Catholic leader stepping down

For the past 24 years, Dick Dowling has been a strong voice on various state and national policy issues for Catholic congregations in the Maryland area.

And now, the 67-year-old executive director of the Maryland Catholic Conference is stepping down.

"I'm old," Mr. Dowling said. "It's been a good run and I've enjoyed it. It's a job that was made for me and I was made for the job, but now it's time to pass on the torch."

The Maryland Catholic Conference was created to lobby state and federal legislators on policy interests of the Archdioceses of Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and...