USCCB - (Office of Media Relations)

August Events

The Institute for Ecumenical Leadership will be held in St. Louis, Aug 3-13.

The annual convention of Unda-USA, a national association of church communicators, will take place in Montreal, August 5-8. It is being held in conjunction with the OCIC-Unda World Congress, August 2-8. (OCIC is the International Catholic Organization for Cinema and Audio-Visual. Unda is the Latin word for "wave.")

The Knights of Columbus annual convention will be in Cincinnati, August 4-6.

The Feast of the Assumption is August 15. Because it falls on a Saturday, the obligation to attend Mass is lifted because of the number of Masses already scheduled in parishes on Saturday evening and Sunday.

The annual J.S. Paluch seminar for diocesan and religious order vocation directors in Rosemont, Illinois, Aug 24-26.

August 31 is the deadline for registration for the Continental Youth/Young Adult Gathering in Santiago, Chile, to be held October 6-11, 1998. The event is a one-time gathering for young people in the American "continent" (North, Central, South and the Caribbean). About 500,000 young people, from their mid-teens through their thirties, are expected to attend. The registration fee is $35 (U.S.) Participants are responsible for their transportation to and from Santiago. The National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) is the official point for registration in the United States. Additions to already registered groups may be made until September 1. Registration forms were forwarded to dioceses in March. A copy of the registration form, along with more detailed information, is available on the website: www.nccbuscc.org/laity/youth/cyg.htm. Persons with questions about the gathering can contact the NCCB at 202-541-3042 (phone), 202-541-3176 (fax), or cyg@nccbuscc.org (E-mail).

Together in God's Service: Toward a Theology of Ecclesial Lay Ministry: Papers from a Colloquium will be published in August by the Office for Publishing and Promotion Services. It may be ordered by calling 1-800-235-8722 and asking for publication number 5-285. The cost is $12.95 for a single copy, plus 10 percent shipping and handling ($3.00 minimum) per order. According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, there are 23,333 students enrolled in lay ministry formation programs.

The August issue of the jubilee newsletter produced by the Office for the Third Millennium and Jubilee Year 2000 will highlight Advent 98 and the start of the final year of preparation for the beginning of the Third Millennium. The issue will include suggestions for celebrating the four Sundays of Advent, an advent wreath ceremony, music and homily suggestions, an Advent vespers service and a reconciliation service. For copies, contact the Millennium Secretariat at 202-541-3244 or jubilee@nccbuscc.org.

With back to school approaching, it's time to highlight childhood immunizations and the importance of access to health care for children through Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program. This issue is of great concern to the justice offices.

Handgun Violence has prompted calls regarding the Bishops' position on gun control. Should you need information on this, we have copies of the Bishops' 1975 pamphlet on handgun violence, Handgun Violence: A Threat to Life; pertinent comments from the bishops' 1990 pastoral message on substance abuse, New Slavery New Freedom; and letters to organizations and Congress from 1991, 1994, 1995 and 1997.

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 slow days of August might be a time to promote the Catholic Communication Campaign Public Service Ad campaign on reconciliation. Preview copies of the TV and radio spots and background information were to be sent to communicators the week of July 13. Stations will begin receiving the spots towards the end of July. For more information, contact the CCC at 202-541-3204.

The U.S. Bishops' Secretariat for Family, Laity, Women and Youth has just released its 1998 Directory of Lay Movements, Associations, Organizations, and Secular Institutes. It contains listings for more than 100 national lay movements, associations, and organizations as well as 24 secular institutes. Each listing includes a description of the group and the contact person. Copies are $5.00 each (including postage) and may be ordered from the Secretariat for Family, Laity, Women, and Youth, 3211 4th St., N.E., Washington, D.C. 20017 202-541-3040 (phone) 202-541-3176 (fax).

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. People seeking extra copies can call the USCC Department of Communications, 202-541-3200.

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.

Media Training programs for Bishops and communications directors 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 Bill Blakemore of ABC News, David Gonzalez of The New York Times, Ken Woodward of Newsweek, and Margaret O'Brien Steinfels of Commonweal magazine. The panel on coverage of the Church by the media is open to all communications personnel. Fee: $30. To register for the panel discussion, contact Sister Mary Ann Walsh 202-541-3201.

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 will be in the mail soon.

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: 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.