Bishop

The Rev. F. Richard Spencer, a priest of the Archdiocese of Baltimore who serves as an Army chaplain stationed in Germany, was named auxiliary bishop of the Military Archdiocese by Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday. The Military Archdiocese offers pastoral care to more than 1.5 million Catholics who serve in the armed forces and who are patients or staff at veterans hospitals, according to its website. Archbishop of Baltimore Edwin F. O'Brien, former archbishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, said in a statement, "We are proud the Holy Father has chosen him, one of our own, to continue serving our brave and generous women and men in the military."

The No. 1 Archbishop Spalding girls basketball team led for most of the game, but St. John's (D.C.) slowly began coming back. And in the fourth quarter, the Cadets (31-1) had a scoring breakout to win, 54-44, in the championship game of the Bishop Walsh Invitational tournament in Cumberland on Saturday night. The Cavaliers (29-2) led 14-8 after the first quarter, but St. John's won the next two quarters, 9-6 and 17-16. Spalding's 36-34 lead at the start of the fourth quarter quickly evaporated during a 20-8 scoring onslaught.

On May 16, 2003, JESSIE HILBURN BISHOP; beloved husband of Mary Sue (nee Yarborough); devoted father of Sharon M. Mancuso, Linda J. Galliger and the late Randall M. Bishop; dear father-in-law of Doris Bishop; loving brother of Sandy Jones, Ruth Houston, Marie Andrews, Rose Brock, Ray & Haylon Bishop and the late Chancey and Hubert Bishop and Doris Carrell. Also survived by six grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at the family owned Duda-Ruck Funeral Home of Dundalk Inc, 7922 Wise Avenue, on Monday at 10 A.M. Interment Bel Air Memorial Gardens.

Georgetown Visitation (D.C.) used the long ball to hang with No. 3 McDonogh for a half. But the Eagles (22-7) tightened their perimeter defense and rolled, 71-54, in Thursday's girls opening round of the Bishop Walsh Invitational basketball tournament in Cumberland. The Cubs (19-7) made eight 3-pointers in the first half and trailed, 39-32, at the break. Georgetown Visitation made 17 field goals, 12 of which were 3-pointers. The Eagles outscored the Cubs 22-10 in the third quarter to pull away.

On February 28, 2006, FRANCIS L. BISHOP, age 88, devoted wife of the late William H. Bishop III, dear mother of William H. Bishop IV and James W. Bishop, mother-in-law of Rosemary Bishop and Angie Bishop. Also survived by seven grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren Memorial services will be held in private.

On November 19, 2004, ALICE LEE BISHOP. She is survived by three daughters, Jessie L. Perry, Mary Battle and Daisy Adams; two sons James Bishop, Sr. and Hugh Bishop and a host of other loving relatives and friends On Wednesday, friends may call at VAUGHN C. GREENE Funeral Services (EAST), 4905 York Road, where the family will receive friends from 3 to 8 P.M. On Friday, Mrs. Bishop will lie in state at Israel Baptist Church, 1220 N. Chester Street, where the family will receive friends from 10 A.M. to 10:30 A.M. with services to follow.

Suddenly on July 17, 2005, HOWARD PUMPHREY BISHOP. Beloved son of the late George W. and Mary Lou Bishop (nee Mohlhenrich); loving brother of G. William Bishop and his wife Nancy and Mary Greenberg and her husband Bob; dear uncle of George Bishop and Ida Greenberg. Rest in peace, Howdy. A Memorial Service will be held at the family owned Ruck Towson Funeral Home, Inc., 1050 York Road (beltway exit 26A), on Saturday at 3 P.M. Interment private.

MRS. LILLIAN MCKINNON BISHOP; passed away on June 18, 2007 in Fairbanks, AK. She lived in Baltimore for 40+ years and she moved to Fairbanks, AK to live with family. She is preceded in death by her husband Robert Bishop. She is survived by her children Gearldine Jacobs-Tuck, Duane E. Anderson, and Calvin McKinnon. Services held in Fairbanks, AK.

STELLA BISHOP; departed this life on Friday, August 1, 2003 at her residence. Family will receivE friends on Friday, August 8, at Hopkins United Methodist Church, 13227 Highland Road, Highland, MD from 9 A.M. until funeral services at 10 A.M. Interment Ash Memorial Cemetery. Arrangements by Snowden Funeral Home, Rockville, MD.

I expect the Catholic bishops to hold the line on abortion and contraceptives. No surprise. ("Catholic bishops vow to hold line," Nov. 14.) Too bad, over the years, the bishops did not speak out as fervently about the "unjust war" the United States waged on Iraq where thousands of military, civilian men, women and children died. Too bad, that the bishops were not as fervent in exposing and excommunicating the pedophile priests in their midst. Too bad the bishops did not send letters to all the churches about the slanderous, vitriolic, unfounded accusations about President Barack Obama.

I and many other active Catholics, and apparently including many in the clergy, are becoming more and more disgusted with our bishops. If marriage is only between a man and a woman according to natural law, and it is the most perfect way to live in family as human beings, as they proclaim, why have they wasted so many millions on interfering with state law and not working on a real problem in their own backyard. Why don't they have the courage to stand up and campaign against the "mandatory celibacy law" of our own priests - surely this is against the natural law, and it certainly didn't come from Jesus.

Commentator John Gehring asserts that Catholic hospitals and universities would not have to pay for birth control coverage for their employees under an accommodation with the Obama administration that requires insurance companies to pick up the tab ("Finding common ground," Nov. 12). This is not true. Neither the Affordable Care Act nor the finalized implementing regulations contain any such provision. Rather, that arrangement is discussed in the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published by the Department of Health and Human Services in March, which is not law. It is true that the president held a press conference to announce the proposed compromise, commonly referred to as the "accommodation.

Meeting for the first time since voters in Maryland and two other states legalized same-sex marriage, members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said Tuesday that they have no plans to soften their position that genuine marriage can occur only between one man and one woman. "Are [the results] concerning? Sure they are," William E. Lori, the archbishop of Baltimore, said between sessions at the organization's fall general assembly in Baltimore, which has drawn about 300 bishops and archbishops to the Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Harbor East this week.

More than a few Catholic bishops spent this election feverishly warning their flock that voting for Barack Obama put their souls at risk and posed a grave threat to religious liberty. Now that the president has been re-elected with a majority of Catholic voters, leaders of our nation's most influential church have some self-reflection to do at their national meeting in Baltimore this week. Bishops should take pause at recent national headlines ("Catholic bishops make last-minute pitch for Romney")

Roman Catholic bishops convening in Baltimore joined students and volunteers Sunday to transform a Harbor East hotel corridor into a food-packing operation to benefit West African orphans and battered women. Measuring out thousands of plastic bags of dry soy protein, rice, vitamins and dried vegetables, enough to feed six people, the volunteers worked alongside the humanitarian effort's sponsors, Catholic Relief Services and Stop Hunger Now, as well as the bishops. "This is so much more fun than sitting in meetings," said Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Ariz., who is also Catholic Relief Services board chairman.

Milan Collins grew up in Louisiana dreaming of one day playing football for LSU. But when Hurricane Katrina hit his New Orleans home, plans for the future were abruptly changed. Collins, then a fifth-grader, and his family moved to Maryland after the storm hit so his father could continue working a government job. When the Collins family settled outside D.C., Milan soon found a new rooting interest. “When I moved up to Maryland, I kind of saw that LSU would be a stretch of the imagination,” Collins said.

Sunday at mass the pastor of our church explained that the bishop of Baltimore was calling for a prayer vigil for "freedom of religion. " The Catholic bishops claim they are making a stand against the Obama administration's policy requiring large institutions to provide health insurance that includes contraception for women. Contraception is a significant health issue for women in this country and around the world - a world whose population has just exceeded 7 billion and is set to hit 9 billion in less than a decade.