April 21, 2020 — Annapolis, MD
LEGISLATIVE NOTE
The General Assembly has made the decision to postpone the Special
Session that had been scheduled to take place the last week of May. We
will keep you updated as we learn more. In addition, May 7 is the
deadline for Governor Larry Hogan to take action - veto, sign
into law, or let a bill go into law without his signature - on
legislation passed during this session.
FROM SCHOOL TO SCREEN
Photo: St. Martin School,
Gaithersburg, via Twitter
Moving 54 elementary schools online in a matter of days takes a lot
of work, but Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Washington were
online as soon as schools were ordered closed as part of state health
precautions.
“We took off and started distance learning immediately. Our
families deserve the same quality of education whether the campuses
are closed or not,” said Vicky McCann, Director for Curriculum and
Instruction for the Archdiocese of Washington Catholic Schools.
Technology that already was in place (with iPad or laptop loans
made to families where needed), ongoing training for teachers, parent
surveys, and flexibility by principals, teachers, and parents have
been key factors in making the transition a success, McCann said. Data
collection and assessment have helped schools adapt as the online
experience has continued.
“There were some bumps,” said Ms. McCann. “We figured out what was
working and not working. Now, we have a system down and the schools
are really taking off.”
READ MORE
SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE IS JUNE 1
If you know families who are interested in Catholic school for
their children but need some financial assistance, please encourage
them to apply for the State of Maryland Broadening Options and
Opportunities Today (BOOST) Scholarship Program.
Applications are being accepted through June 1, 2020, for the
2020-21 school year. During the legislative session that just ended,
the Maryland legislature provided $7.5 million for BOOST scholarships
to empower low-income parents with the option of a Catholic or other
nonpublic school for their children. Income-eligible current Catholic
school students may also receive BOOST Scholarships. Spread the word
to your local and/or parish communities to make the option of Catholic
school a reality for interested families!
To apply CLICK HERE
DOING MORE WITH LESS
When stay-at-home orders went into effect for safety reasons, Our
Daily Bread in Baltimore had to scramble. Parishioner-volunteers,
through a parish-based program, had been providing 3,500 casseroles
every month, but no longer could get the supplies they needed to
prepare the meals.
Our Daily Bread staff stepped in to buy and cook the food
themselves in the short term, which kept the center’s 39-year history
of serving meals every day intact. Now, with a skeleton crew and a
shift to “grab and go” meals, plus a re-start of the casserole program
as many parishes have worked out a new system, Our Daily Bread is not
only serving meals, but serving more meals. Lee
Martin, director of Our Daily Bread, told the Catholic Review that
demand for food is up 25 percent, to nearly 1,000 meals every
day.
CLICK
TO READ MORE
In Southern Maryland, food deliveries to 400 low-income seniors,
once bi-monthly are now weekly, while 1,600 children are getting meals
through The Southern Maryland Food Bank’s school partnership program.
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington is reporting
demand at their other centers is up 150 percent. The agency continues
to provide as many services as possible safely.
To learn more about available services in the Archdiocese of
Washington, CLICK
HERE or visit the Amazon
wish list, and add a few items the next time you are online.
Visit our COVID-19 page
for more information, including links to online Masses, ways to help
(or get assistance), and government resources.
EARTH DAY AT 50
April 22 is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and a good
time to reflect upon our call to be stewards of our environment. As
Pope Francis notes in his encyclical, Laudato Si’: “[T]he
ecological crisis is also a summons to profound interior
conversion…Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is
essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary
aspect of our Christian experience.”
Here in Maryland, the friars at the Shrine of St. Anthony in Ellicott City have
embraced his call to care for our common home by installing a solar
power grid, returning traditionally farmed land to organic farming,
and growing and harvesting fresh vegetables for the Franciscan Center
in Baltimore. The shrine's Little Portion Farm recently was featured
by Catholic News Service. WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
Pope Francis has invited Catholics worldwide to join in a special
week dedicated to the fifth anniversary of Laudato Si', May
18-24, 2020. Information and resources are online. To learn more CLICK
HERE
GET INVOLVED
JOIN THE CATHOLIC ADVOCACY NETWORK
Learn more about the Catholic Advocacy Network and how you can take
action on important issues in Maryland: CLICK HERE.
VOLUNTEER WITH US!
The Maryland Catholic Conference is still looking for volunteers to
serve as Parish Legislative Ambassadors for some parishes. If you are
passionate about the work we do and want to help us speak up on
important issues in Maryland, please sign up to volunteer!
To sign-up to volunteer CLICK HERE.
STAY CONNECTED WITH US!
  
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