Contacts & Publisher Subscription Form Published April 28, 2006   Confirming the Gifts of the Spirit | May Prayer Theme Adam Cardinal Maida As we continue to celebrate the Easter season, it is appropriate during this month of May to reflect on the sacrament of confirmation.   Rebuilding Detroit Joe Kohn Detroit –Lynne Huff knows how to introduce teenagers to Christ. She gives them shovels, sledge hammers and wheelbarrows. She has them carry brooms, buckets of cleaning supplies and mixed paint.   Covenant House names building for Cd. Maida Kristin Lukowski Detroit – Although the most recently finished building on the Covenant House campus has already been named, an upcoming open house celebration will make it official.   World Prayer Day for Vocations is May 7 Kristin Lukowski Detroit – On Sunday, May 7, the world will be pulling together for World Prayer Day for Vocations. In the Archdiocese of Detroit, various groups that promote vocations are putting out their own reminders for prayers for vocations, or holding their own events in the weeks before and after May 7.   CSA funds help students at seminary Kristin Lukowski Woodhaven — Combining his love of both music and the Catholic Church seemed a natural career fit for Mario Amore. Amore, 19, is music minister at Our Lady of the Woods Parish in Woodhaven, and is also a full-time student at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit in the music ministry program.   Fire at former church disheartens community Joe Kohn Detroit – It saddens a community when a parish is closed. And to have a closed church fall prey to arson and apparent sacrilege only adds to the heartbreak.   Mich. ranked first for pro-life laws Joe Kohn Detroit — Legal efforts backed by strong support from a well-educated public, including the Catholic Church, have helped Michigan to a No. 1 ranking for defending life by a national pro-life group, state pro-life leaders say. Published April 21, 2006   Pontiac procession recalls Christ's last hours Kristin Lukowski A group of parishes in Pontiac made the procession of Christ carrying his cross more tangible by holding their own street procession.   Catholics help developmentally disabled Joe Kohn A project started in the Lenten spirit will continue to help developmentally disabled people in the Detroit area for the long haul.   Chrism Mass - Liturgy celebrates holy oils, commitment of priests Kristin Lukowski Detroit – What makes the Archdiocese of Detroit's Chrism Mass special is just that – how the chrism is consecrated and two oils are blessed for use in churches for the coming year.   Cd. Maida 'tastes' SBXL victory Joe Kohn Detroit – So what exactly does victory taste like? For Cardinal Adam Maida, it tastes like a west-coast seafood delicacy.   Signs of new life visible at Vigil Joe Kohn Detroit – When Fr. Timothy Pelc looked out over the congregation at St. Ambrose Parish in Grosse Point Park during the Easter Vigil, he could see clear signs of new life at a parish that, when he arrived as pastor 20 years ago, drew only a few dozen to its vigil. Published April 14, 2006 Holy Saturday blessing of baskets is an Easter tradition Kristin Lukowski Wyandotte – In the Easter basket traditional to some cultures, a loaf of bread symbolizes how Jesus is the Bread of Life; horseradish symbolizes Jesus' suffering; and eggs represent His tomb. 'The victory belongs to the Lord' - Two local priests qualify for Boston Marathon, but pass on the race to celebrate Easter Kristin Lukowski Detroit – Fr. Richard Cassidy and Fr. Michael Byrnes got a special kind of "runner's high" when they found out they'd qualified for this year's Boston Marathon – the pinnacle for serious runners. Pastor shares help for parishes facing merger Robert Delaney Detroit – Fr. Donald Archambault has some advice for those parishes required under the Together in Faith strategic plan to merge by July 1, 2007 – get started on it soon. Saving civil rights - Church joins broad coalition to preserve affirmative action Joe Kohn Southfield – What can Michigan's leading Catholics, Jews, Baptists, Latinos, African-Americans, Arabs, Asians, Democrats, Republicans, union representatives, manufacturing companies, social workers, teachers and lawyers all agree on? Skillman project raises hopes in southwest Detroit Robert Delaney Detroit – A series of community meetings held at Our Lady Queen of Angels Parish in southwest Detroit is having the effect of bringing the neighborhood together, as well as offering hope for the future of southwest Detroit, says Fr. Anthony Richter. Nature is a gift and a connection to God  Sr. Janet Schaeffler, OP I like to play indoors better 'cause that's where all the electrical outlets are," says a fourth-grader. St. Bernard said, "You will learn more in the woods than you will in books. The trees and stones will teach you what you will never learn in the school of masters."   Published April 7, 2006   Together in Faith - Youth ministry is 'highest priority' in archdiocese Robert Delaney Detroit – With youth ministry identified as the "highest priority" of the Archdiocese of Detroit, as it looks to the future in its new strategic plan, the program at St. Colette Parish in Livonia is being cited as a model by archdiocesan officials. Together in Faith - Strategic plan focuses on future of archdiocese Robert Delaney Detroit – The Together in Faith process to produce a strategic plan for the Archdiocese of Detroit charts a course for growth and development, it doesn't just reduce the number of parishes and schools in the archdiocese, Cardinal Adam Maida said March 29. We can all enter into the drama of Holy Week Adam Cardinal Maida We are about to begin Holy Week, the most solemn and sacred time of the Church year, a special opportunity for all of us to deepen our communion with the Lord and one another. Affirmative action - Church joins fight against proposal that threatens civil rights Joe Kohn Detroit – The Church in Michigan is helping steer one of the most broad-based coalitions in the state's history to defeat a ballot proposal that would threaten civil rights. Affirmative action - Proposal would 'undo work that's taken years and years to move forward' Robert Delaney Detroit – Despite its name, the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative would be a "step in the wrong direction" for the cause of civil rights, says Sr. Cathey DeSantis, SSJ, director of the Detroit Catholic Pastoral Alliance. St. Hugo celebrates 75 years Kristin Lukowski Bloomfield Hills – The grounds are beautiful, the choir is talented and the school is renowned for its programs. But what makes St. Hugo of the Hills in Bloomfield Hills special, said pastor Msgr. Anthony Tocco, is the community. Charges against Fr. Olszewski are dropped Robert Delaney Detroit – There will be no new trial for Fr. Edward Olszewski, 73, for allegedly "taking indecent liberties with a minor," after Wayne County Circuit Judge Diane Hathaway dismissed the case Tuesday morning.