“People want their churches to lift their spirits,” Monsignor Luca said. “This church does that.”

Following the joyful celebration of Cardinal William H. Keeler’s 50th anniversary as a priest Oct. 5, many of the cardinal’s friends and family crowded into white tents erected on the parish lawn of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland to greet Cardinal Keeler personally and celebrate his decades of devoted ministry.

About 90 percent of the grading work has already been finished at the muddy site, with construction of the all- brick church to follow.

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.