basilica of the assumption

A packed weekend in the Baltimore area included effective presentations by the Baltimore Symphony, Concert Artists of Baltimore and Candlelight Concert Society.

As Baltimore gets ready to celebrate the bicentennial anniversary of the Battle of North Point against the British on Sept. 12, 1814, Prospect Hill Cemetery will hold an open house on Sept. 12, to unveil the restoration of the gravesites of brothers and veterans Solomon and John Hillen, who helped defend Baltimore.

As people of different faiths gathered Sunday at the Baltimore Basilica for a prayer service for peace in Iraq, Archbishop William E. Lori implored the crowd to keep praying after news of the crisis no longer dominates headlines.

Minutes from meeting Pope John Paul II in 1995, Justin Farinelli of Pasadena had one fear racing through his mind.

Carol and Mark Pacione, parishioners at St. Pius X in Rodgers Forge, are excited about Pope John Paul II's canonization April 27. Carol Pacione served on the team to bring the pontiff to Baltimore in October 1995 and was one of the last Baltimorean's to say goodbye at the end of the pope's 10-hour visit.

President Obama turned to the Basilica in Baltimore, the first Catholic cathedral built in the U.S., for a special present to give to Pope Francis when they met for the first time on Wednesday. The wood for the seed chest he gave came from former pews in the basilica

More than three centuries after the founding of Maryland, historians, local officials and religious leaders gathered to celebrate the state's history.

Who exactly J.W. Hogg was and what, if any, contribution he made to Baltimore's Washington Monument may be a question left for the ages. Hogg's name, written in block letters with a pencil next to the date 1829, was among dozens of 19th-century signatures and drawings discovered this week by a restoration crew using hand tools to delicately remove loose plaster from the monument's subterranean vaults.

Who exactly J.W. Hogg was and what, if any, contribution he made to Baltimore's Washington Monument may be a question left for the ages. Hogg's name, written in block letters with a pencil next to the date 1829, was among dozens of 19th-century signatures and drawings discovered this week by a restoration crew using hand tools to delicately remove loose plaster from the monument's subterranean vaults.

It took the Internet to bring together these two Hopkins med-school alums

Hundreds of Baltimore students started 2014 exploring a sprawling new campus that officials say will become a national model for urban education reform.

George Frank Thompson, who made and served lunch to Pope John Paul II on his visit to Baltimore and who had earlier mixed drinks for five presidents as a Capitol Hill barman, died Dec. 14 at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson. He was 98 and lived in the Otterbein section of the Inner Harbor.

Revered as a "gentleman in the finest sense of the word, remarkable convert-maker and a friend of the benighted," Father Vincent Warren drove into rural Virginia one September night to share the word of God. He had no idea the treachery that awaited.

Historians and architects have a $5 million plan to repair the pillar that was closed to the public three years ago for safety reasons. They expect it to reopen for tours — and a panoramic view of the city from 178 feet above Charles Street — for its bicentennial on Independence Day, 2015. By January, scaffolding will begin to enclose the monument for repairs from decades of water damage to the marble, stones and bricks..

Pope Francis surprised the Catholic faithful on Monday by saying the Roman Catholic Church shouldn't marginalize gay priests, saying: "Who am I to judge?"

Archbishop Lori says Obama administration is forcing people to choose between violating their beliefs or the law

Though some compared a CSX train derailment and explosion in Rosedale to a 2011 earthquake, it did not register on U.S. Geological Survey monitors.

Surrounded by men and women who have fought for years to stop executions in Maryland, Gov. Martin O'Malley signed legislation Wednesday repealing the state's death penalty.

O'Malley to sign death penalty repeal

Childhood dreams come true at the Peabody Library

Childhood dreams come true at the Peabody Library for Julie Zuramski and Matthew Shevlin.

Three days ago, construction workers put the finishing touches on a seven-month, $3 million restoration job, and Easter Mass services mark its official reopening.

Charles H. Latrobe III, a retired Koppers Co. executive who was a highly decorated World War II Navy aviator, died Feb. 16 from complications of pneumonia at Roland Park Place. He was 90.

A very blustery, cold day didn't stop dozens of people from stopping in Havre de Grace Sunday for the city's 14th annual Christmas Open House of Historic 19th and 20th Century churches.

Karen Lewand, a preservationist and educator who launched a series of walking tours while establishing programs for children to learn about architecture, died of cancer Dec. 20 at her home in the Radnor-Winston section of North Baltimore. She was 67.

Like preachers across the country preparing for Christmas services today, William Lori has grappled with the question of how to celebrate the joy of the day so soon after the devastation of Newtown. But for Baltimore's new archbishop, the challenge is also "rather personal."

Holiday productions feature new collaborations, full 'Messiah'

People across five states, including Maryland, will rehearse for an earthquake in a drill on Thursday.

The scaffolding that has masked the south portico of historic Homewood, the Georgian villa that was once home to Charles Carroll Jr., and now the centerpiece of the Johns Hopkins University Homewood campus, since last fall, has been removed, revealing a dazzling restoration.

A year ago Thursday, an earthquake in Virginia was felt in Baltimore and across a third of the country, with some signs of damage still remaining.

The Cardinal Gibbons School is counting the 62-student Class of 2012 among its alumni after a ceremony at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Saturday.

Members of St. Peter's Catholic Church will walk 100 miles from Hancock to Baltimore to protest the new bill that will require religious healthcare institutions to provide birth control.

Western Maryland priest leads parishioners on 100-mile walk to Baltimore to protest Obama policy on contraception coverage.

Louisa County keeps its fingers off of relief money. Since funds are managed by a private nonprofit, they're less public and, supporters argue, more nimble.

Dissenting Catholics are free to leave the church

Baltimore's Archbishop Lori says Catholics' right of conscience is under assault by the federal government

Catholic leaders kicked-off a nationwide campaign challenging the health policies of President Barack Obama's administration Thursday at Baltimore's 200-year-old Basilica of the Assumption.

The Rev. Monsignor James Vincent Hobbs, former rector of the Basilica of the Assumption who oversaw a two year $32 million restoration of the 200 year-old structure, died Monday of a cardiac arrest at his Thurmont home. He was 81.

The Catholic Church, embroiled in a dispute with the Obama administration over new health insurance rules, has chosen Baltimore to kick off a national campaign it says is aimed at promoting religious liberty.