September Events
The tenth round of the Lutheran Catholic Dialogue will begin in Chicago, September 3-4, on the theme of "The Church as Communion of Salvation," under the Catholic Cochairperson Bishop Richard J. Sklba. This will be a particularly important beginning since the Lutheran World Federation and the Holy See have pledged themselves to sign the Joint Declaration on Justification by Faith this Fall.
Labor Day is September 7.
Pope John Paul II visits the Czech Republic, September 7-12.
The Southern Baptist-Roman Catholic Conversation will meet in Louisville, September 10-12, discussing the theme of Salvation. It is hoped that the Conversation will finalize a report on Scripture, which will be the first report released by this new round of Conversations authorized by the Southern Baptist Convention in 1994.
The National Religious Vocations Conference Convocation will be in Minneapolis, September 11-15. Theme: Nurturing Vocations: Vocation Ministers and Parents Respond to the Challenge.
The Committee on Science and Human Values will host its annual dialogue with scientists September 11-13 in Washington. The topic is cloning in its various forms, from the level of the gene to the level of the human organism. Participants will consider the moral implications of human cloning. The dialogue, per custom, involves about 20 bishops and scientists and is by invitation only. The Dialogue Group will publish a report on cloning based on these discussions in mid-1999.
Catholics Remember the Holocaust will be available from the USCC Office of Publishing & Promotional Services on September 15. It contains the texts of statements on the Holocaust issued by the Dutch, French, Swiss, German, Polish, Hungarian, Italian and U.S. Bishops since 1994; and the Holy See's statement, We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah, along with supporting documentation by Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Edward I. Cassidy, head of the
Vatican Council for the promotion of Christian Unity; Cardinal William H. Keeler of Baltimore and Cardinal John J. O'Connor of New York. Publication no. 5-290, price $5.95, plus handling. To order, call 800-235-8722.
Jubilee 2000: Reconcile, a kit of camera-ready articles and photos to assist dioceses in preparing for the Third Millennium and Jubilee Year 2000, will be mailed to the Catholic press in mid-September. The kit is the second in a series of three. The final kit, on evangelization, will be distributed to the Catholic press in December.
A conference on A Reconciling Church: Preparing for the Jubilee Year 2000 will take place Sept. 18-20, in Denver. The conference will focus on the Year 2000 and reconciliation and bring together groups working on diocesan Millennium committees and lay ministry groups and national organizations. Registration fee is $150. Persons seeking brochures or further information can contact Tim Reid or Emily Davis at 202-541-3244 (ph), 202-541-3242, fax, or by e-mail at jubilee@nccbuscc.org.
Catechetical Sunday is September 20. Theme: Holy Spirit, Source of Unity. Kits for Catechetical Sunday 1998 are available. To order, call the U.S. bishops' Office for Publishing and Promotion Services (OPPS) 1-800-235-8722. Cost is $12.95, plus 10 percent shipping and handing per order ($3.00 minimum). Publication number for the kit is 5-248. Prayer cards, certificates, and posters are for sale separately.
Rosh Hashanah is September 21.
On September 21-23, the Reformed/Roman Catholic Consultation will hold the second meeting of Round VI on the theme, Sacramental Practice: Baptism, Eucharist, Marriage. The consultation has been meeting since the Second Vatican Council and is currently chaired by Bishop Patrick R. Cooney of Gaylord, Michigan.
Media Training programs for bishops and communications directors will take place September 22, in Tampa.
The National Conference of Diocesan Vocations Directors Convention will be in Cincinnati, September 26-October 1. Theme: Trusting in the Spirit's Wisdom.
Blessed Are the Peacemakers, an hour-long documentary developed by the Catholic Communication Campaign, will be fed to ABC-TV affiliates, Sunday, September 27, at 12:30 p.m. The program is part of the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission's 1998 Vision & Values Series. For more information, contact Pat Ryan Garcia, at 202-541-3404. Blessed are the Peacemakers looks at three communities where citizens have come together to stop violence on the streets, between young people and in homes. Cities featured include New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Appleton, Wisconsin. Issues addressed include drugs and guns, domestic violence and gangs. After September 27, VHS copies can be purchased for $29.95 plus postage by calling 1-800-235-8722.
The North American Academy of Ecumenists will meet September 25-27 in Cincinnati on the theme Ecumenism: Renewing the Vision, Revitalizing the Challenge. This will be of particular interest in light of the World Council of Churches Assembly in Harare in December, 1998, and Roman Catholic participation in it.
The national meeting of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions is September 27-30, in Memphis, Tennessee. This year's theme is Growing in Wisdom and Grace: Forming Youth Through Liturgy.
Yom Kippur begins at sundown September 29.
Media Training programs for Bishops and communications directors will take place September 29-30, in New York City.
The Church and the Media, a 2 ½ hour program on coverage of the Church by the media, will be presented September 30, in New York City. The program features panelists Bill Blakemore of ABC News, David Gonzalez of The New York Times, Ken Woodward of Newsweek, and moderator Margaret O'Brien Steinfels of Commonweal magazine. The forum is open to communications personnel. Fee: $30. For brochure and registration form, contact USCC Department of Communications, 202-541-3200.
In late September, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the Church's domestic, anti-poverty agency, will announce its national grants. CCHD will award a record $8.5 million in funding to 300 projects -- the largest number assisted in a single year. The projects are located in 46 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Grants go to organizing and economic development projects controlled by the poor themselves. The average organizing grant is $30,000. The money awarded to the self-help groups was collected last year in Catholic parishes nationwide. For more information, contact Barbara Stephenson, 202-541-3364.
The Catholic Campaign for Human Development has reserved TV studio and satellite time on Wednesday, November 4, to offer dioceses with downlink capability the opportunity for a live, video interview with Father Robert J. Vitillo, the Campaign's executive director. Local reporters can talk directly with Father Vitillo for up to 10 minutes, tape the interview and air it later in scheduled programming. In most dioceses the annual parish appeal for the CCHD will be November 21-22. Additional footage highlighting CCHD's funded projects will also be uplinked on November 4. Those interested in signing up for an interview time, or learning more about this opportunity can contact Barbara Stephenson, CCHD Director of Communications, at (202) 541-3364 or by e-mail: bstephenson@nccbuscc.org.
The USCC Department of Social Development and World Peace, the USCC Department of Education and several other Church offices and organizations are collaborating on A Jubilee Pledge for Charity, Justice and Peace: A Catholic Commitment for the New Millennium, to be signed by Catholics in Advent 1999. Look for more information to come.
The World Day for Consecrated Life, which is officially marked on February 2, will be celebrated in the United States, Sunday, January 31. The Vatican-initiated event is coordinated in this country by the Commission on Religious Life and Ministry, which includes members of the Bishops' Committee on Consecrated Life, the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. Materials for dioceses will be distributed in late Fall.
Extra copies of Celebrate, a kit of articles and photos to help dioceses highlight preparation for the Millennium are available free of charge upon request. Copies were distributed to diocesan newspapers in the Spring. People seeking extra copies can call the USCC Department of Communications, 202-541-3200.
The Publishing and Promotion Services of the U.S. Catholic Conference has released Basic Norms for the Formation of Permanent Deacons -- Directory for the Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons. List price is $7.95 plus handing. The publication numbers are 5-242 for the English language version and 5-806 for the Spanish-language version. Orders can be placed by calling 1-800-235-8722.
Pope John Paul II is slated to visit St. Louis, Missouri, on Jan. 26-27, 1999. The Archdiocese of St. Louis wishes to make available to diocesan directors via E-mail copies of Papal Visit updates sent to news media. The updates are released as new information becomes known - so far usually about every ten to 14 days. To receive updates, send an E-mail message to Steve Mamanella, Community Relations Director for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, at stevem@archstl.org. Your name will be added to the distribution list. Include your full E-mail address in the message section of your E-mail. A toll-free number 1-800-916-9630 also is available providing information about the visit.
A workshop on the General Directory for Catechesis will be held Saturday, November 14, 1998, from 1:30-4:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill. Speakers include Cardinal Darío Castrillon Hoyos, Prefect for the Congregation for the Clergy, and Bishop Donald Wuerl of Pittsburgh. The meeting will be open to bishops and staff who need to know about the GDC, including those engaged in catechesis, schools, RCIA, liturgy, and evangelization.
The 1999 Media Training Seminars will be in Houston, February 9; San Diego, February 25; Chicago, April 26 and Boston, October 21. Registration forms for those seminars went out in the mail in early August.
The National Catholic Gathering on Jubilee Justice will be held July 15-18, 1999, at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).The gathering will convene people nationwide for prayer and worship, inspiration and information, and skills and strategies around the challenge of putting justice at the center of jubilee. Honorary Chairman: Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles. Co-Chairs: Father Robert Vitillo, Executive Director of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, and Annette Kane, Executive Director, National Council of Catholic Women.
For quick access to information, contact the NCCB/USCC Web site: www.nccbuscc.org.
The following dioceses can be reached by e-mail: ALASKA: Fairbanks, Juneau. ARIZONA: Phoenix, Tucson. CALIFORNIA: Monterey, Oakland, Orange, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose. COLORADO: Colorado Springs, Denver. CONNECTICUT: Hartford, Bridgeport. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Washington. FLORIDA: Miami, Orlando, Palm Beach, St. Augustine, St. Petersburg, Venice. GEORGIA: Savannah. HAWAII: Honolulu. IDAHO: Boise. ILLINOIS: Chicago, Joliet, Peoria, Rockford, Springfield. INDIANA: Evansville, Forth Wayne-South Bend, Indianapolis, Lafayette. IOWA: Davenport, Des Moines, Dubuque. KANSAS: Kansas City in Kansas. KENTUCKY: Louisville, Lexington, Owensboro. LOUISIANA: Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Houma-Thibodaux, Lafayette, Lake Charles, New Orleans, Shreveport. MAINE: Portland. MASSACHUSETTS: Boston, Melkite Diocese of Newton. MICHIGAN: Detroit, Gaylord, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Marquette. MINNESOTA: Crookston, New Ulm, St. Cloud, St. Paul and Minneapolis, Winona. MARYLAND: Baltimore. MISSISSIPPI: Jackson. MISSOURI: Jefferson City, Kansas City-St. Joseph, St. Louis, Springfield-Cape Girardeau. MONTANA: Great Falls-Billings, Helena. NEBRASKA: Omaha. NEVADA: Las Vegas. NEW HAMPSHIRE: Manchester. NEW JERSEY: Camden, Newark, Passaic, Paterson, Trenton. NEW MEXICO: Las Cruces. NEW YORK: Brooklyn, Buffalo, New York, Ogdensburg. Rochester, Rockville Centre; Syracuse. NORTH CAROLINA: Charlotte, Raleigh. NORTH DAKOTA: Bismarck, Fargo. OHIO: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo. OKLAHOMA: Oklahoma City, Tulsa. OREGON: Baker, Portland. PENNSYLVANIA: Altoona-Johnstown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Scranton. RHODE ISLAND: Providence. SOUTH CAROLINA: Charleston. SOUTH DAKOTA: Sioux Falls. TENNESSEE: Memphis. TEXAS: Amarillo, Austin, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso, Ft. Worth, San Angelo, Victoria. VERMONT: Burlington. VIRGINIA: Richmond. WASHINGTON: Seattle, Spokane, Yakima. WEST VIRGINIA: Wheeling-Charleston. WISCONSIN: Green Bay, Madison, Milwaukee, La Crosse. WYOMING: Cheyenne.
If any communications director wants to be added to the list, please e-mail me at mwalsh@nccbuscc.org.