Archbishop William E. Lori will celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a holy day of obligation, with a special 12:10 p.m. Mass Aug. 15 at the Baltimore Basilica.

“We must all work together to end the scourge of racism,” Archbishop William E. Lori said, “and unite for the common good of all. Racism must be countered with love and respect.”

We are just back from an amazing trip to the beach, where we saw some beautiful sunsets. You might think I would have more time to write while on vacation, but every night we sort of forgot about putting our children to bed until it was so late that all I wanted to do was fall into bed myself.

How did a Baltimore boy get connected to Pope John Paul II, and how did he come to write “Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II,” published in the fall of 1999, and “The End and the Beginning: Pope John Paul II—The Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy.” Listen to George Weigel talk about his new book, “Lessons in Hope: My Unexpected Life with St. John Paul II,” on “Catholic Baltimore.

Our older son decided to start calling us Mom and Dad. Part of me isn’t surprised. I knew this would probably come—at least for Mama to transition to Mom.