July 2009 Newsletter
Report from the COV&R conference in London
Upcoming events, and where we go from here....
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A Message from the Executive Director, Randy Coleman-Riese
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Dear Friends,
Gil Bailie's recovery from major surgery that only five weeks ago removed a part of his left lung has been phenomenal. Apart from a residual cough that will diminish over time Gil is definitely back in the saddle. As he hoped he would be able to do, Gil made the trip to England last week for the Colloquium on Violence and Religion conference held this year at St. Mary's University College in London, England. The theme of the conference, under the title "Fearful Symmetries", was the encounter of Islam and western modernity, in the context of a multifaith and secularized Britain and Europe.
Gil's contribution to the conference was a paper entitled "CHRISTIAN VIRTUES GONE MAD" - taken from G. K. Chesterton's observation that: "The modern world is full of old Christian virtues gone mad" - and subtitled: "Mimesis, Multiculturalism, and Moral Responsibility." At the conference Gil could only summarize his paper, having a mere 25 minutes to make his presentation followed by a short question/comments period. The talk was well attended and generated some very sharp reactions - a few people expressed shock while others said it was the most interesting talk at the conference they had heard.
We are making available on our streaming audio page on the Cornerstone Forum web site a three part series of the entire paper Gil prepared for the COV&R conference. Therefore, visitors to our site will be able to make up their own minds having heard the entire presentation. Also, for donors who contribute at the $25/mo level ($300/yr) we will mail a CD of the talk along with a printed copy of the text. See the details below.
One of the highlights of the conference for both Gil and me was a side trip to Littlemore in Oxford where John Henry Newman made his way to the Roman Catholic Church in 1845.
Those familiar with Gil's Emmaus Road Initiative talks will recall from the beginning and the ending how each presentation is framed by a prayer of Cardinal Newman. The hospitality, deep faith and abundant joy of the sisters who were our guides provided abiding spiritual refreshment to the sometimes-tedious academic atmosphere of the conference. Our visit ended with a vigil Mass celebrated by our dear friend Fr. Michael Darcy, C.O. of the Pittsburgh Oratory in the very chapel at Littlemore where the soon to be 'Blessed' Cardinal John Henry Newman celebrated Mass.
 
Round Two of The Good Fight with Barbara McGuigan - EWTN Radio
Gil Bailie is scheduled for round two of the Good Fight EWTN Radio interview program with Barbara McGuigan this coming Saturday, July 18th. The program is broadcast live in the following time zones at:
Eastern 2pm-4pm
Central 1pm-3pm
Mountain
12pm-2pm
Pacific 11am-1pm
This is again a 2 hour radio interview show with a listener call in time during the second hour. However, in some local stations only the first hour is broadcast. Tune in to the live radio program if possible (here is a link to
the EWTN Radio network list of local stations). If you are unable to receive the broadcast radio signal in your
area it may still be possible to listen to the program live via streaming
audio over the internet (you will need a good internet connection to do this) at the following web link:
Additionally,
the program will be broadcast on the Sirius satellite radio network's channel
160 and XM satellite radio channel 117.
We encourage any of you who would like to take this opportunity to let the listening audience know how much you appreciate Gil's work or address a question to Gil to make a note of the caller phone number to have it handy ahead of time - it is: (877) 573-7825. Having your comments and questions thought out before your call may help overcome any nervousness when 'on the air'.
Matching Grant Update
We have received 82% of our $10,000 matching grant goal to date. We understand very well how much any extra giving costs our donors during these difficult economic times. However, any gift no matter how small from first time donors will be doubled by this generous matching grant. Increased giving above prior year levels by any current donor will also qualify as does giving from former donors who have not donated in the past two years. While regular monthly donations are the most helpful to us, allowing us to better plan our efforts, one time gifts are greatly appreciated as well. We have until the end of September to raise an additional $1,725 to meet our goal. We hope you find our work worthy of support and we will do all we can to make the most of every dollar we receive.
The Road Ahead...
While over the past few years Gil has been on the road almost constantly speaking in person to venues around the country, in the coming months we will be working to bring Gil Bailie's unique gifts and perspective to as many broadcast outlets as we can. The interviews on the EWTN radio network are just a start. Gil was interviewed on a local Catholic television channel in central California in June and we hope to have this program available on our web site later this summer. Along with these efforts Gil will be working to bring much of the material he has accumulated in presenting the Emmaus Road Initiative into manuscript form for the publication of a book whose working title is "Easter in the Meantime". Speaking opportunities are scheduled for December in the Dallas area and in Australia in January. Details about these will be forthcoming in future newsletters. The opportunities available to us via the digital internet based channels are also an increasingly important part of the work we will be pursuing with both streaming audio and video. We are so very grateful to all of you who enable us to follow these paths bringing resources for awakening a wholehearted faith in a half-hearted world to new audiences. We could not do this without your prayers, encouragement and material support.
Blessings,
Randy
 Now available on the Streaming Audio page of our web site:
- Gil Bailie's 2009 Colloquium on Violence and Religion paper - "CHRISTIAN VIRTUES GONE MAD - Mimesis, Multiculturalism, and Moral Responsibility."
- The May Emmaus Road Initiative "Easter in the Meantime" presentation (scroll down the Streaming Media page - below the COV&R audio)
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