The Scala Sancta, “Holy Stairs,” are believed to be the passageway Jesus walked on his way to face Pontius Pilate before the crucifixion. St. Helena, mother of Constantine, brought the staircase to the Eternal City from the Holy Land in the middle of the 4th century.

The parishioners were the first group of Americans to be received into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church through the newly established Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, an ecclesiastical structure created by Pope Benedict XVI to make it easier to welcome former Episcopalians into the Catholic Church.

WESTMINSTER – Sitting in the bleachers as the repeated booming echoes of bouncing basketballs filled St. John’s gymnasium, Larry Baker and Donald “Bo” Yingling seemed like proud fathers.

“I realize that this information may be shocking and painful for you to hear, which I sincerely regret,” Father Barr wrote in his letter to parishioners. “However, in the interest of transparency and out of an abundance of care for this parish and our community, I wanted to share this news with you directly and ask for your prayers for Father Bullock and for our parish.”

Erica and Sean Kerchner find it hard to spend quality time together at the moment. Mr. Kerchner has been training with the U.S. Navy in Norfolk, Va., for four months while his wife of three years stays with her parents in Silver Spring. Mrs. Kerchner said when her husband visits on the weekends, it is important for them to find time for themselves in between visiting friends and family. They try to set aside one night to go out to dinner or a movie, “nothing really fancy,” she said.