Updates

Sedano to lead catechesis effort

Maruja Sedano, newly appointed director of the archdiocese’s Office for Catechesis, will direct the implementation of the 16 recommendations made by a Special Task Force on Catechesis.

“The work of catechesis is at the heart of the church’s life, and therefore Ms. Sedano’s work and that of the implementation team are vital to the life of the local church in Cook and Lake counties,” said Cardinal George when he appointed Sedano.

The task force recommendations are the result of two years of work by 120 people in nearly every ministry across the archdiocese.



Buy a brick for Poor Clares

The Poor Clare nuns are offering Chicago-area Catholics the opportunity to help build their new monastery in Lemont by sponsoring construction. People can sponsor a brick for $3.50 or an entire month’s construction at $500,000. The money will help provide a permanent home for the six Poor Clares who came to Chicago in 2000 and have been residing in a temporary monastery at St. Symphorosa Parish ever since.

Donations can be sent to The Poor Clares of the Immaculate Conception, 6119 S. Austin Ave., Chicago, IL, 60423. For information, call Tom Bannon at (773)523-1111 or e-mail tombannon@ flash.net.





News

Papal trip to Mexico still on

The Vatican confirmed that Pope John Paul II will make planned stops in Guatemala and Mexico following a July 23-29 visit to Toronto for World Youth Day.

The trip schedule, released at the Vatican June 18, reflects one slight scaling back of the 82-year-old pontiff’s planned activities: A beatification service in Mexico Aug. 1—the pope’s final day in North America—will be a Liturgy of the Word ceremony, not a Mass.





Chicago to host black Catholics

National Black Catholic Congress IX delegates to form long-range plans to evangelize communities

When hundreds of African American Catholics arrive in Chicago at the end of August, they will find a celebration of their faith and culture and inspiration to carry that faith to the world.

From Aug. 29-Sept. 1, the National Black Catholic Congress IX will focus on action, prayer, resources and commitment. Presenters from around the nation, Mass in the Ge’ez rite, a black composer’s music and double the number of 1997 exhibitors are some highlights for those committed to evangelizing people of African descent.



Catholic advocates hold their own in Springfield

When the Illinois legislature wrapped up its session in mid-June, nearly a month late, Catholic public policy leaders could point to several accomplishments.

In a blizzard of late budget cuts and revenue enhancements, parents who send their children to parochial and other private schools kept the tuition tax credit, said Doug Delaney, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Illinois.



Nuns practice what they preach when it comes to physical fitness

Sister Georgiann Wildhaber, a School Sister of Notre Dame who is president of Notre Dame High School in St. Louis, was late for the school’s recent sports banquet because she was at softball practice.

But this wasn’t the students’ practice. It was her team—a team of School Sisters of Notre Dame that competed in the annual St. Louis Senior Olympics last month.

Students taught by the School Sisters of Notre Dame should take heed—the sisters practice what they preach when they say physical fitness is a lifetime commitment.



Padre Pio canonized, given obligatory memorial

In one of the largest liturgies in the Vatican’s history, Pope John Paul II canonized Padre Pio da Pietralcina and said the Capuchin friar’s spirituality of suffering was a valuable model for modern times.

Underscoring his message, the pope announced at the end of the June 16 Mass that he was making Padre Pio’s Sept. 23 feast day an “obligatory memorial” on the church’s general liturgical calendar, a rank shared by only one other 20th-century saint.



‘Grown-up show’ looks at prayer

The news business is tough for Michel Martin, an ABC News correspondent.

Not only is she a regular contributor to “Nightline,” but Martin is in her second season on loan to Oregon Public Broadcasting, a PBS affiliate, to host and research the documentary series, “Life 360.”



Joshua film, like book, has message of hope

Take a book by a retired Catholic priest, turn it into a movie with the help of a Protestant theological consultant, cast a Jewish actor as the star and aim it at an audience of both believers and seekers.

That's what Epiphany Films has done with "Joshua," the movie version of Father Joseph Girzone's first installment of the Joshua series. The movie was first released in other markets April 19; it opens in the Chicago area at the AMC Yorktown theaters June 28.





Building participation through evangelization

A variety of workshops aimed at building participation in the Catholic Church, including one on a ministry to street people, highlighted the national conference of the National Council for Catholic Evangelization June 6-8 in St. Louis.

Our Lady of the New Millennium will be taken off “tour” between June 2-8 for a general cleaning and polishing to remove the dirt and grime that has collected over the past years. More

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