Parishioners

For years, Juan Cifuentes did not go to church. He preferred a Spanish Mass like the one he attended with his Colombian-born parents while growing up in New York. But after moving to Columbia from Montgomery County in 1999, Cifuentes joined St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Congregation -- the only church in Howard County that offers Mass in Spanish. He attends with his wife, Andrea, who was born in Bogota, Colombia. "It was simple for my wife -- she was missing a Spanish Mass -- and a no-brainer for me," said Cifuentes, 38. "I've been to American Mass, and my preference is a Spanish Mass.

Inside Baltimore's St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church early Saturday, the Rev. Michael Pastrikos stood on the dais and chanted prayers before an ornate altar adorned with icons of holy figures. The smell of spiced incense filled the dimly lit sanctuary as the faithful slipped into pews and counted down the hours until their Easter celebration would begin. They were among the many Orthodox Christians and others around the world and throughout the region celebrating the holiest of weekends using a Julian calendar different from that observed by other denominations.

A Baltimore County parish priest who committed suicide Aug. 21 was to have left the next day for psychological evaluation and possible treatment after being confronted with an allegation of child abuse that occurred 10 years ago.Archbishop William H. Keeler revealed the allegation to a meeting of 500 shocked parishioners in the school auditorium at St. Stephen Roman Catholic Church in Bradshaw yesterday afternoon.Archbishop Keeler told the parishioners that the Rev. Thomas W. Smith -- who had admitted in 1988 to molesting boys in a series of incidents in the 1960s -- was informed on Aug. 19 that a lawyer representing members of a family at the parish had informed the Archdiocese of Baltimore that Father Smith had inappropriately touched their son a decade ago. The archdiocese could not provide details of the alleged abuse.

For the second time in a history that spans 160 years, the Church of St. Patrick in Havre de Grace blessed a polished slab of granite and rededicated its imposing stone building to another century of ministry. The blessing of the cornerstone, imprinted with a cross between the years 1847 and 1907, launched a yearlong celebration of the building's centennial and drew nearly 500 parishioners on Thursday. They posed on the church steps and followed a bagpiper to a social in the church hall, which was filled with parish memorabilia.

One by one, as they poured out of Mass at Holy Cross Church in Federal Hill last night, parishioners said goodbye to their beloved pastor, the Rev. Thomas R. Malia, forced to resign for knowingly hiring a convicted sex offender as a music director. Teary-eyed men and women who said they were drawn to Catholicism by Malia lined up in the church hallway to hug and kiss him one last time. Families who credit him with bolstering membership by attracting young people moving into the neighborhood said, "Thank you."

"This isn't just a Catholic church, but a major piece of the downtown Baltimore skyline," says the Rev. Richard T. Lawrence, speaking of St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church, where he is pastor.This Sunday, the parish will hold a solemn pontifical high mass to rededicate the historic structure after the recent start of physical repairs. The service, to be followed by a champagne brunch, also will mark the beginning of the church's 150th year at North Front Street and the Fallsway.Seven years in the planning, the repairs finally got under way five months ago when the church's woodwork was stripped and restained, the pews were moved from parallel rows to a semi-circle facing the altar, and ramps were created for the access of handicapped worshipers.

CATHOLIC BISHOPS can say what they want in ministering to their flocks. But when they refuse to serve politicians Communion because they hold views antithetical to church teachings, bishops are wielding a holy sacrament as a clumsy, political weapon. Publicly sanctioning parishioners -- whether they are a presidential candidate, a schoolteacher, or a factory worker -- for their political beliefs may be within the bounds of canon law, but it serves neither the church nor democracy well.

THESE ARE tough times for many inner-city churches, particularly the 16 Catholic churches targeted for reorganization or closure by the Archdiocese of Baltimore.Shrinking congregations leave many unable to afford to maintain their buildings, some of which are more than a century old.However, at least one venerable city Catholic church stands out as an example to others that it is possible to go through troubled times and survive. That church is the 103-year-old Corpus Christi, located on West Lafayette Avenue in Bolton Hill.

Parishioners of the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Mary Our Queen will celebrate on Saturday the rehabilitation of a fifth vacant house in as many years.The improvements are to a house in a blighted North Baltimore neighborhood that parishioners adopted in 1989.Working with the St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center and the Pen Lucy Improvement Association, the parishioners have held to their schedule of renovating and selling at a modest price one vacant, single-family house a year in the 600 block of Cator Ave.Renovation of the fifth house, at 612 Cator Ave., was completed last month, and it is now for sale.

THINGS ARE changing at Resurrection of Our Lord Roman Catholic Church.The Rev. Joseph Kitko, pastor of the Laurel parish for 28 years, and pastoral associate Sister Ann Elizabeth Hartnett retired in June."