News and Events
from Idaho and Around the World
Local Stories in the Idaho Catholic Register
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Regional leaders: Parishes ripe for social ministry
By Michael Brown
Editor
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BOISE — If the Parish Social Ministry Regional Conference May 17-18 at St. Mark’s is “about putting our faith into action,” according to Catholic Charities of Idaho’s Parish Social Ministry Director Christine Smith, there will be a wave of social ministry sweeping the Northwest in the weeks and months to come.
Drawing from the Archdiocese of Portland, Ore., and the dioceses of Spokane, Wash.; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Boise, the conference will be helping to train social ministry for parishes throughout the region.
“The parish social ministry conference is really about putting our faith into action,” said Smith. “Helping people in charity and helping people break the cycle of poverty are huge parts of our Catholic identity. The issues we deal with in the church are what we see in everyday life and in the media: public policy, children going hungry, people suffering from war, people without a home or a job, and many other issues where we see suffering. We are called to respond to people in need through action and prayer.”
Scott Cooper, Parish Social Ministry director from Catholic Charities Spokane, noted that parishes are the key points of entry for addressing critical issues.
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-The complete article can be found here. |
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Bishop encourages support for Fortnight for Freedom
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BOISE — Bishop Michael P. Driscoll is asking Catholics to support a second Fortnight for Freedom, beginning June 21, the vigil of the feasts of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher, and running through July 4.
In announcing the event in December, the US bishops cited three reasons for the follow-up:
- The pending decision by the US Supreme Court on the constitutionality of same-sex marriage;
- The Aug. 1 effective date for the Health and Human Services mandates requiring
all health insurance programs to offer contraceptives, abortifacients and sterilization services;
- The broader ongoing attempts to limit religious freedom guaranteed under the Constitution. Areas affected include immigration, adoption and disaster relief.
“This year, the Fortnight for Freedom has great importance,” the bishop said. “I again ask our local parishes to participate in this campaign as you deem appropriate.”
Resources can be found online at www.Fortnight4Freedom.org and www.usccb.org/conscience.
“Thank you again for your prayers and support for this nationwide effort and for your united voices in the promotion and defense of religious liberty and conscience protection,” the bishop said.
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-The complete article can be foundhere. |
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National, local speakers to guide planning at Convocation
By Michael Brown
Editor
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BOISE — A US bishops’ expert on cultural diversity, a national guru on Catholic youth ministry, and a nationally recognized author will headline Convocation 2013 at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish June 3-6.
With the theme “All at the Table … Continuing the Vision,” Convocation will plunge priests and parish leaders into diocesan Smart Goals. These are eight ongoing projects and events that emerged from the implementation of the diocesan pastoral plan. Each of the four priorities of the plan – Youth and Young Adults, Christ-Centered Communities, Christian Discipleship and Ordained and Consecrated Life – features two Smart Goals. The national speakers will review national trends in each of the priority areas and present a vision to priests and parish leaders to suggest where those trends are heading.
Alejandro Aguilera-Titus, assistant director of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Cultural Diversity, will moderate the entire event and offer the keynote on Christ-Centered Communities. Aguilera-Titus visited the diocese in February to assist in the early planning for the Summit on Hispanic Ministry, one of the two Smart Goals in that pastoral priority.
Bob McCarty, executive director for the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, will speak on “The State of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.”
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-The complete article can be found here. |
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Press Releases |
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Letters from the Bishop Michael Driscoll |
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Lectures from Bishop Zavala |
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