Diocese of Little Rock Director Featured on PBS
On the weekend of January 13, PBS’s Religion & Ethics News Weekly will feature a story on prison ministry as it relates to re-entry and the racial disparity that exists in incarceration rates. (In Arkansas the population is 77% white, 16% black; Arrested for felonies it’s 65% white, 35% black;  Incarcerated for felonies it’s 48% white, 52% black). Tom Navin’s experiences in prison ministry in Little Rock are featured. You’ll be able to find it online here: http://pbs.org/religion

Tom says, “Our Prison Ministry includes working with those re-entering society and their families, in addition to visiting prisons.”

Diocese of Springfield Hosts Clergy Convocation on Catholics in Public Square
Our clergy convocation in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois was on ‘Catholics in the Public Square’. Topics included today’s culture, racism, abortion and immigration. Persons of color joined our priests to share experiences and to dialogue about action steps. Our Office for Social Concerns was grateful to our Vicar for Priests and Director of Ongoing Formation for Clergy for giving us the opportunity to assist in choosing speakers and in planning these days. We think that awareness was created and our priests did see the connection between Baptism, Eucharist and Solidarity and we hope to continue the education through legislative alerts, etc.

- Submitted by Sister M. Jane Boos, SSND, Director, Office for Social Concerns

Dioceses without Borders Launches Website and Blog:

Visit http://dioceses-without-borders.blogspot.com to learn more about the Dioceses without Borders initiative of Hermosillo, Mexand Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona. The website chronicles the history and work of the initiative and includes resources, media, and postings about their cross-border events.

- Submitted by Joanne Welter, Diocese of Tucson, Office of Human Life and Dignity

Transitions in Diocesan Offices:

Welcome to new diocesan staff in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux!
In late September, Stuart King, MSW, MA, D.Min began serving as Associate Director for Parish Social Ministry at Catholic Charities under Rob Gorman’s leadership. He’s a former priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church, and a candidate for priestly ordination in the Catholic Church, who hopes to be ordained in the diocese next year.You can reach Stu at sking@htdiocese.org.

Welcome to new staff in the Diocese of Green Bay!
Catherine Zirngibl is the new Catholic Social Justice Coordinator in the Diocese of Green Bay’s Dept. of Evangelization, Living Justice and Worship. Zirngibl attended Marquette University for her BA and MA degrees, and while studying there, further developed her faith and passion for social justice. After graduation, she served as a Spanish teacher then as the Forgiveness and Wellness Program Coordinator at a group home for boys. Although she loved her work, Zirngibl hoped to work in an environment where she could combine her strong faith and passion for service. About her new role at the Diocese of Green Bay she says, “I feel that I have found a home with the Diocese.  I am thrilled to be working alongside so many wonderful men and women that are putting social justice at the forefront of its mission, and I truly look forward to this ministry.” You can reach Catherine at CZirngibl@gbdioc.org.

Welcome to new staff in the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahasse!
Lindsay Rae Myers is the new Parish Social Ministries Coordinator for Catholic Charities of Northwest Florida. She is from Pensacola but has lived all over the U.S. working on the streets of Chicago and the outdoors for the Archdiocese of Seattle summer camps before settling back into her hometown. She graduated from Florida State University in 2006 (with a BA increative writing and religion) and an MA in Theology from Villanova University in 2010. She says, “I am new to this work and excited to learn from others. I deeply believe in the social mission of our faith and am happy to serve in this way.” She can be reached at myersl@cc.ptdiocese.org.

Resources from USCCB-JPHD:

Sacraments and Social Mission Series: Baptism
The sacraments celebrated by the Church help us to recognize Christ’s presence in the community of the body of Christ. This recognition should lead to a stronger awareness of being sent on mission to engage in love-inspired action in the world. In order to help Catholics reflect on this topic, JPHD is offering a series of handouts on the Sacraments and social mission. Their recent handout is on Baptism, the rite of initiation into the Christian community. Please share this series with your colleagues in religious education, RCIA, clergy formation, and others who work in the area of sacramental preparation.

Reminder: Two Feet of Love in Action Revised Model and Facilitator’s Guide
Don’t forget that JPHD recently revised the “two feet” model which was used for years to describe two different, but complementary, ways of putting faith in action: social justice and charitable works. The revisions better reflect the language of Pope Benedict XVI in Deus Caritas Est and Caritas in Veritate and are detailed in

• A brief, 2-page handout of the Two Feet of Love in Action
• A Guide for Facilitators including an extensive session outline

New Video “CCHD: Living Our Faith, Breaking the Cycle of Poverty”
We are pleased to announce a new video to share the good news about the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). CCHD is the domestic, anti-poverty program of the U.S. Catholic bishops. The new video, “CCHD: Living Our Faith, Breaking the Cycle of Poverty,” tells how CCHD helps poor and low-income persons address poverty in their communities. The seven-minute video, which can be found on the CCHD homepage, can be used year-round and is just in time for the CCHD national collection, which is held in most dioceses on the weekend before Thanksgiving. Please help us spread the word!

From Catholic Coalition on Climate Change: Archbishop Dolan Reflects on the “Green Pope”
In his December 1 message to Catholics of the Archdiocese of New York, Archbishop Timothy Dolan (and president of the USCCB) reflects on the legacy of Pope Benedict XVI, dubbed by the media as the “Green Pope.”  He says that Pope Benedict reminds us that just as we disobey nature’s law, by pollution and overuse of earth’s resources, at our peril, so do we disregard the nature inherent in the human person only at grave risk. Archbishop Dolan also highlights the need for personal and “inner” ecology as well: Sadly, at the very time more and more people are realizing that the environment of nature and creation demands respect and protection, fewer and fewer people acknowledge that the ecology inherent in the human person needs reverence as well. Read more of his thought-provoking article here.

Tags: clergy training, Diocese of Springfield, Roundup

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