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COURAGE NEWSLETTER
May 2017
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Dear Courage and
EnCourage members and friends,
It has been a
big month for Courage in the media! Thanks to Ann Schneible, our new Communications Director, we now have a social media presence on
Facebook and
Twitter, and more stories about us are making their way into the Catholic news. Below you will find some samples of the positive exposure we are getting.
Be sure to continue reading as we fondly remember two recently deceased Courage chaplains, fill you in on upcoming events, and offer you some terrific resources for Courage, Encourage, and those in pastoral or catechetical positions.
God bless you!
The Courage Central Office
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Like Us on Facebook!
In April Courage officially entered the world of social media! Each day brings a new Facebook post with news, helpful resources, inspiration, upcoming events, and more. Be sure to like us on Facebook, visit often, and share the Good News!
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Follow Us on Twitter!
We also now have an active presence on Twitter with new Tweets daily. Don't miss anything by signing up to follow us, and then spread the Good News by Retweeting!
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Fr. Bochanski on Register Radio
In his interview on
Register Radio, our Executive Director, Fr. Philip Bochanski, gives an overview of the work of Courage and speaks of the blessing of this ministry to his priesthood.
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Online Stories of
Courage at Mexican Bishop's Meeting
The Catholic News Agency (CNA) and its sister organization, ACI Prensa, carried two stories, one in English and one in Spanish, about the Courage presence at a plenary assembly of the Mexican bishops in late April. Four representatives of Courage were in attendance.
Bishop Ramón Castro of Cuernavaca, México, spoke highly of our apostolate: "The accompaniment that Courage provides is a gift of Divine Providence, and it offers what very few of us do: that spiritual and human companionship which helps our brothers and sisters on their path to holiness and a real experience of faith."
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Newspaper Reports on Ministry
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Diocese of Bismarck Launches EnCourage Radio Ads
The Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota, will soon be airing ads on the radio for their EnCourage chapter. To discuss how you could propose something similar for your own diocese, please contact Ann.
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The members of Courage and EnCourage have a profound appreciation for their chaplains as they spend themselves offering us sacramental graces, sound counsel, and spiritual fatherhood. So we mourn the loss of these two beloved Courage chaplains and ask for your prayers for the repose of their souls.
Fr. Peter M. Ryan, CSsR, died on Friday, May 12, after having ministered as a priest for 48 years. He had been the Courage chaplain in Canberra, Australia.
See his obituary. (Not to be confused with Fr. Peter F. Ryan, S.J., a current member of the Board of Courage.)
Fr. Richard Huston died on May 14 after 22 years of priesthood following his
later second vocation. He was both the Courage and EnCourage chaplain in the Diocese of San Diego.
See a tribute from John Paul the Great University.
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Courage and EnCourage Retreat
Sunday, May 28, in San Antonio, TX
"I Have Told You So That My Joy May Be in You and That Your Joy May Be Complete"
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NYC Day of Recollection
Saturday, June 3, in New York City, NY
Fellowship, prayer, and the sacraments with Fr. Kazimierz Kowalski, Fr. Gerald Murray, and Fr. George Rutler. For more information see the
flyer or
contact us by email.
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St. Monica's tireless and finally fruitful prayers for St. Augustine inspire the members of EnCourage.
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30th Annual Courage/EnCourage Conference
Mundelein, IL, July 27-30
(Clergy Study Day
, July 26)
University of Saint Mary of the Lake
In suburban Chicago
Celebrating 30th anniversary of EnCourage
Traducción Simultánea al Español
Si desea asistir a la Conferencia Anual de Courage/EnCourage 2017 y tener traducción simultánea al español de las pláticas, por favor, escríbanos a esta dirección para mayor información:
[email protected]
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Focus on Andrew and Annette Comiskey
2017 Conference Speakers
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Click for a short glimpse
of Andrew and Annette's' story
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Andrew and Annette Comiskey are the founders of Desert Stream/Living Waters Ministries. Beginning with Andrew's personal experience of same-sex attractions, God has led them to work together for nearly four decades to "proclaim to the world the transforming power of Jesus Christ" and to "equip the body of Christ to minister healing to the sexually and relationally broken through healing groups and leadership training."
The Comiskeys' talk at our summer conference will be "Hope for a Whole-Enough Marriage." They will speak about how even an imperfect marriage "perfects its fractured members when both are submitted to Jesus and the other's good."
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Resources from the Comiskeys:
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A Serious Conversation
Ludwig Johann Passini |
Spiritual Direction or Counseling?
Courage
members do well to seek wise counsel as they strive to grow in self-knowledge and virtue, but it's not always easy to discern whether that guidance would be better sought from a good priest or from a professional counselor or therapist.
Founder of
CatholicTherapists.com
,
Allison Ricciardi, offers some helpful distinctions.
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Dr. Edward Sri Offers Keys for Responding to Relativism
How can we hang on to both truth and love as we relate to those we love who experience same-sex attractions or confusion about their sexual identity and who have elected to separate themselves from God, His Church, and His ways by their choices? Dr. Edward Sri offers seven very helpful keys in a series in the
National Catholic Register.
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EnCourage Unites in Prayer on Thursdays
Sometimes it seems that all that EnCourage members can do is pray for their loved ones. There is a longstanding tradition in the EnCourage community of praying together, wherever they may be, on Thursdays in union with Our Lord's anguished prayer in the Garden of Gesthemane. They pray not only for their own loved ones, but also for the entire Courage and EnCourage family and beyond. A favorite resource for these prayers is
Holy Hour of Reparation
, a booklet
which
contains
enough prayers for an entire hour of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.
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For clergy, parish and diocesan staff, catechists,
mental/medical health care professionals, and other pastoral ministers
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Focus on Walt Heyer and Sexual Identity Confusion
Walt
Heyer once had surgery to become a "woman," but later regretted it, and is now living once again as the man whom he was created to be. He has a passion to help others who have similar regrets and travels extensively to tell his story of redemption to all who will listen. He also is eager to help churches learn how to respond to the people with sexual identity confusion in their midst.
Walt's writing:
Walt's sites:
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St. Mary of the Lake
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Clergy Study Day
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
(Courage Conference July 27-30)
University of Saint Mary of the Lake
Mundelein, Illinois, in suburban Chicago
- Fr. Philip Bochanski - Christian Anthropology
- Dr. Timothy Lock - Social Sciences
- Deacon Patrick Lappert, M.D. - Transgender Surgery and Christian Anthropology
- Witness testimonial
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Courage does not necessarily fully endorse all of the ideas included in resources that are not produced by Courage, but we still like to share items that we and our members have found to have considerable helpful content.
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