Ash Wednesday is next week, so sometime before now and then, we will fill our Lenten prayer basket.

Those who are meek are patient, gentle and merciful, drawing people together and salvaging relationships, Pope Francis said.

Boy Scout councils and units sponsored by Catholic parishes and other entities will not be affected by the Chapter 11 bankruptcy case filed by the Boy Scouts of America, said the chairman of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting.

The homeless and the hungry, children and the aged, seminarians, and chaplains at hospitals and prisons all benefit from the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s annual fundraising campaign, the Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries.

“Never underestimate the power of the Spirit of God working in you, through you and despite you,” the new archbishop said.