Mission Matters: May 24, 2016

This week’s “Parish Table Talk”: Fortnight for Freedom; New marriage preparation programs; V Encuentro of Hispanic ministry; Camp Glow 2016; plus this Thursday’s blog post.

Watch for this Thursday’s Post: Parish Survey Series #6

Coming to church but not spiritually fed?, by Christopher Yeung, Pastoral Associate of the Office of Pastoral Planning

Fortnight for Freedom Resources: Each year, dioceses around the country arrange special events to highlight the importance of defending religious freedom. The Fortnight for Freedom is from June 21—the vigil of the Feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More—to July 4, Independence Day. Our Archdiocese will be in charge of the opening Mass on June 21, at 7 p.m at the Baltimore Basilica with Archbishop Lori as the celebrant. Sign language interpreters provided.
New marriage preparation programs: The Office of Marriage and Family Life is offering some exciting new marriage preparation courses for your parishioners. These include Witness to Love, Unveiled, and Prepare-Enrich. For more information on how to bring these programs to your parish, please contact our Director, Edward Herrera, at edward.herrera@archbalt.org or call 410-547-5406.

V Encuentro of Hispanic/ Latino Ministry: There are approximately 30.5 million Catholics from Latino/Hispanic origin in the United States and they constitute the emerging majority within the Catholic Church. Even if your parish hosts a small number of Latinos every week (or many of them!), consider reviewing the resources and timeline of the V Encuentro, a four-year process of ecclesial action aiming to discern ways to better respond to the Hispanic presence in our country.
Camp Glow – First Session: The Office of Disabilities Ministry is getting ready for the first of three sessions for Camp GLOW this year. Spots are filling rapidly! Make sure to check out our information page with all things CAMP GLOW: dates, application forms, code of conduct, and other resources for parish leaders.