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AROUND
 Eagle Scout
Frank Miller 16, a member of St. Rose of Lima parish in Hampton, has been awarded the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. A sophomore at Kecoughtan High School, he is a member of Troop 84 affiliated with Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Hampton. Ceile Green, Catholic Regional Religious Coordinator, was the guest speaker at the Court of Honor ceremony where she spoke of Frank’s participation in many religious activities over the years such as the Saint George Trek Catholic retreat, Religious Emblem Scouting Masses, and other scouting activities and camp-outs.
 Episcopal anniversary
Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo, shown here with Ann Moore, who until recently was administrative assistant in the Office of the Bishop, left, and Anne Edwards, Special Assistant and Advisor to the Bishop, celebrated the 20th anniversary of his ordination as a bishop on March 7 with Mass, followed by a staff luncheon at the Diocesan Pastoral Center. The Episcopal ordination took place in Philadelphia. Mrs. Moore assumed the role of facilities management specialist with the diocese March 17.
 Stations of the Cross
The youth group of St. Francis of Assisi parish in Amherst led the Stations of the Cross on March 7 and acted out the stations. Here is the station where Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.
MaryEllen Cox, advocate for the elderly, dies
MaryEllen Cox, a longtime advocate for the elderly who served on the Governor’s Advisory Board for the Aging under five Virginia governors, died March 7. She was 87.
Bishop Emeritus Walter F. Sullivan presided and preached at Mass of Christian Burial on March 11 at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.
 In his homily he credited Ms. Cox with guiding him after he received “pleading letters from families asking me to do something in behalf of their elderly parents.”
“The great blessing for me was my encounter with a certain MaryEllen Cox who took me by the hand and said that this is what the church should be about,” Bishop Sullivan said.
Ms. Cox served as chairman of the Diocesan Housing Corporation which established more than 10 residential facilities for the elderly in various parts of the diocese, including Richmond, Virginia Beach, Charlottesville, and Roanoke. The goal was to build the homes near a church facility to allow parishioners to have access to loved ones.
“The spiritual needs of the elderly was uppermost in the vision of MaryEllen,” Bishop Sullivan said. “People were not simply warehoused but given loving care and attention and spiritual guidance. The elderly came not to die, but to live as fully as possible until they died.”
Ms. Cox was instrumental in forming the diocese’s Commission for Older Adults. The ME Cox Center, an adult day care center on the grounds of St. Nicholas Church in Virginia Beach, is named in honor of her.
Ms. Cox was honored by Commonwealth Catholic Charities with the Samuel H. Dibert Award for her community service in 2005.
In addition, she had been coordinator of the diocese’s Older Adult Ministry in the Office of Justice and Peace. She previously served on the board of The Catholic Virginian. She was a member of St. Ann parish in Ashland.
She was the widow of Elbert B. Cox. She is survived by her daughter, Mary Ann Kincaid and her husband, Allen; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
 Lottery drawing
Msgr. Thomas Shreve, right, Vicar General of the Diocese of Richmond, draws envelopes from those who requested tickets for the Mass of Pope Benedict XVI in Washington April 17. He is assisted by Father Mark Lane, Vicar for Clergy. A total of more than 3,700 individuals made requests for the 400 tickets allotted to the Richmond diocese. In order to have representation from all 12 geographical regions of the diocese, the envelopes were placed in boxes of the respective regions allowing all to have roughly a one in 10 chance of winning. The names of the 400 winners are posted on the diocesan website. The parishes in which the winners are registered have been notified and they are also asked to notify those from their parish.
Fr. William McMurrer, priest in Hampton, dies
Father William J. McMurrer, a Redemptorist priest of 51 years who had served the last six years at both St. Joseph’s Church in Hampton and at Holy Family Retreat House in Hampton, died March 7. He was 76.
Before being ordained a priest, he served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps for three years during the Korean War.
Father McMurrer was a missionary in Puerto Rico for 38 years.
Mass of Christian Burial was March 11 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Hampton.
Sr. Raymond Newell, former teacher, dies
Sister Raymond Newell, a member of the Daughters of Charity who taught at St. Patrick School in Richmond from 1968 to 1970, died March 14 at St. Joseph’s Provincial House in Emmitsburg, MD. She was 78 and 58 years of vocation.
A native of Baltimore, the former Mary Evelyn Newell entered the Daughters of Charity in December 1949. After receiving the habit, she was given the name Sister Raymond.
Mass of Christian burial was offered March 18, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Emmitsburg.
James J. Begley, priest’s father, dies
James Joseph Begley, the father of Father James J. Begley, Jr., pastor of Church of the Redeemer in Mechanisville, died March 13 in Richmond. He was 91.
Born in Philadelphia, Mr. Begley graduated from Drexel University. He served in Europe during World War II and retired after 30 years with General Electric. He was a founding member of St. Mary’s Church of Richmond.
In addition to Father Begley, Mr. Begley is survived by his wife of 66 years, Mary Hoffman Begley; another son, Daniel Begley; a daughter, Regina Begley Jones and her husband Al Sidney Jones, all of Richmond; three grandchildren, a brother and a sister.
Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated March 18 at St. Mary’s Church, with interment at Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
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