THOUGHT OF THE MONTH . . .
 

Lent stimulates us to let the
Word of God penetrate
our life and in this way to
know the fundamental
truth: who we are,
where we come
from, where we
must go, what
path we must
take in
life.

(His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI)

Special Interest

Highlights  March 2010

Lenten Resource: "Exploring Climate Justice"
The National Council of Churches is offering a series of reflections on climate justice and how it relates to each of us in our daily lives. Each week during Lent, the series explores a new issue and provides ways that you can help address climate change in your own life. If you’d like to receive these Lenten reflections, send an email to tedgar@nccecojustice.org with the subject “Lenten Reflections” and your name will be added to the list.

Priestly Ministry and Facebook
Do social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter have a place in priestly ministry? That was a question tackled by Fr. Nels Gjangdahl of St. Odilia Parish in Shoreview, Minnesota in a recent interview. Click here to read the interview in its entirety.

The Vanishing Rural Church
A special feature recently appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporting on the dwindling number of rural churches and congregants, both in Catholic and Protestant denominations. Click here to read the article in its entirety.

Apostolic Constitution "Anglicanorum Coetibus"
The Vatican has released a complete text of the apostolic constitution regulating entry of bishops, priests, and lay people from the Anglican Communion into the Catholic Church. The full text can be accessed at http://chiesa.espresso.
repubblica.it/articolo/1340903?eng=y.

Featured this month: 

Updates from NOCERCC - At its 2010 Annual Convention, Adam MacDonald was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Organization for Continuing Education of Roman Catholic Clergy. Adam looks forward to advocating and providing a voice for the SVD and other religious communities nationwide.

Revision of the Roman Missal - Visit the websites www.usccb.org/romanmissal or www.mbmv.org for information on the Revised Roman Missal. You can gain a better understanding of the rationale behind the revision by reading an article by Fr. Douglas Martis entitled, Liturgy and the Christian Language.

HIV/AIDS Education - This month’s feature is an article from Caritas South Africa entitled, A Catholic Response.

Child Protection - This month’s feature is a document from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops entitled, Magisterial Teachings on the Protection of God’s Children.

Note: To assist you in complying with the education requirement as part of the Praesidium Accreditation process, you can view a detailed archive of articles previously posted on the Child Protection page. The archive also includes links to each article for your convenience.

The "Year for Priests" - Check out the recommended resources on our Datebook Plus page and visit www.usccb.org/yearforpriests or www.nfpc.org for additional resources. In addition, you can view details of a special pilgrimage to Rome being sponsored by the National Organization for the Continuing Education of Roman Catholic Clergy (NOCERCC) by visiting http://www.travelillume.com/trc/ncc.

Datebook Plus - Making plans for your Ongoing Education? Not sure where to go or what to do? Then check out our detailed listing of nearly 150 events scheduled between now and December. You’ll also find detailed information on 20 recently-released books, videos, and audiotapes on a variety of topics.

In the coming months:

Summer Programs 2010 - Work is almost complete on our annual listing of institutes, seminars, and other educational events scheduled during the summer months. The complete listing will be uploaded here on our website on April 1.

Ongoing Education Formation Committee - The next Committee meeting will take place on April 22, 2010 at the Province Center. Please review the Minutes of the last meeting and contact any member of the Committee with your ideas and suggestions.

Child Abuse Prevention Month - April is designated as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Visit the website of the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Conference Office of Child and Youth Protection for additional details and resources by logging onto www.usccb.org/ocyp.

 

 

#  #  #