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July 4 marks Independence Day, a moment when the nation recalls God's place in the country with such patriotic tunes as God Bless America, America the Beautiful and The Battle Hymn of the Republic. It might be a good time to alert media to religious and American celebrations to mark the nation's birthday.
The Episcopal Council of Latin America (CELAM), the organization of all Latin American bishops' conferences, will convene along with representatives of other bishops conferences in the world, including the U.S. National Conference of Catholic Bishops, July 14 - 17, in Medallin, Colombia, for the 30th anniversary of the CELAM meeting with Pope Paul VI in 1968. There are 755 ecclesiastical jurisdictions, including dioceses, and 1,139 bishops in Latin America.
Approach of Dawn, a new hour-long documentary from the Catholic Communication Campaign, will be fed to NBC-TV affiliates on July 30. It tells the powerful story of three Guatemalan women whose lives were shattered by the country's 36-year-long civil war and shows their determination to heal the scars of that struggle. For further information, contact Patricia Ryan Garcia at 202-541-3404.
A new series of public service spots on reconciliation will be launched in July by the Catholic Communication Campaign. The campaign consists of three thirty-second and three fifteen-second TV messages and three thirty-second radio messages, all in English.Each of the messages examines a realistic situation where the possibility of reconciliation between family members is explored The PSAs, produced by Saatchi & Saatchi, will be released in three stages over the next nine months.
Registrations are being accepted now for A Reconciling Church: Preparing for the Jubilee Year 2000, 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.
The Joint Conference of the National Black Clergy Caucus, the National Black Sisters Conference, the National Black Seminarians Association and the National Association of African American Deacons will meet July 25-July 31 at the Sheraton Airport Plaza, Charlotte, N.C.
Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola is July 31. This might be a good time to feature Jesuit institutions within your diocese.
For quick access to information, contact the NCCB/USCC Web site: www.nccbuscc.org
Media Training programs for September will take place September 22 in Tampa and September 29-30 in New York City. The expanded New York City program includes a 90-minute session on focusing your message and a 21/2 hour program on coverage of the church by the media, featuring David Gonzalez of The New York Times, Ken Woodward of Newsweek, Margaret O'Brien Steinfels of Commonweal magazine and others. The panel on coverage of the Church by the media is open to all communications personnel. Fee: $30. To register for the panel, contact Sister Mary Ann Walsh (202) 541-3201.
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.
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: 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: 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, 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.