Mission Matters: Aug. 2, 2016

This week’s “Parish Table Talk”: Hispanic Ministry resource; Church security; Respect Life workshop; plus this Thursday’s blog post.

Watch for this Thursday’s Post:

I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me by Stacy Golden, Coordinator of Pastoral Care.

Getting to know America’s largest Church: Looking to get inspired about Hispanic Ministry? The work of Dr. Timothy Matovina from University of Notre Dame has been published in several media and presented at important schools of Theology in the U.S. and the world. If you are interested in Latino Catholicism and worship, check out this excerpt from Dr. Matovina’s book Latino Catholicism: Transformation in America’s Largest Church.

Safety in worship: Last week, the world was shocked by the murder of Father Jacques Hamel at the Saint-Etienne-De-Rouvray church in Normandy, France. Many other religious groups have also been violently attacked in the past few months. How can your congregation stay safe while preserving its welcoming spirit toward all newcomers? We invite you to watch this report by Religion & Ethics Newsweekly that focuses on church security procedures. And for all those who are victims of religious persecution, we pray:

Father in Heaven, you make your sun shine
on good and bad alike.
May persecuted Christians around the world
remain, like Mary, their Mother,
together at the foot of the cross
of Christ the Martyr.
Comfort those menaced by violence
and those oppressed by uncertainty.
May your Holy Spirit of love
make fruitful the witness and the blood
of those who die forgiving.

Amen.

– Adapted from the Prayer for Persecuted Christians, Aid to the Church Pontifical Foundation. 

Respect Life Workshop:  On Saturday, August 27, the Office of Respect Life (RL) will hold its annual workshop & commissioning event from 9 a.m to 1 p.m at St. Louis Church. The workshop is designed for Parish Respect Life coordinators and their team members, but it is also open to others interested in respect for life activities. Materials for RL activities will be distributed and there will be an optional visit to the Shrine of St. Anthony after lunch.  Cost: $10 payable by mail or at the door. Kindly RSVP to alexandra.danter@archbalt.org by Tuesday, August 23.

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