A memorial Mass will be offered Feb. 28 for Sister of St. Francis of Assisi Margaret Gardner (formerly Sister Mary David) at St. Francis Convent in Saint Francis, Wisc. Sister Margaret, who worked in special education at St. Elizabeth School in Baltimore, died Jan. 24, three days shy of her 104th birthday.

Archbishop William E. Lori, chairman of the Mount St. Mary’s Seminary Board, announced Feb. 18 that he has appointed Father Michael M. Romano as the next rector of the seminary, effective in July 2025. 

While 5-foot-7 senior guard Milan Brown honed her significant skills on the court, she was also working feverishly to complete another project that very few people her age would consider — getting her first book, “Stepping into History, A VR Adventure,” published in time for Black History Month.

A funeral Mass was offered Feb. 12 for Daughter of Charity Sister Joan Drega (Josephine Mary) in the Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg. Sister Joan, a Baltimore native who served as a regional director of development for her order, died Feb. 7 at 88.

Catholic Review Editor Christopher Gunty, along with guest co-host Ann Augherton of the Arlington Catholic Herald, had a wide-ranging, sometimes wild, conversation with two Catholic movie experts: Pauline Sister Rose Pacatte and John Mulderig, film reviewer for OSV News. Hear their recommendations for the winners, and what they wished the entertainment industry would focus on this year.

Brandon Holthaus and Veronica Meusel are still making plans on where they will get married. They are grateful that the proposal took place at Sacred Heart of Mary.

High school students across the United States are invited to participate in a contest to create short videos outlining what they would do to help prevent human trafficking. Sponsored by the Alliance to End Human Trafficking, an outreach of U.S. Catholic religious sisters, the contest includes monetary prizes of $1,000 for first place, $750 for second and $500 for third.

With the closing and merging of many churches in the Archdiocese of Baltimore before the beginning of this year as part of the Seek the City to Come pastoral planning initiative, more than just parishioners were moved to a new location.

Young adult dating (sometimes still referred to as courtship) is an ongoing concern for the church. At a panel discussion during last summer’s National Eucharistic Congress in Indi­anapolis, participants complained that the dating pool of committed Catholics is too small.

The Baltimore-based Maryland Center for History and Culture received a $2.5 million grant in January to explore the state’s role in religious diversity with the goal of producing an exhibit on the topic by the fall of 2026.