The Diocese of Pittsburgh honored 29 young people for witnessing their "courageous and faith-filled witness" at the St. Timothy Awards celebration May 7 in the Bishop McDowell Auditorium at St.

Eight teachers from four diocesan high schools -- two teachers each from four schools -- have been selected to represent the northeastern United States at the Steno Learning Program in Faith and Science in June in Covington, La.

The goal of the program is to educate science and religion teachers from Catholic high schools throughout the United States regarding the relationship that exists between the Catholic faith and modern science so as to assist them in educating their own students.

The program is named after the Catholic saint and scientist Blessed Nicholas Steno (1638-

QUESTION: From time to time, our parish does baptisms at Mass. That provides us with a chance to hear some of the names that are given to children today. I thought that the church required that the names given to children be those of a saint. Is this no longer true?

ANSWER: Church law in effect from 1917 to 1983 demanded that the pastor require a Christian name (saint, virtue, etc.) be given at baptism (Canon 761 of the 1917 code). Today, however, church law reads somewhat differently.

Since Bishop David Zubik returned to Pittsburgh, he has worked hard to strengthen the radical "communitarian form" within the ordained ministry of the diocese, said Father Joseph Mele, rector of St. Paul Seminary, who also serves as director of pre-ordination formation and director of post-ordination formation.

"He believes it is the only way for a bishop and his priests and deacons to connect," Father Mele said. "That is, by carrying out all that we do as a 'collective work' in communion with each other.