Keep Christ in Christmas

For many of us, Christmas truly is "the most wonderful time of the year." Buying (and receiving) presents, enjoying family dinners, and watching classic Christmas movies like Elf, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Elf, and Frosty the Snowman (did I mention Elf?) make this once-a-year holiday one-of-a-kind. In the midst of all of the celebrations, it's easy to forget that "the Reason for the Season" is Jesus. This Christmas, make time for Mass, prayer, and reflection on the greatest gift of Christmas - salvation through Jesus Christ.

Professional Soccer Player Chooses Priesthood

This professional soccer player leaves the field to become a priest. He’s not shy about using the media to promulgate the faith and talk about God!

Theme Chosen for SOMD Youth Day

At our first planning meeting for Southern Maryland Youth Day 2009, we threw around ideas for possible themes - the Bible, St. Paul (this is his year, after all), and others. Someone mentioned that 2009 is the 375th anniversary of the first recorded Catholic Mass in the English colonies, and we quickly decided to focus on what we could learn from the first settlers here in Maryland.

Sound boring? Maybe you don't know enough about what those early Marylanders had been through: The Catholics on-board were fleeing harsh treatment by the English government, seeking a place where they could live out their faith more freely. Others on board were adventurers looking for life in a new world and a chance at fortune and fame. In danger of starvation, pirate attacks, sickness at sea, and violent storms, they crossed the ocean to settle in a new colony, and the rest, as they say, is history.