For the last 16 years, he has served as principal organist of the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican and organist to the pope – the first American to hold either post.

The 58- year- old play- by- play man said the School Sisters of Notre Dame helped hone the skills he needed as sports announcer. Manfra attended Our Lady of Fatima School and was a member of its first graduating class before attending Patterson High School.

A Jesuit priest from Massachusetts who has written extensively about moral theology and ethics has been named the 24th president of Loyola College in Maryland.

“It is true that the church in Africa is thriving,” Cardinal Turkson said. “But we also have had a certain type of catechesis that is not too deep. Traditional cultures and values are not too radically transformed by the values of the Gospel. We need a more deeply rooted experience of conversion.”

“John Paul II wrapped his arms around us and said, ‘Be not afraid,’” Lt. Gov. Steele told The Catholic Review. “Cardinal Ratzinger takes us by the hand and says, ‘Learn, listen, understand.’ It’s what parents do every day, particularly when their children fall and hurt themselves.”

For priests throughout the Archdiocese of Baltimore, hearing confessions for the sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation is one of the most important responsibilities of their ministries.

When Bishop Denis J. Madden served as associate secretary general of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association in the Holy Land, he met with Pope John Paul II at least twice a year. Working on behalf of the Holy See, the association built religious and social service institutions and fostered interfaith communication.

As Ms. Mason stood in the former sanctuary not far from where the Nativity window once served as a Christmas beacon of hope, an icy wind whipped through what remains of the church. There is no roof. It was lost in the fire, along with the steeple.

Ms. Gietka is also mulling over the idea of buying commercial time during the Super Bowl to air a prolife message into millions of homes. She does have the money required for such an ad, $76 million in lottery winnings after taxes.

Father John Bauer was looking for a cold drink on a hot day at the ballpark when God threw him a curveball.