Theology

When you make as many mistakes as I do, it's good to get in the habit of learning from them. Just over four years ago, I made a big one about Mormonism, and I thank the good folks at The Sun for giving me a chance to make it right. During the 2008 primaries, a Sun reporter interviewed me about evangelicals and Mitt Romney. Why, he asked, does a candidate with his squeaky-clean character and demonstrated family values generate so little interest among the Republican Party's evangelical base?

The Rev. James Ashton Devereux, a Jesuit priest who served as provincial of Maryland Province, died of Parkinson's disease Dec. 19 at Manresa Hall in Merion Station, Pa. He was 83. Born in Philadelphia, he was a 1945 graduate of St. Joseph's Preparatory School and entered the Society of Jesus the same year. Father Devereux earned his bachelor's degree in 1951 and master's in 1954, both from the old Woodstock College in Baltimore County. He also received a licentiate in sacred theology at St. Albert de Louvain in Belgium and had a doctorate in English from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

Rev. Millard Byrd Knowles, pastor of Old Otterbein United Methodist Church from 1992 through 2006 and later pastor of visitation/pastor emeritus at Perry Hall United Methodist Church, died Thursday following a series of strokes. He was 82. "He could tell any biblical story with an emotion and a passion that made you feel like you were right there," said Rev. Jeff Paulson, a longtime friend and colleague of Mr. Knowles, who had a doctorate in biblical storytelling from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.

The Rev. Frederick A. Homann, a Jesuit priest and educator who had been chairman of the mathematics department at what is now Loyola University Maryland, died Aug. 24 of a heart attack at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. He was 82. Father Homann was born and raised in Philadelphia, was a graduate of St. Joseph Preparatory School and attended Villanova University for a year before entering the Society of Jesus in 1947. He earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1951 from St. Louis University, which was followed in 1954 by a licentiate in philosophy.

The Rev. Walter John Paulits, a long-time Baltimore-area priest and theology scholar, died June 4 from natural causes at an assisted living residence in the Pasadena area. He was 88. In a career that spanned decades as an educator, religious scholar and priest, he founded and served as pastor of Our Lady of the Chesapeake Roman Catholic Church in Pasadena in 1980 and, although he retired in 1991, was still heavily involved with the church until about a year ago. Both his academic pursuits and a practical sense informed his priesthood, according to those who worked with him. He invited experts in seminary, liturgy and ecumenical outreach to visit and share knowledge, while at the same time empowering his flock with a you-can-do-it attitude.

A theology student whose car was stolen in Bladensburg two years ago was stunned to learn that Antonio Benjamin Martinez, the 21-year-old man charged Wednesday with plotting to blow up a military recruiting office in Catonsville, appears to be the same person accused of taking his Subaru. When told about the connection, Daniel Tobin replied, "Amazing. " Bladensburg police charged Martinez, then 19, with auto theft and two related counts on Feb. 16, 2008, in the theft of Tobin's vehicle.

The Rev. Allen Novotny, a Jesuit priest who held posts at Loyola Blakefield and Loyola University Maryland before becoming the president of Washington's Gonzaga College High School, was found dead at his order's District of Columbia residence Wednesday. He was 58. The Rev. Thomas Clifford, a fellow Jesuit and pastor of St. Aloysius Church in Washington, said Father Novotny had complained of flulike symptoms Monday and spent Tuesday in his room. An autopsy is being performed. Born in Baltimore and raised on Dean Street in Highlandtown, Father Novotny attended Sacred Heart of Jesus School and was a 1970 graduate of Loyola High School, now Loyola Blakefield.

Assuming that the number of Catholic priests in the Baltimore archdiocese continues to decline, and that Mel Gibson Catholicism prevails to preserve celibacy and keep women from ordination, then, by all means, leaders of the senior see of the United States should go after the disgruntled Anglicans. Rather than taking Catholic priests from Latin America, Africa and Asia to serve here, Anglo recruitment could be the church's best hope for picking up a few new clergy whose primary language is English.