, we summon all within our communities to nurture and care for those who will determine our future, inasmuch as we make possible their own.