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Christian Formation Secretariat Newsletter 

March 2012   

In This Issue
Taking Responsibility
10 Things to Remember for Lent
God is the Bigger Elvis
Worldwide Fertility Care Week
Conscience Rights
Evangelization & Catechesis Like us on Facebook

"Taking Responsibility for Ourselves - Our World"

Illustration by Mark Bartholomew

 

Imagine that paper and pencils were distributed right now and each member of the praying assembly was asked to answer the question "What is wrong with the world?" How might you respond? In no time, most of us could probably fill both sides of the paper with a list of calamities: war, poverty, homelessness, violence, unemployment, famine, flood, greed, apathy, crime, global warming, flash mob vandalism, an out-of-touch hierarchy, child abuse, spousal abuse, elder abuse, earthquakes and more. Now, as each of us considers our list, let us also ask, "Who is to blame for such a broken world?" and "For which of these incidents of human suffering am I culpable?"   

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    As we immerse ourselves in the Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, may God continue to bless your efforts and draw you closer to him.  Below you will find some practical and noteworthy stories concerning what is happening in the Catholic Church this month. 

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"10 Things to Remember for Lent" 

  

The season of Lent began with Ash Wednesday, where we came together at mass to receive ashes on our foreheads and observe fasting and abstinence.  The 40 days of Lent is not only a time for fasting and abstinence, but a time to commit to reading scripture and to prayer.  We are also mindful of sharing our time, talents and treasures with those in need.  Keeping it simple during Lent and not overwhelming oneself with trying to do too much is important.  Read further the article by Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin:  "Journey to the Foot of the Cross:  Bishop Ricken Offers 10 Things to Remember for Lent"

 

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"God is the Bigger Elvis"   


The Academy Awards aired just a few short weeks ago.  Perhaps one of the most moving and under-reported stories surrounding that event is the story of Rev. Mother Dolores Hart.  Dolores is a Benedictine nun who attended the Oscars this year because the documentary film "God is Bigger Than Elvis", a film about her life,  was nominated for an award.  The film is due to air on HBO next month.  Dolores was an up and coming actress in the late 50's and early 60's who starred alongside Elvis Presley in two films.  She left Hollywood because she felt God calling her to something greater.  Perhaps she can help us to take what society considers to be the most important things in life and reexamine them in light of what God is asking of us.  You can read more about her by clicking here
Respect Life Like us on Facebook

 

"Vatican Workshop Looks at Helping Couples Overcome Infertility"

Worldwide FerilityCare Week, celebrating the Creighton Model FertilityCare System and NaPro Technology, will be March 25 - 31.  In addition to family planning, the Creighton Model and NaPro Technology allow physicians to diagnose the root causes of a wide range of reproductive diseases and conditions, including infertility, recurrent miscarriage, and many others.  Once a problem is identified, it is treated with NaPro's medical and surgical practices that are consistent with Church teaching.  This article looks at the work of Dr. Thomas Hilgers, founder of the Pope Paul VI medical center in Omaha, and his dedication to advancing true healthcare for women.

 
Marriage & Family Life

"Conscience Rights"

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Never before has federal law forced citizens to purchase what violates their deeply held beliefs and ethical convictions. But now the Administration is forcing us to act as if pregnancy were a disease to be prevented at all costs. For many Americans that means choosing between violating our consciences and forgoing health care- this is truly an unconscionable dilemma. In 1965, Pope Paul VI wrote in Dignitas Humanae that the principle of religious freedom is rooted in the dignity of the human person, who is endowed with free will, and therefore able to take responsibility for his or her actions. Further Pope Paul VI added that religious freedom is identifiable both through reason and divine revelation; it exists to allow human persons to fulfill their obligation to seek God and must be a civil or constitutional right.     

 

It is for this reason, that Pope Paul VI offered 7 core principles that governments should follow in protecting religious liberty. Among these ought to include a protection from requiring what conscience forbids and/or forbidding what conscience requires. Our country's longstanding laws protecting conscience rights must now apply fully to the implementation of health care reform. In the current controversy surrounding the implementation of the final rule of the HHS contraceptive mandate it is evident that religious liberty needs full protection by law.   Thus, the bishops are urging Congress to support the "Respect for Rights of Conscience Act" in light of the new HHS rule and the "unprecedented threat to religious freedom" it poses.  Let your voice be heard and stand in defense of religious liberty. Join the bishops and many other organizations-- Catholic and non-Catholic -- who are fighting for religious liberty and conscience rights. Visit the USCCB website to find out more.