Issue 83
January 22, 2016
From the Director's Desk



The Mercy of God. St. Vincent Pallotti, whose feast day is today, would focus often on how truly merciful God is toward all of us. He encouraged others around him by his example of great service to the poor and marginalized to live the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. He wanted to "become food and drink, clothing and temporal goods, that I might be able to remedy their misery at all times."

Pallotti was also famous in Rome as a confessor, assisting others through the Sacrament of Penance back into right relationship with God.

During this Jubilee of Mercy, an Extraordinary Holy Year, Pope Francis is calling all in the Church to experience the Mercy of God by turning from sin and living more fully for God through the Works of Mercy.  In a new book-length interview called The Name of God is Mercy, Pope Francis recommends that during this Holy Year, the believer

"should open up to the Mercy of God, open up his heart and himself, and allow Jesus to come toward him by approaching the confessional with faith. And he should try and be merciful with others" (97).

May we follow this recommendation of Pope Francis and the example of St. Vincent Pallotti by experiencing the Mercy of God and living mercy in our daily lives!

May the charity of Christ urge us on!

In God, Infinite Love and Mercy,

In This Issue
Celebrating the Feast of St. Vincent Pallotti!
Today, we celebrate the Feast Day of St. Vincent Pallotti. As a ministry of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottine Fathers and Brothers), the Catholic Apostolate Center takes St. Vincent Pallotti as its patron saint. It is his spirituality that is the foundation for the mission of the Catholic Apostolate Center and the lens through which we view our work. 

Born in Rome on April 21, 1795, Vincent Pallotti was a well-known priest in the city because of his great apostolic action and exemplary holiness. Truly a radical for his time, St. Vincent was known for approaching the "faithful of every class, rank, and condition" to minister to "those who are most spiritually needy." During his lifetime, he founded the Union of Catholic Apostolate, an association to revive faith and rekindle charity among Catholics and propagate faith to all. He believed that all are called to be apostles of Jesus Christ.

The Catholic Apostolate Center seeks to serve the universal Church by following in the footsteps of St. Vincent's missionary spirit. The Catholic Apostolate Center, the Union of Catholic Apostolate and Society of the Catholic Apostolate have developed educational resources to share. We encourage you to use them and share them with friends, family and colleagues.

Pallotti App

The Society of the Catholic Apostolate Immaculate Conception Province presents The Pallotti App to help you learn more about the spirituality of St. Vincent Pallotti.




Click here to download the App for
iOS 
Mid-Atlantic Congress 2016

The Catholic Apostolate Center is pleased to be a Platinum Sponsor of the 2016 Mid-Atlantic Congress taking place February 4-6. The Mid-Atlantic Congress for Pastoral Leadership is an annual conference held in Baltimore, Maryland that seeks to bring best practices of Catholic pastoral ministry, catechesis, prayer and worship to pastoral leaders at the diocesan, parish and school levels.

Center staff, collaborators, and advisors will have three different presentations at the Mid-Atlantic Congress in collaboration with our partners at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archdiocese of Washington, and United States Catholic Mission Association. 

Event Highlights

Thursday, February 4th:
  • (3-4:30pm) Mega-workshop: "Youth and Young Adults as Witness in the Age of Pope Francis" 
  • (4:30-7pm) Collaborative Connections networking session.
Friday, February 5th:
  • (1-2pm) "Leadership, the New Evangelization and Pope Francis"
  • (3-4pm) "Co-responsible Evangelization" 
Please stop by and visit us at booths 401, 403, and 405 in the exhibit hall.

It's not too late to register for the 2016 Mid-Atlantic Congress. Hope to see you there!
9 Days for Life


The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops invites you to join and share 9 Days for Life, a period of focused prayer and action building up a culture of life from Saturday, January 16-Sunday, January 24. Visit www.9daysforlife.com to download a pro-life novena with short, daily guides, or sign up to receive it through email, text message, a daily app, or a Facebook event. Invite others to join you in 3 ways: Pray, Gather, Share. A leaders' kit with quick, simple tools (in both English and Spanish) is also available to help you promote and share 9 Days for Life. The resources available include a bulletin insert (flyer), pulpit and bulletin announcements, a social media kit, articles, pro-life Rosary intentions, and small ads that can be used online or in print, among others.

Click here to learn more about Catholic Social Teaching. 

Upcoming Webinar 
January 26, 2016 at 7:00pm EST

Each Lent, and especially on Ash Wednesday, an increasing number of inactive Catholics return to church, but only for a short time. There is truly something special about the Lenten season for those men and women who reconnect at this time of year. This webinar will explore that phenomenon and, even more importantly, what we can do to respond in an evangelistic and merciful way.



Join Paul Jarzembowski, Coordinator for Youth & Young Adult Ministries & Assistant Director to the Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), for this webinar. Register following the link below.



If you are unable to attend it will be available on our website and YouTube pages, or if you would like to view any of our other free webinars, please view as well.
Ad Infinitum Blog
St. Vincent Pallotti and the Year of Mercy

              by Pat Fricchione, Research and Production Associate 
 
"St. Vincent Pallotti's vision inspires me to act with the merciful heart that reflects the power of God's infinite love to all, no matter who they are." -Pat Fricchione

Click here to read more.

Support for the Catholic Apostolate Center

A new year always brings new opportunities. As we begin 2016, join us in resolving to be true evangelizers of our shared faith. Your financial support enables us to continue our important mission of reviving faith, rekindling charity, and forming apostles in the United States and around the world. 
  • A gift of $5 will help us reach more Catholics around the world through social media.
  • A gift of $15 will enable us to create new resources to empower you to evangelize.
  • A gift of $25 will support our work as we collaborate with others to form apostles.
Whatever your level of support, know of our sincere thanks!

Feast of St. Vincent Pallotti
January 22, 2016

Feast Facts:
  • St. Vincent Pallotti was born on April 21st, 1795, in Rome
  • He profoundly believed that the motivation of divine action is infinite love.
  • On January 9th, 1835, he founded the Union of Catholic Apostolate, in which the baptized participate in the mission of the Church as the realization of a common goal.
  • He died in Rome on the January 22nd, 1850.
  • On January 20th, 1963, he was canonized by Pope John XXIII. 
 
Click here to learn more about our patron.

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