Traditional Latin Mass in Maryland

In his weekly column, " Thoughts on Our Church ," Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien recounts a brief lesson in Maryland history : The seeds were probably sown centuries ago in a hostile atmosphere for Catholics in the New World. In 1633, as the earliest colonists were about to set sail for “Mary Land”, Cecil Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore, instructed “his said Governor and Commissioners” that while sailing and upon arrival at their destination “they instruct all the Roman Catholics to be silent on all occasions of discourse concerning matters of religion...” His Excellency then goes on in his thoughtful essay to demonstrate the modern results of this mindset: From those days and even to the present, many Catholics have too often felt that we have still to prove ourselves as truly American. Nothing has seemed capable of persuading the Protestant majority that Catholicism could be compatible with American democracy. It has been said that Catholics’ participation in World Wars

In Maryland, you are either a Ravens fan, a Redskins fan or an Eagles fan (well, a lot of other NFL teams are also represented; this IS a migratory state encompassing D.C.). This story will not only appeal to those who are Ravens fans, but to all Catholics . I had heard the new head coach was Catholic. I didn't expect the nice story by Mr. George P. Matysek, Jr. Harbaugh has fond memories of the nuns who kept him in line. After he clapped erasers on the walls, one punished him by making him write a sentence hundreds of times on the chalkboard. Another made him work as a janitor for two weeks after he scaled a church tower so he could clang the bell. “Accountability was a big part of it,” said Harbaugh, whose favorite duty as an altar boy was ringing the bells at Mass. We have a lot in common it seems ...