The Catholic Connection
September 2017

In This Issue
Archbishop's Tweets

Do you follow Archbishop Kurtz on twitter? Here is a sampling of his tweets this month:

September 10
@ArchbishopKurtz:
What a delight to celebrate Mass at beautiful St Boniface as Fr Shooner recovers from surgery
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September 9
@ArchbishopKurtz:
Celebrating devotion to Our Lady of Charity of Cobre with Cuban community at St Bartholomew Church - Fr Carole preached very well.
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September 8
@ArchbishopKurtz:
Surviving Irma - Bishop Bevard & co workers safe on St Thomas - the road to recovery begins.
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September 7
@ArchbishopKurtz:
View video of Kim and James' Scholarship story and support Scholarship Tax Credits in Ky votervoice.net

September 6
@ArchbishopKurtz:
How good to welcome Lisa DeJaco Crutcher as Exec Dir of Catholic Charities at Cathedral Rectory reception.

September 5
@ArchbishopKurtz:
Read the witness of David Farrell, one of @ArchLouKY seminarians, recently ordained a deacon. Click here to read

September 1
@ArchbishopKurtz:
What an uplifting Opening School Mass at St Xavier in Louisville  - 1380 students seeking to follow Christ
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August 30
@ArchbishopKurtz:
Over 350 Salt & Light Society members gather to kick off 2017 Catholic Services Appeal! Great excitement!
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August 29
@ArchbishopKurtz:
Tomorrow we move from the Chancery to new Archdiocesan Pastoral Center. May Christ give us the grace to serve well.
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Archlou Happenings:

Be low is a list of upcoming
archdiocesan events: 

9/15/17 7:00 p.m.
Conversations with Archbishop Kurtz

9/16/17 9:00 a.m.

V Encuentro

9/17/17
Catechetical Sunday

9/18/17 7:00 p.m.

Joined By Grace Companion Couple Information Session

9/28/17 Noon
Salute to the Game
(See link for cost/registration)

9/28/17 6:30 p.m.
Joined By Grace Companion Couple Information Session

10/2/17 7:00 p.m.
Communion Minister Formation Update Session
(See link for registration)

10/8/17 2:30 p.m.
66th Annual Living Rosary



Companions & Catechists
Catholic Services Appeal Video 2017

Each year, people throughout the Archdiocese of Louisville give generously to the Catholic Services Appeal so that, together, we may bring Christ to others. The Catholic Services Appeal helps fund more than 100 ministries and services throughout the Archdiocese, and your gift supports the needy, vocations, prayer and worship, lifelong formation and education opportunities, work with teens and young adults, and the ministry of our parishes and schools.

This year, as we celebrate 50 years of the Catholic Services Appeal, we reflect on the 50 years of ministry that have been made possible, thanks to the generosity of donors like you. Watch the video below to hear real life stories of people whose lives have been impacted by your generous giving to the Catholic Services Appeal:




To learn more about the Catholic Services Appeal click here.

It's Finally Time to Swim . . .  
By Deacon Stephen Bowling, Director of Family Ministries for the Archdiocese of Louisville 
 
When I came aboard as Family Ministries Director a little over two years ago, one of the very first things Archbishop Kurtz said to me was, "We generally do a fine job of walking with couples on their way towards receiving the sacrament of matrimony. We need to be better at continuing that journey with them into their new married lives."

As usual, very well said indeed.

Little did I realize that Pope Francis himself would soon echo those very words in his own pastoral exhortation Amoris Laetitia in April of 2016. The fruit of two synods and not-a-little-bit of discernment by the Church herself at all levels, this idea of "walking with" newly married couples has been on my mind and in my heart (as well as my strategic plan) for some time now . . . and instead of us wading ankle-deep in this particular ocean any longer, it's finally time to swim!

Our new parish-based "Companion Couple Program" (a term coined by Archbishop Kurtz himself) is entitled Joined By Grace and it is now beginning to be explored and adopted by parishes all over the Archdiocese. It is unique among the many available programs in that it takes into account the unique needs and views of millennials today. It also contains a special component called "Newly Married Companioning." This distinctive part of the program is designed to build upon the special relationship created...Read More
What's the Big Deal about Catechetical Sunday?
By Art Turner, Director of Faith Formation for the Archdiocese of Louisville

In 1935 the Vatican released On the Better Care and Promotion of Catechetical Education, a document that encouraged every nation to honor the importance of catechetical ministry within the Church's mission and to recognize those who serve as catechists in the Catholic community.  As a result, Catechetical Sunday was born.  This year it will be celebrated on Sunday, September 17, and the theme is "Living as Missionary Disciples." But, what is Catechetical Sunday?  Why is it even important?  What does "catechetical" mean?  

The word "catechetical" comes from the Greek word "catechesis" which means "to echo."  Some prefer the translation "resound."  Catechesis, then, is the effort "to echo" the Church's teachings from one generation to the next.  A catechist is one who has the challenge of finding ways "to echo" our Catholic faith to the current generation, discovering the methods and resources that best reach the learners of today while remaining faithful to the teachings of the Church.  Catechetical Sunday is a day for the Church to recognize, even commission, those members of the community who have been called to embrace this special ministry of the Church. To be a catechist today, one must not only know and share what the Church teaches but one must also be willing to share the story of his or her own faith journey, to share a personal experience of Jesus within the Catholic tradition.   This can be difficult if not downright intimidating for some catechists to do, but the call for the "New Evangelization" by Saint John Paul II and the call to "Missionary Discipleship" by Pope Francis has moved catechesis into the realm of inviting learners to see themselves as disciples called to be evangelizers of the faith.

So who are the catechists?  The catechetical ministry is passed from the pope, to the bishops to the clergy, the religious, and the laity.  Within the parish a catechist could be Catholic school teachers, teachers for the parish religious education program, VBS teachers, youth ministry leaders, RCIA team members, parents who are the first teachers of the faith to their children, etc.  Of course, the pastor is considered the primary catechist for the parish, and the parish deacon may also have a teaching role depending on his ministerial focus.  All must be in conformity with the teaching authority of the Church called the Magisterium, which we believe is instituted by Jesus and guided by the Holy Spirit.  The role of the Magisterium is to safeguard and explain the truths of the Catholic faith.

Catechetical Sunday is a "big deal" because it is a reminder to all of us that we are called to participate in some way in the teaching ministry of the Church.  We may not be called to be an official catechist like those who serve in our parishes and schools, but we are called to share what we know, especially when it comes to our relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church.

The Blog Spot

This section will feature local and national blogs that will inspire, teach, and call to action. Featured this month is To Go Forth , a blog of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development (JPHD). The blog takes its inspiration from Pope Francis' challenge to go forth to the "peripheries" to share the Good News and stand in solidarity with those suffering poverty and injustice.

Catholic Social Teaching (CST) and Racism

By Fr. Fred Kammer, SJ, JD, Director of the Jesuit Social Research Institute at Loyola University New Orleans.

Consideration of racism is grounded in fundamental scriptural beliefs: equal dignity of all people, created in God's image; and Christ's redemption of all.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church spells this out:

The equality of men rests essentially on their dignity as persons and the rights that flow from it: "Every form of social or cultural discrimination in fundamental personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God's design."

Moral judgments on racism, based on equality, are consistent: "any theory or form whatsoever of racism and racial discrimination is morally unacceptable" ( Compendium); and "racism is not merely one sin among many, it is a radical evil dividing the human family..." ( Brothers and Sisters to Us).

Jesus tells the Good Samaritan story- one of his three "great parables" -to answer "Who is my neighbor?" His response addresses entrenched divisions between Jew and Samaritan and sets the stage for the unity of "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Eph. 4:5; Deus Caritas Est). This unity admits "no inequality on the basis of race or nationality, social condition or sex..." ( Lumen Gentium).

The Many Faces of Racism

Catholic teaching "emphasizes not only the individual conscience, but also the political, legal, and economic structures..." ( Economic Justice for All). Racism is about people and about group behaviors and societal organization. Individual racism includes conscious acts, spontaneous attitudes, "the tendency to stereotype and marginalize," indifference, and "the triumph of... Read More 

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