Newsletter | October 17, 2018 | Issue 149
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Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment:
7 Years of the Catholic Apostolate Center
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Director's Desk
“St. Vincent Pallotti loved to repeat that the call to the apostolate is not reserved to some, but is addressed to everyone.” –
Pope Francis
It is a very appropriate time to celebrate the seventh anniversary of the Catholic Apostolate Center! The Church is in the midst of the
Synod on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment
. Young people are not the future of the Church, they are the present of the Church. The Synod offers a time to reflect on the call of all to the apostolate – to
co-responsibility
for the mission of Christ and the Church. The Catholic Apostolate Center, following the charism of
St. Vincent Pallotti
, lives and promotes
co-responsibility
of the baptized every day through assisting active Catholics in being formed and living as apostles of Christ.
As an organization, we do not simply talk about young people and how they can become more engaged in the life of the Church. Young adults, in fact, compose most of the
staff and collaborators
of the Center. The great fruitfulness of the work of the Center in a few short years bears witness to how the Holy Spirit can take the great creative energy of our team together with our consultants, advisors, board, affiliates, and collaborating organizations and use it for the good of the Church. For that, we are grateful to God, the Infinite Love, for all that has been accomplished and for all who have assisted us, particularly the Holy Spirit.
We are deeply committed to serving the needs of the Church through reviving faith, rekindling charity, and forming apostles for many years to come.
May the charity of Christ urge us on!
In Christ, Apostle of the Eternal Father,
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Anniversary of the Founding of the Catholic Apostolate Center
- Developing, in collaboration with dioceses and other institutions and organizations, formation programs for the New Evangelization.
- Assisting pastoral ministers in deepening collaboration with one another.
- Providing formation and apostolic opportunities for members and collaborators of the Union of Catholic Apostolate.
The Center takes its ins
piration from the spirituality of
St. Vincent Pallotti
and achieves its goals through hosting conferences, seminars, webinars, and presentations as well as providing online and print resources.
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In seven short years, the Center has grown to over thirty people, including staff, advisors, and collaborators. We offer unique content and resources in Spanish in addition to English, and have established an international presence.
With over thirty online resources pages, five social media accounts, countless blogs, webinars, and videos, as well as four genres of podcasts, the Catholic Apostolate Center is committed to being creative in executing the demands of the New Evangelization to revive faith, rekindle charity, and form apostles. It is our aim to aid you and your ministry.
Would you like to collaborate with the Center? Click
here
to find out more.
Learn how you can support the Center by clicking
here
.
Thank you for your continued prayers and always know of ours!
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Synod on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment
Since October 3, the bishops of the Church, along with 49 worldwide auditors, have been seriously discerning how the Church can best serve young people as they experience the faith and discern God’s plan for their lives.
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The
Instrumentum Laboris
has been further updated since the official start of the Synod on October 3.
The
Catholic Apostolate Center
has partnered with the
Grotto Network
to have a presence at the Synod. The Grotto Network specializes in digital media and will be providing updates on the progress of the Synod. Be sure to follow Grotto Network on social media
here
, and check regularly the social media of the Catholic Apostolate Center as well for Synod information by clicking
here
.
What are young people looking for in the Church?
Center Administrative Associate, Brian Rhude,
in a short, engaging video, explains the difference of a church that walks with you instead of dragging you — and why he sees #Synod2018 as a time for young people to speak up.
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“We can’t just sit here and wait passively,” he shares. “We have this chance; we have to act.” Be sure to check out this video by clicking
here
, and to visit the
Grotto Network website
for other short videos that pertain to #Synod2018 by clicking
here
.
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On October 14, amidst the Synod on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment, Pope Francis canonized the following who were 'Blessed': Pope Paul VI, Archbishop Oscar Romero, Francesco Spinelli (Italian priest), Vincent Romano (Italian priest), Maria-Katharina Kasper (German nun), Nazaria Ignacia of Santa Teresa de Jesus (Spanish nun).
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National Black Catholic Congress Webinar
Today, Wednesday October 17 at 3 PM EDT, the
National Black Catholic Congress
(NBCC) will present a webinar hosted by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Dr. Natasha Wilson, Coordinator for Education and Outreach, Office of Respect Life Ministry,
Archdiocese of Baltimore
, Sandra Coles-Bell, Program Director, Office of Cultural Diversity and Outreach,
Archdiocese of Washington
, and Deacon Al Turner,
Archdiocese of Washington
will present: The Human Life Issues and the Challenges to the Dignity of the Human Person.
The presenters offered the following description of their presentation: This presentation will explore the connections of life issues that lead people to believe that abortion is an option. These“causes” of abortion--poverty, sexism, elitism, lack of educational opportunity, joblessness, etc.--will be examined as challenges to be addressed as preventatives for abortion. We hope to show how these issues are connected and contribute to our society’s embrace of the Culture of Death. We will address the Church’s pastoral response to the spiritual and emotional aftermath of abortion for women and men: post-abortion healing ministry (Project Rachel and other associated ministries). This presentation will attempt to make you aware of the challenges to the end of life issues (eldercare, assisted suicide etc.). We will also provide resources to inform and support your efforts to meet these challenges.
To register for this webinar, please click
here
!
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Respect Life Month
“The annual Respect Life Program is a year-round, nationwide effort to help Catholics understand, value, and become engaged with building a culture that cherishes every human life.
Although sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Respect Life Program is essentially comprised of the efforts of leaders throughout the Church like you—parish priests, staff, and volunteers; teachers and school administrators; diocesan leaders; and so many others.
The U.S. bishops produce these materials to assist you in your efforts. Instead of acting as stand-alone resources, they are designed to be brought to life as tools in your hands—build off or adapt them to fit your specific needs!
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Dallas Ministry Conference
To view the Center's resources on Living as Missionary Disciples, please click
here
.
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The Ordinary Mission of Extraordinary Saints by Evan Ponton
"On October 14, 2018, Pope Francis will canonize two great church leaders who helped shape Catholicism across the globe in the second half of the twentieth century:
Pope Paul VI
and
Archbishop Oscar Romero.
In reflecting on their lives, I cannot do justice to the complex and controversial circumstances that forged these extraordinary men into the saints they are. Instead, I’d like to reflect on something common and fundamental to us and them: Baptism."
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St. Ignatius of Antioch was a bishop and martyr in the early Church, well-known for his extensive writing on Christology and ecclesiology. On his journey to martyrdom, he wrote extensive letters to the Christian communities at the time that are still instructive today. Prior to his death, he wrote: “I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire.”
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