News - May 2011 RSS Feed

An old and time-honored Catholic tradition will return to the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral June 24-26. The church will remain open for 40 consecutive hours of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament — a traditional form of Eucharistic devotion called, appropriately enough, 40 Hours.

Deacon Jim McCabe teaches a middle school religious education class at St. Martin of Tours Parish in Bethpage, NY. Deacon James P. McCabe, who has served his diaconate assignment at St. Martin of Tours Parish in Bethpage, NY , will be ordained to the priesthood June 11 at St. Peter the Apostle Church/Shrine of St. John Neumann in Philadelphia.

Father Patrick Woods, former provincial of the Baltimore Province, recently was invited to be the commencement speaker at Mercyhurst-North East. The campus once served as the Redemptorists’ St. Mary’s High School, and Father Woods was both a graduate and a faculty member of the school.

Crossroads is a weekend retreat program that offers young men discerning their vocations the opportunity to reflect on "what more they can do" with the gifts God has given them. Crossroads helps develop the skills and practice of prayer, teaches Gospel values and principles for living as Christian men, and explores ways of serving those in need.

Following is a list of new pastors of Redemptorist parishes within the Baltimore Province. Please keep them and their communities in your prayers during this time of transition. Assignments are effective July 27, 2011.

Father John Virgil Caskey died May 22 at the St. John Neumann Residence at Stella Maris in Timonium, MD. He was 93, and the oldest member of the Baltimore Province. Father Caskey was born August 2, 1917 in Lima, OH.

Redemptorist missionary, Father John Virgil Caskey, C.Ss.R., remembered as the very dedicated priest who stuck to his principles, died early on the morning of Sunday, May 22, 2011, at the St John Neumann Residence at Stella Maris in Timonium, MD.

Wednesday & Thursday, May 18 & 19 Prague, Czech Republic At our last Mass together on Wednesday, at the church of the Infant Jesus of Prague, Monsignor Bastress recalled his ordination 60 years ago the following day (Thursday).

Tuesday, May 17 Prachatice & Svata Hora, Czech Republic When Prachatice (38 miles from Budweis) celebrated the canonization of its native son, John Nepomucene Neumann, in 1977, secret police were in attendance.

Monday & Tuesday, May 16-17 Part I: Budweis, Czech Republic In 1950, five years after the Soviets occupied Czechoslovakia, the 17th century Redemptorist cloister in C eské Budjovice (Budweis) closed.

Congratulations to the novices who received the Redemptorist habit for the first time May 15. Nine men from the provinces of Baltimore, Denver, Edmonton-Toronto, and London were invested during a Mass Sunday at St. Patrick’s Church in Toronto, Canada.

Parishioners and friends gathered last Sunday at Our Lady of Fatima in Baltimore, MD, to celebrate the parish’s 60th anniversary. Several guest Redemptorists joined the celebration, including Baltimore Provincial Kevin Moley and Father Henry Sattler, who served as pastor from 1993-99.

Friday and Saturday, May 13-14 Gars – Altötting – Salzburg — Vienna We pilgrims are enjoying Redemptorist spirituality and hospitality! Friday morning we stopped for Mass at the Cloister of Sts. Maria and Radegundis.

Thursday, May 12 Füssen, Germany ~ Monsignor Art Bastress pastors St. Alphonsus Parish in Baltimore, MD — the only remaining church to claim both St. John Neumann and Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos as former pastors.

Being a deacon has been a rewarding experience, and I believe deacons will continue to become even more integral members of the Body of Christ. As I prepare for my ordination to the priesthood, I am aware that people want to connect with the Risen Christ, and they wonder how the Resurrection impacts their lives today.

Mary is our Mother — not by the flesh, but by love. That is, she is our Mother by love alone. So someone observes that she glories in being the mother of love. She is all love for us, her adopted children.

The National Seelos Shrine in New Orleans hosted a special healing Mass May 1 in honor of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos. Father Donald Miniscalco, a Redemptorist of the Baltimore Province, was the guest presider and homilist.

Infertility. Stem-cell research. Genetic testing. Withdrawing life support. Cremation. A new book, co-authored by Redemptorist Father Kevin O’Neil explores the Catholic responses to these and several other medical issues that people wrestle with in the 21st century.