Sister M. Evelyn Howard taught at St. Agnes School in Catonsville from 1984 to 1991.

“Give us the courage to excise from our midst anger, violence, hatred and bigotry, and the underlying sin of racism that is still so prevalent in our midst,” Archbishop Lori prayed.

If we start sharing stories of heroic virtue and courage, we are bound to inspire religious vocations.

It forced me to recognize that racism is real, not just under hoods, but in so many large structural ways and in small daily encounters we take for granted. And I realized that I do not know how to respond to racism, even when I am confronted by it.

State Catholic Conference directors from 36 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, gathered July 31-Aug. 2 in Maryland’s capital city to discuss a variety of common concerns to those who assist local bishops with public policy.