Dear Brothers:

The Association of U.S. Catholic Priests will hold its annual meeting at the Marriott St. Louis Airport Hotel beginning Monday, June 29, the day of our departure after the Province Retreat Assembly.

The group has invited our brothers to join them for a talk by Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ, founder of Homeboys Industries in Los Angeles, at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 29, at the hotel. No reservations are needed. 

Homeboy Industries is a youth program founded in1992, following Fr. Boyle's work with Christian base communities at Dolores Mission Church. The program assists high-risk youth, former gang members and the recently incarcerated with a variety of free programs. The most distinctive feature of Homeboy Industries is its social enterprises/small businesses approach, which gives hard-to-place individuals an opportunity for employment in transitional jobs in a safe, supportive environment where they can learn both concrete and soft job skills. The project has had excellent success. 

International Marian Research Institute

A new initiative by Fr. Fran�ois Rossier and IMRI, "A Marian Forum," includes presentations and discussions on Marian themes through a teleconferencing format. The first forum is Oct. 16 and will feature Dr. Robert Fastiggi, president of the Mariological Society of America, and Fr. Benedict O'Cinnsalaigh, rector of the Athenaeum in Cincinnati. Learn more about this interesting new project.  Registration may be completed through the IMRI website. Congratulations to Fr. Fran�ois and the staff at IMRI for this fine initiative.

As we prepare for our Retreat Assembly at the end of the month, let's continue to pray for this gathering and for one another, especially for our brothers in temporary vows.