Mission Matters: Oct. 25, 2016

This week’s “Parish Table Talk”: Novena before election night; Evangelizing in prison; Media evangelization; Modern science and Catholicism; Transitions – New director of Worship and Sacramental Formation; plus this Thursday’s blog post.

Watch for this Thursday’s Post:

Come Together Right Now by Daphne Daly, Director of the Office of Pastoral Planning

• Novena before election night: As the election nears, the Knights of Columbus is urging its members and other Catholic Americans to pray. The prayer is addressed to Mary, the Mother of Jesus, under her title of the Immaculate Conception and will be in the form of a novena – nine consecutive days of prayer. It will run from October 30 to the eve of the election on November 7. Individuals, families, councils and parishes are all invited to participate.

• Evangelizing in prison: This comprehensive resource combines Catholic Church teaching, the best in current sociological and psychological thinking on incarceration, and the reflections and stories of a trained and certified Catholic lay chaplain who has been doing prison ministry for over twenty years.

• Media evangelization: Components of good evangelization on TV can be applied to other venues of evangelization, too. The Gaffigans share what they have found to be important to media evangelization: be subtle and creative, avoid being preachy or moralistic, keep a good sense of humor and humility, and use stories as a gentle teaching opportunity.

• Modern science and Catholicism: How can Catholics evangelize through science?  Join Dr. Stacy A. Trasancos online this Friday, October 28 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. for her lecture “Why Scientific Literacy is Necessary for Evangelization.”

Transitions:

Julie Grace Males joins us this month as the new Director of the Office of Worship and Sacramental Formation.

  Julie comes to us from the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana, where  she was the Director of the Office for Divine Worship and the Catechumenate from 2003-2016. She also served as diocesan director of music in that capacity. She is a distinguished graduate of Indiana University Jacob’s School of Music, where she majored in Vocal Performance and Comparative Literature. Julie performed as a vocalist for several years but continued to serve as a music minister and cantor for diocesan liturgies. During her time as Music Director at St. Joseph Church in Lebanon, Indiana, she completed a Master’s Degree in Church Music and Liturgy at St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Indiana. She then served as Diocesan Director of Music and Cathedral Director of Music and Liturgy until she assumed the role of diocesan worship director in 2003. Ms. Males is an active member of the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions and the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM). Ms. Males has served as Adjunct Voice Faculty at IUPUI (Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis) and St. Joseph College in Rensellaer, Indiana. She is excited by the Archbishop’s pastoral plan A Light Brightly Visible and looks forward to working with the Evangelization team as she meets the challenges of her new role in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

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