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Issue: #32 September 2016


September is a time for us to turn over a new leaf as we pursue new challenges, and seek opportunities for cooperation with our Archbishop.  We are entering a period of visioning and new beginnings. Engage yourself.
CCCRCOB CCCR and COB News
Gathering with Archbishop Bernard Hebda
O n August 31, individuals serving on the CCCR Board and the Council of the Baptized gathered for a social evening with Archbishop Bernard Hebda.  The evening offered everyone the opportunity to become better acquainted, and build relationships.  We dedicate ourselves to building a solid foundation from which we may share our gifts with Archbishop Bernard Hebda to create an  archdiocesean community of engaged Catholics.

Two New Council of the Baptized Members
The Council of the Baptized welcomes Mary Jo Czaplewski and Bonnie Stang as the newest members of the Council.  Mary Jo worships with the Church of St. William in Fridley.  Bonnie worships with the Church of St. Joseph in Red Wing.

Long-Range Visioning Being Undertaken
The Catholic Coalition for Church Reform [CCCR] and the Council of the Baptized will be engaged in long-range visioning.  We need your input.  What long-range visions do you have for the work of the CCCR and the Council of the Baptized--for church reform in this Archdiocese?  We appreciate your input.  We are the Church.

Please e-mail us with your input at info@cccr.cob.org.

Open Forum:  Pastoral Recommendations Project 
On September 13, the Open Forum entitled "Which Pastoral Recommendations Project (PRP) Recommendations Do We Want Archbishop Hebda to Accomplish First?  Which Ones Can We Implement Ourselves? " outlined the sections of the PRP. Forum attendees were asked to identify how they want to involve themselves in the PRP.  Read the next section to learn more about the questions that were discussed.  Examine how you are or may be involved.
PRPPastoral Recommendations Project News
P astoral Recommendations Project (PRP) has given Archbishop Hebda a list of many recommendations from the people, a list he called a "fire hose".  At his request we have defined a healing process and the re-establishment of an Archdiocesan Pastoral Council for starting points. We are awaiting an appointment to talk with him about these two ideas for uniting and moving forward. 

But we do not need to wait for his approval to get started ourselves on many of the recommendations.  Look at
  www.cccr-cob.org  to read the recommendations you can begin to work on in your own parish.  Here are some questions to ask yourself:

1. What do I want to work on?
2. Whom do I want to work with?
3. What are the opportunities in my parish to develop this recommendation or issue?
4. What are some parish initiatives and programs already underway that I could align myself with?
5. What is doable?

Let us know what you are doing and we will try to keep everyone in the loop.  Email us at info@cccr-cob.org.

Here are some ideas in various stages of development:

1. Discussions on Eucharistic liturgy
2. Planning for a Women's Commission
3. Expansion of the Office of Conciliation
4. "Be an Askable Parent" program for healthy sex education of children
5. Performance Reviews for Pastors
6. Participation of parishioners in the selection of a new pastor
7. Lay Ministry support plans
APP Be an Askable Parent Program Rescheduled

T he "Be An Askable Parent" workshop has been rescheduled. It will be held on Saturday, November 19. 

Grandparents and parents of school-aged children are welcome.  

Talking to your kids about sex can be downright cringeworthy, but not talking can be far worse. Simply, there are no other good options.  Some schools have a kind of curriculum, but many do not.  Catholic church programs are non-existent. That leaves peers and porn, with their erroneous, debasing, and harmful messages.

This course explores the lived reality of kids growing up in today's sex-saturated world:  the hook-up culture among teens and young adults; the growing crisis of sexually-transmitted diseases; the failure of abstinence-only programs; the pressure to conform to unrealistic media images of sex and sexuality; and the perils of navigating the expanded time lapse between first sexual encounters and first marriages.

Within this culture, "Be An Askable Parent" is a hopeful antidote, providing practical information in an ethical context grounded in autonomy, equality, values, and responsibility.

The course will be offered:

Date:     Saturday, November 19, 2016
Time:    8:30am-3:30pm
Place:   St. Francis Cabrini Catholic Church
            1500 Franklin Avenue SE
            Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414

Child care available, if requested. 

Registration information:  
Send name, address, e-mail address, phone number, names and ages of children (for correct texts). 

Make check for $30 payable to Diane Sineps.   Write "Be An Askable Parent" in the memo line. 

Send registration information to:
Diane Sineps
2155 Pinehurst Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55116

For questions contact Diane Sineps directly at  651-690-3247, or  Mary Shafer at  651-644-3734

Registration Deadline:   November 1, 2016

Some helpful resources:
Toward A Healthy Christian Theology of Sexuality , a position paper sponsored by the Council of the Baptized, 2014.

Girls and Sex:  Navigating the Complicated New Landscape, by Peggy Orenstein.  Harper, 2016.

Learn more about the workshop at:  Be an Askable Parent.
NOFNo Open Forum or Council of the Baptized Meetings 

I n October and November, there will be no Open Forum or Council of the Baptized meetings.  The next Council of the Baptized meeting is scheduled to be held on December 13, 2016 from 8pm-9pm at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, which is located at 700 Snelling Avenue South, St. Paul, MN.  Read the October 2016 CCCR Newsletter for information regarding the next Open Forum meeting.
RRRecommended Reading  

Catholic church needs better way to select bishops  - by Robert Mickens, (National Catholic Reporter, September 26, 2016).

NCR Editorial Staff ( National Catholic Reporter, September 17, 2016).


 - Jessica Keating 
(America, September 19, 2016).
 
Next synod likely to focus on ordaining married men  - Austin Ivereigh ( Crux , August 12, 2016).
We Welcome Your Feedback
Are we meeting your information needs and keeping you informed and active in church reform?  Your time is not ours to waste.   We welcome your comments at  info@cccr-cob.org .
CCCR Strategic Focus
Empower laity to claim a meaningful role in the Church
Evolve our relationship with the Archdiocese
to collaborate
 while maintaining our integrity as an organization.