WASHINGTON (May 27, 2011)—“Principles of Interpretation of Scripture with a Special Focus on the Figure of Moses” was the focus of the West Coast consultation between the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and three Muslim organizations from the Sunni and Shi’a traditions. The twelfth annual meeting of the dialogue took place in Orange, California on May 24-25. Bishop Carlos Sevilla of the Diocese of Yakima, Washington, and Muzammil H. Siddiqi, Ph.D., of the Islamic Society of Orange County, presided.

WASHINGTON (May 26, 2011)—Catholics worldwide are asked to mark the sixtieth anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI’s ordination to the priesthood with sixty hours of Eucharistic prayer for vocations.

The pope will celebrate his anniversary June 29, the Solemnity of St. Peter and Paul.  In honor of his anniversary, the Vatican Congregation for Clergy suggested Catholic clergy and faithful be invited to participate in Eucharistic Adoration with the intention of praying for the sanctification of the clergy and for the gift of new and holy priestly vocations.

WASHINGTON (May 26, 2011)—Pope Benedict XVI has named Msgr. Robert D. Gruss, 55, rector of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport, Iowa, as bishop of Rapid City, South Dakota, and Father Donald J. Hying, 47, rector of St. Francis de Sales Seminary in Milwaukee, as an auxiliary bishop of Milwaukee.

WASHINGTON (May 24, 2011)—The U.S. bishops will vote on revisions of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People at their meeting in Seattle, June 15-17.

WASHINGTON (May 24, 2011)—A media expert, a businesswoman/talk show host and a pediatrician have been named to the National Review Board for four-year terms, 2011-2015, beginning in June.

WASHINGTON (May 24, 2011)—The National Council of Synagogues and the Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) discussed “Sources of Authority in Catholicism and Judaism” at their semi-annual consultation in New York City on May 17. Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta, Chairman of the Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, and Rabbi Alvin Berkun of Pittsburgh, Chairman of the National Council of Synagogues, presided.

WASHINGTON (May 21, 2011)—Pope Benedict XVI has named Archpriest Mikaël Mouradian, superior of the Convent of Notre Dame in Bzommar, Lebanon, as the new bishop of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Nareg in New York for Armenian Catholics.

WASHINGTON (May 20, 2011)—In a letter to President Obama the day after his speech affirming peace is possible and declaring U.S. support for a two-state solution based on 1967 borders with mutually agreed land swaps, leaders of more than 25 Jewish, Christian and Muslim national religious organizations urged strong U.S. leadership for Israeli-Palestinian peace before it is too late.

WASHINGTON (May 19, 2011)—Faith-based relief and development agencies, along with experts from the government, business and security communities, will gather May 19 on Capitol Hill for a conference to explore current international efforts and emerging best practices for helping vulnerable people adapt to climate change.

WASHINGTON (May 18, 2011)—A landmark study by researchers at John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York, which examined the causes and context of the clergy sexual abuse crisis in the U.S. Catholic Church, concluded that there was no single cause or predictor of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy. The report added that that situational factors and opportunity to abuse played a significant role in the onset and continuation of abusive acts.

WASHINGTON (May 17, 2011)—Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration, and Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, chairman of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), today hailed the extension and re-designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haiti. 

WASHINGTON (May 17, 2011)—The Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has released materials for two programs targeted to youth and young adults, the Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award and the Multi-Media Youth Arts Contest. Both are sponsored by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), the domestic anti-poverty initiative of the U.S. bishops.

WASHINGTON—Pope Benedict XVI has named Bishop R. Daniel Conlon of Steubenville, Ohio, 62, as Bishop of Joliet, Illinois. The appointment was publicized in Washington, May 17, by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States. Bishop Conlon succeeds Archbishop J. Peter Sartain, who was named archbishop of Seattle last September.

WASHINGTON (May 16, 2011)—The 2011 Spring General Assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will be broadcast by Telecare, the television station of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York. The proceedings will also be covered via the social media outreach of the USCCB on Twitter (twitter.com/usccb ) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/usccb ).

WASHINGTON (May 13, 2011)—The National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for Mariners and People of the Sea is May 22. The day is observed in conjunction with National Maritime Day in the United States of America, which has been celebrated since 1933 to honor those who serve as merchant mariners and to recognize the benefits of the maritime industry. A Mass in observance of Maritime Day will be celebrated Sunday, May 22, at 10:00 a.m., at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in the Crypt Church. The Mass is sponsored by the Apostleship of the Sea (AOS) national office and the Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Bishop Joseph Estabrook of the Archdiocese for the Military Services USA will be the main celebrant and homilist.

WASHINGTON (May 12, 2011)—Trinitarian Father Juan J. Molina has been named associate director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Office of National Collections and director for the Church in Latin America. Father Molina is currently serving as policy advisor for Latin America and Global Trade in the Office of International Justice and Peace at USCCB and previously served as advocacy program coordinator in the Southwest regional office of Catholic Relief Services.

WASHINGTON (May 10, 2011)—Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration, today urged the President and the Congress to work together to enact comprehensive immigration reform legislation. 

WASHINGTON (May 9, 2011)—The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will vote on two liturgical items pertaining to the Spanish translation of the USA Propers and Adaptations to the Roman Missal, Third Edition, and the inclusion of a collection of Mass prayers for major patronal feasts from Spanish-speaking countries.

WASHINGTON (May 6, 2011)— “The moral measure of this budget debate is not which party wins or which powerful interests prevail, but rather how those who are jobless, hungry, homeless or poor are treated,” said the U.S. bishops in a letter to the Senate May 5.

WASHINGTON (May 5, 2011)—The Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) welcomed passage of the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” (H.R. 3) by the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill codifies a permanent, government-wide policy against taxpayer subsidies for abortion and abortion coverage, improves federal conscience protection for health care providers and entities, and closes various loopholes that give tax-preferred status to abortion. Co-sponsored by Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Dan Lipinski (D-IL), the pro-life bill passed with bipartisan support by a vote of 251-175 on May 4.

WASHINGTON (May 5, 2011)—The national date of the collection for the Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC) is June 5. This year, the campaign focuses on new ways to bring the gospel to wherever people are. Whether it is through Internet content to strengthen marriage, podcasts for daily readings, televising the Christmas Mass, or using Facebook for news, discussions and sharing the faith, the Catholic Communication Campaign Collection helps the Good News get around.

WASHINGTON (May 4, 2011)—Materials for Catechetical Sunday 2011 are available online in English and Spanish at www.usccb.org/catecheticalsunday/. Catechetical Sunday 2011 is September 18, and its theme is “Do This in Memory of Me.”

WASHINGTON (May 4, 2011)—Asian and Pacific Catholics will hold a one-day celebration of faith and heritage at The Catholic University of America and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, Saturday, May 21.

WASHINGTON (May 3, 2011)—The Mid-Atlantic Catholic-Muslim Dialogue continued developing a strategic plan for interreligious education at its meeting in the headquarters of Why Islam Project of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) in Somerset, New Jersey, April 13-14. Co-sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and ICNA, the dialogue continued to examine how religious education curricula and textbooks represent the beliefs, practices and followers of other religions.

WASHINGTON (May 2, 2011)—Pope Benedict XVI was saddened to learn of the death, devastation and suffering caused by the April 25-28 tornadoes across the Southern United States and sends his prayers and support to victims and those engaged in relief and rebuilding efforts, according to a message from the Vatican.

WASHINGTON (May 2, 2011)—On the first Friday of each month from May 6, 2011 to April 6, 2012, Catholic families and individuals can participate in First Fridays for Food Security, as a way to raise awareness about food insecurity in the U.S. and help Catholics pray and act for those in need. Catholics can take part by limiting meal spending on the first Friday of each month to the amount allotted for a family of their size in the USDA Modified Thrifty Food Plan. This food plan is used as the basis for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly called food stamps). In 2009, 17.4 million U.S. households experienced food insecurity.

WASHINGTON (May 2, 2011)—The annual Spring General Assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will be June 15-17, at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue Hotel in Seattle. The meeting will begin with Mass at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 15.
           
The bishops will debate and vote on revisions to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, a document on physician assisted suicide called “To Live Each Day With Dignity,” and the Spanish translation of USA Propers, as well as an appendix of major feast days of Spanish-speaking countries for inclusion in the future Spanish translation of the Roman Missal.