Schedule of Catholic Conferences in July and August 2008

June 23, 2008

The following is a list of national Catholic conferences scheduled in July and August 2008.

6/30/2008 – 7/3/2008
NPM – National Association of Pastoral Musicians
NPM Convention (Regional) – In the Midst of Change…
East Brunswick, NJ
The membership organization for anyone who recognizes and supports the value of musical liturgy. This includes choir directors, organists, guitarists, pianists, instrumentalists, presiders, cantors, and choral groups. NPM’s mission is to foster the art of musical liturgy.

7/2/2008 7/9/2008
Tekakwitha Conference
69th Annual Tekakwitha Conference – One Heart, All Nations
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
A membership organization open to all clergy, religious, all Native People, and all women and men ministering with Native Americans. The mission of the Tekakwitha Conference is to unify the Native Catholic voice, presence and identity while respecting the diversity, to empower Native Catholics as Church, and to deepen and affirm Native Catholic identity and pride in their culture and spiritual traditions

7/8/2008 – 7/9/2008
NAPP – National Association of Priest Pilots
NAPP 2008 Convention
Savannah, GA
An organization of Catholic priests who are also pilots. NAPP assists with continuing flying education to help members in maintaining their skills and keeping up to date on the latest regulations and technological advances. The organization also provides support to members using aircraft in missionary work.

7/8/2008  - 7/11/2008
NPM – National Association of Pastoral Musicians
NPM Convention (Regional)
Cleveland, OH
The membership organization for anyone who recognizes and supports the value of musical liturgy. This includes choir directors, organists, guitarists, pianists, instrumentalists, presiders, cantors, and choral groups. NPM’s mission is to foster the art of musical liturgy

7/15/2008  - 7/20/2008
The Vatican & Australia
WYD – World Youth Day 2008
Sydney, Australia

8/1/2008  - 8/4/2008
LCWR – Leadership Conference for Women Religious
2008 LCWR-CMSM Joint Assembly
Denver, CO
The association of the leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the US

8/5/2008  - 8/8/2008
NPM – National Association of Pastoral Musicians
NPM Convention (Regional)
Los Angeles, CA
The membership organization for anyone who recognizes and supports the value of musical liturgy. This includes choir directors, organists, guitarists, pianists, instrumentalists, presiders, cantors, and choral groups. NPM’s mission is to foster the art of musical liturgy.

Visit the ActiveParishioner.com Calendar for more details and future events.

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Living Life to the Fullest – Tim Russert Style

June 19, 2008

I never met Tim Russert.  But I have been drawn in by the many, many comments about his life these last few days. Watching the Kennedy Center memorial service on TV, I found myself both touched and also almost energized.  So many commented how Tim Russert lived life to the fullest. 

As Tom Brokaw aptly described, Tim “woke up each morning as if he had won the lottery the night before.”  Tim’s son commented how his Dad always saw ”a glass half full” rather than half empty. 

Tim was faith-filled, full of energy, generous, caring, and believed in the goodness of humanity. As Mario Cuomo noted, Tim “regarded a day spent without real enthusiasm as a sadly lost opportunity.” A writer commented, “If there were an award for getting the most out of life, he would have won that, too.”  His zest for life and his exuberance were obvious to viewers. 

What energized me about these commentaries was the spark that Tim seems to have captured and reflected in his life. 

How do we also capture that spark that is at the core of our faith?  How do we live every day of our lives as if we “had won the lottery the night before?” 

I don’t know the answer to this. In theory I do. Live life as if the Good News is truly Good News. But in practice, what does this mean? How do I adjust my daily habits, my actions, my attitude to reflect this? How do I apply this so it makes a real difference in my life? 

I haven’t figured this out, yet. But Tim Russert’s life and the moving tributes by his many friends and colleagues, invite us to step back a moment and ponder these life-altering questions. Who knows what this world of ours will be like if we all truly reflect that same spark in our lives.

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US Bishops’ Statement on Stem Cell Research

June 16, 2008

Twice a year, the US bishops meet together for a business meeting.  Some might say that it is similar to a board meeting.  But in reality, each diocese is its own “company” so a better analogy is that of a business roundtable.  Leaders of the individual dioceses meet to discuss and work on issues that they share in common.  The November meeting is the longer of the two and includes many business items.  The June meeting has a short business session and is supposed to also offer a retreat environment for the bishops.  This year’s June meeting was held June 12-14, 2008, in Orlando.  A substantive item was a statement on Embryonic Stem Cell Research which the bishops approved.

The statement is brief but written clearly.  As readers will be able to guess, the bishops are against embryonic stem cell research because it destroys human embryos.  The statement emphasizes the “imperative to respect human life.”  As the bishops say, “Because life is our first and most basic gift from an infinitely loving God, it deserves our utmost respect and protection.”

The statement goes on to present three arguments that people often use and gives a Catholic response to each.  The first is that any harm done is outweighed by the potential benefit.  This is a version of the old “the end justifies the means” argument.  The statement easily refutes this line of thinking and points out how dangerous it can be to go along this path.

The second argument is that when a human embryo is destroyed, it is not really a human being.  The bishops counter that life begins with conception and, thus, the human embryo is already a human being.

The third argument is that destroying an embryo by taking cells is not a problem if the embryos were “spare” or unwanted.  The statement again points out the danger of this line of thinking and also notes how we all would find it totally wrong to conduct a lethal experiment on a terminally ill patient or on a prisoner on death-row. 

The statement also reiterates that cloning is morally wrong.  It concludes by affirming existing research on adult stem cells.  It also emphasizes that stem cell research is not impossible without embryonic stem cells. 

The statement is succint and informative.  Many who want to read a summary of Catholic thought on this topic will find it helpful.

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Catholic Eucharistic Congress to Be Held in Quebec, June 15-22, 2008

June 10, 2008

Next week, from Sunday, June 15 through Sunday, June 22, 2008, thousands of Catholics from around the world will gather in Quebec City for the 2008 Eucharistic Congress.  This international gathering will draw pilgrims from around the world.  This is only the second Eucharistic Congress held in Canada.  The first one occurred in Montreal in 1910.

The first Eucharistic Congress was held in 1881 in France with about 300 pilgrims attending. Attendance at modern-day congresses usually range up to 15,000 people. The theme of this congress is: The Eucharist, Gift of God for the Life of the World. 

Going on a pilgrimage is not as common to Catholics in the US as it is to Catholics in other countries, especially European countries. But that is exactly what the Congress invites everyone to do. According to the official website, an International Eucharistic Congress “is a gathering of the Universal Church to celebrate Jesus alive and present in the Eucharist… With the approval of the Pope, a diocesan Church invites other Churches to a unique time of prayer, reflection and commitment.”  Not a bad way to spend vacation time.

For those who have participated in one of the World Youth Days held in the last few decades, some of the events and schedules will be familiar.  Each day there will be a catechesis session and also a Mass on the day’s theme. Participants will gather in parish churches, grouped by language, to socialize, share and pray.

The schedule also includes public celebrations, prayer vigils, processions, cultural and artistic events, and charitable work.  In addition, pilgrims will be invited to tour the rich religious heritage of the city of Quebec. The closing Mass will be held on the Plains of Abraham, a beautiful park-like setting overlooking the river.

To learn more about the Congress, to register, or to view events during the week, go to the official 2008 Eucharistic Congress site.

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Online Catholic Prayer Site for Teachers and Busy People

June 9, 2008

An Australian organization has developed a helpful prayer site called, “Daily Prayer Online.”  Of special interest are four short features.

The first one is “Quiet Space” and is found in a circle at the center of the site.  It is very similar to the Jesuit prayer site “Sacred Space” and includes a meditative reflection on the day’s reading.

A second feature “Prayers in the Classroom” is especially helpful for teachers.  This section includes a guided, daily prayer for primary and secondary schools.  These are ideal for classroom use.

A third feature is a short, daily quote titled “Thought for Today.”  Busy people will enjoy clicking on this and reading a new, inspiring quote each day.

A fourth feature is the “Reflection on the Daily Gospel.”

It’s important to take into account the time change between the US and Australia if you pray with the daily readings.  You may actually find yourself praying with tomorrow’s readings as a result of the time difference.

Reminder:  If you have not yet done so, please take a few minutes now to complete the ActiveParishioner.com Survey.  We welcome your feedback. Thank you.

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Shroud of Turin to Be Displayed in 2010

June 5, 2008

It’s not everyday (nor every decade) that one has the opportunity to physically see the Shroud of Turin, a cloth that is believed by many to have been wrapped around the body of Jesus after his death on the cross. Normally, the cloth is kept in a special, environmentally controlled chamber in the cathedral in Torino (Turin), Italy, not available for public viewing.

Pope Benedict just announced that the cloth will again be displayed to the public in the spring of 2010.  Now some may wonder why this announcement is made two years ahead of time, when we are used to a society that typically announces events in a weekly calendar.  But given how infrequently the cloth is displayed, this is truly “big” news.  The next scheduled display of the cloth was not expected before 2025.  And the last time the cloth was taken out was in the year 2000, allowing many of the young people attending World Youth Day in Rome to make the pilgrimage to northern Italy to see the shroud.

The cloth measures about 4 meters by 1 meter and contains the imprint of a man who was probably crucified, believed by many to be Jesus Christ.  Many books have been written and controversy has followed the history of the shroud.  Carbon dating that was done in 1988 on a small swatch of the cloth indicated that the cloth was probably fabricated in the 13th or 14th century. Some reports since then indicate that this sample was actually taken from a piece of cloth sewn onto the original in order to help repair the original, calling into question the actual date of the image-bearing part of the cloth.  Further studies have been conducted and will continue, adding to the rich history of the shroud.

Given that a public display just four times a century was the norm in the recent past, it is definitely newsworthy to open the image for viewing 15 years early.  So if you’re interested, start planning a trip to Italy for spring of 2010. I’m sure there will be many news-stories about the shroud between now and then.

Reminder:  If you have not yet done so, please take a few minutes now to complete the ActiveParishioner.com Survey.  We welcome your feedback. Thank you.

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Catholic Church Statistics – Up, Down and Steady

June 3, 2008

The Vatican Publishing House recently published the official Statistical Yearbook of the Church for 2000-2006. The book reports on demographic changes throughout the world. 

In the Americas over these seven years, the Catholic population grew by 8.4%, the number of priests remained about the same representing around 30% of the priests worldwide, and the number of non-ordained religious also remained about the same.

Worldwide, the number of diocesan priests went up by about 2%, with significant increases in Asia and Africa and a decrease in Europe.  The number of non-ordained religious decreased sharply in Europe by 12% and increased sharply in Asia by 21% and in Africa by 8%.  The number of seminarians worldwide increased by 4% with most of the growth in Africa and Asia, while Europe accounted for a decrease of 16%.

 

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