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Feature News | Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Bishops set for in-person meeting, speak out on vandalism, refugees

A round-up of U.S. bishops' statements in response to issues in the news

U.S. bishops to meet in Baltimore Nov. 15-18

WASHINGTON | The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will gather for the 2021 Fall General Assembly in Baltimore, Nov. 15-18. This will be the first in-person meeting of the full body of bishops since November 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the June 2020 spring meeting was canceled, and the November 2020 fall meeting and June 2021 spring meeting were held in a virtual format.

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The meeting agenda is expected to include discussion and votes on a number of items including: the Eucharistic revival initiative and approval of a national Eucharistic Congress in 2024; an update of the “Socially Responsible Investment Guidelines”; a statement on the Eucharist, The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church; the proposal to add St. Teresa of Calcutta on the Proper Calendar for the Dioceses of the United States as an optional memorial on Sept. 5; the Resolution on Diocesan Financial Reporting; new English and Spanish versions of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults; a translation of Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery Outside Mass; “National Statutes for the Catechumenate” in English and Spanish; and the USCCB’s 2022 budget.

During the assembly, the bishops will vote for a treasurer-elect for the Conference, as well as chairmen-elect of five Conference committees: Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations; Divine Worship; Domestic Justice and Human Development; Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth; and Migration. There will also be votes for the election of board members for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and for the election of a new USCCB general secretary.

Also expected at the meeting will be a consultation of the bishops on causes of beatification and canonization for Servant of God Charlene Marie Richard and Servant of God Auguste Robert Pelafigue.

Public sessions of general assembly discussions and votes will be livestreamed at: www.usccb.org/meetings and news updates, vote totals, texts of addresses and presentations and other materials will be posted to this page. Those wishing to follow the meeting on social media can use the hashtag #USCCB21 and follow on Twitter (@USCCB) as well as on Facebook (www.facebook.com/usccb) and Instagram (https://instagram.com/usccb).

 

Dioceses encouraged to foster vocations 

WASHINGTON | The Catholic Church in the United States will celebrate National Vocation Awareness Week, Nov. 7-13, 2021. Dioceses across the U.S. will hold events to foster an appreciation for all vocations and pray specifically for those discerning a vocation to ordained ministry and consecrated life.

In his message for the 58th annual World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Pope Francis offered St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, as a model for vocational discernment. “Amid all these upheavals, [St. Joseph] found the courage to follow God’s will. So too in a vocation: God’s call always urges us to take a first step, to give ourselves, to press forward. There can be no faith without risk. Only by abandoning ourselves confidently to grace, setting aside our own programs and comforts, can we truly say ‘yes’ to God,” he said, and exhorted the Church to look to St. Joseph as an “outstanding example of acceptance of God’s plans.”

“Studies of those recently ordained and religiously professed consistently show that the encouragement of the parish priest is the most influential factor in vocational discernment,” said Bishop James F. Checchio of Metuchen, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations. “But the accompaniment of the whole faith community is key for genuine vocational discernment — from one’s parents and family members, to the Catholic educators, as well as the vital role that youth ministers and fellow parishioners play as the early encounters for young people to the faith.”

Resources for dioceses to utilize during National Vocation Awareness Week, including homily aids, recommended reading and discernment tips, prayers of the faithful, and bulletin-ready quotes are available online

 

Bishops’ president welcomes ‘Synod on Synodality’

WASHINGTON | Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), expressed solidarity with Pope Francis and the universal Church as local dioceses began the listening phase of the “synod on synodality” in mid-October.

“The Holy Father has called for the local churches to hold inclusive consultations with the People of God as part of the synod. We face a challenge after over a year of being physically distanced within our communities because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This synod is an opportunity to meet the immense and important request of the Holy Father to engage in dialogue to better understand our call to holiness and feel the responsibility to participate in the life of the Church,” Archbishop Gomez said.

The formal name of the two-year process of listening and dialogue is themed, “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, & Mission.” The Holy Father officially opened the synod with a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica Oct. 10. Dioceses throughout the world celebrated their kick-off Masses Oct. 17.

The USCCB’s website — www.usccb.org/synod— will be updated regularly with highlights from the synod at the local level.

 

Bishops on vandalism against churches: ‘This destruction must stop’

WASHINGTON | In May of 2020, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty began tracking incidents of arson, vandalism, and other destruction at Catholic sites across the United States. Oct. 10 marked the 100th incident: satanic and other hateful graffiti scrawled on the walls before Sunday Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver, Colorado.

“These incidents of vandalism have ranged from the tragic to the obscene, from the transparent to the inexplicable. There remains much we do not know about this phenomenon, but at a minimum, they underscore that our society is in sore need of God’s grace,” said a statement issued by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chairman of the Committee for Religious Liberty, and Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.

“In all cases, we must reach out to the perpetrators with prayer and forgiveness. True, where the motive was retribution for some past fault of ours, we must reconcile; where misunderstanding of our teachings has caused anger toward us, we must offer clarity; but this destruction must stop. This is not the way,” the statement continued. “We call on our elected officials to step forward and condemn these attacks. We thank our law enforcement for investigating these incidents and taking appropriate steps to prevent further harm. We appeal to community members for help as well. These are not mere property crimes — this is the degradation of visible representations of our Catholic faith. These are acts of hate.”

The Committee for Religious Liberty’s “Beauty Heals” project, launched in response to the destruction of Catholic statues, features videos from various dioceses discussing the significance of sacred art.

The committees are advocating for increased funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program.

Bishops call for retention of bipartisan pro-life policies

WASHINGTON | The text of several appropriations bills released by the U.S. House and Senate currently exclude several longstanding, bipartisan provisions like the 46-year-old Hyde Amendment and the Weldon Amendment. Eliminating these provisions would force taxpayers to pay for elective abortions and would have the effect of forcing health care providers and professionals to perform and refer for abortion against their deeply held beliefs, as well as forcing employers and insurers to cover and pay for abortion.  

“The bills released by the Senate Appropriations chairman this week represent a radical departure from the will of the American people and the principle of justice for all,” read the statement issued by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities. “By proposing to eliminate the Hyde and Weldon Amendments, among other longstanding, bipartisan pro-life provisions, the Senate is staking out an extreme position of forcing taxpayers to pay for the taking of innocent unborn human life and forcing health care providers to participate in this injustice. 

“We recognize and appreciate that these bills also include many life-affirming provisions that help vulnerable people, including pregnant moms, refugees, low-income families, and the elderly. The laudable concern and support these provisions represent must also extend to our vulnerable brothers and sisters in the womb,” the statement continued. “We reiterate the fact that funding the destruction of innocent unborn human lives, and forcing people to participate, are grave abuses of human rights. We call on the Senate to prevent this injustice by passing appropriations bills that fully support and protect human dignity, and the most vulnerable among us.” 

 

Migration chairman welcomes increase in refugee admissions target

WASHINGTON | On Oct. 8, 2021, the Biden Administration announced a Fiscal Year 2022 Presidential Determination (PD) of 125,000 refugees for resettlement through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). This is the highest PD since 1993 and follows four consecutive years of historic lows. During the previous fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 30, the U.S. resettled only 11,411 refugees out of a possible 62,500, the lowest number in the program’s history.

The USRAP was created in 1980, and it has received strong bipartisan support ever since. The USCCB is one of nine national resettlement agencies that partners with the U.S. government in this effort. The Catholic Church’s involvement in refugee resettlement stems from the Church’s social teaching on the common good and is consistent with its longstanding role in welcoming newcomers and supporting integration.

“The last few years have had a devastating impact on refugee resettlement, all while we witness the greatest forced migration crises in decades,” said Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville, auxiliary bishop of Washington and chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration. “We commend the Administration for seeking to reassert American leadership in this area, and we look forward to continued action in support of this goal. We also urge Congress to provide the resources necessary to not only rebuild the Refugee Admissions Program but sustain it for the next four decades and beyond.”

 In May, Bishop Dorsonville called125,000 refugee admissions “a figure more consistent with our values and capabilities as a nation.”

For more information about refugees, the USRAP, and the Church’s work on this issue, please visit the Justice for Immigrants website.

Young people invited to World Youth Day 2023

WASHINGTON | Lisbon, Portugal will be the host of the next international World Youth Day (WYD), set to take place from Aug. 1 to 6, 2023.

“We are overjoyed to now have the dates we can look forward to when millions of people will come together and join the Holy Father for World Youth Day,” said a statement issued by Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, and Bishop Edward J. Burns of Dallas, the USCCB’s episcopal liaison to World Youth Day.

“We hope that many from the U.S. will participate, and we invite all youth and young adults — in fact, every person age 16 to 35 in the United States — to join us. Whether you plan to travel to Lisbon, participate through digital media, or join your peers at one of many local celebrations taking place in dioceses across the country, we want you to be part of this moment in the life of the Church,” the statement continued.

They noted that the WYD Mass with Pope Francis will take place on the feast of the Transfiguration, Aug. 6, 2023, and noted that the experience of Peter, James and John at the time proved “a pivotal moment of transformation for them.  We hope that WYD will have a similar impact on young people today, no matter where or how they make this pilgrimage to celebrate this special international festival of faith.”

Since 1985, the international World Youth Day has been held every two to three years in a different country. The Lisbon WYD gathering was scheduled to take place in the summer of 2022 but postponed to 2021 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The USCCB will be developing materials and supporting local communities in the months before WYD 2023. More details can be found at: https://www.usccb.org/topics/world-youth-day.

 

Subcommittee approves updated certification for Catholic chaplains

WASHINGTON | The U.S. bishops’ Subcommittee on Certification for Ecclesial Ministry and Service, which has collaborated over many years with the National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC), has approved the recently updated certification competencies developed by NACC for chaplains ministering in health care settings and veteran affairs, as well as new certification competencies for prison chaplains.

The subcommittee granted its approval of the competencies for a period of seven years.

“Catholic chaplains and pastoral care ministers have been essential providers of spiritual and sacramental care in hospitals and other health care facilities for decades,” said Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas, bishop emeritus of Tucson, chairman of the USCCB’s Subcommittee on Certification for Ecclesial Ministry and Service.

Calling the ordained, lay and religious chaplains “spiritual first-responders,” he noted their ministry to the critically ill amid the COVID-19 pandemic “and also in response to the spiritual pandemics of racism and social trauma which have accompanied it.”

The newly approved competencies will be used to certify the following ministerial roles: Board-Certified Catholic Chaplain, Board-Certified Catholic Chaplain for Veterans Affairs, Certified Associate Catholic Chaplain, and Catholic Correctional Chaplain in association with the Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition.

The USCCB subcommittee also approved Diocesan Pastoral Care Competencies for the Sick, the Homebound and Older Adults (available here in English and Spanish), the NACC Code of Professional Ethics, and Ethics Procedure Manual. Additionally, the subcommittee reviewed and noted the value of the Palliative Care and Hospice Advanced Certification for qualified Board-Certified Catholic Chaplains.

For more information visit https://www.usccb.org/certification.

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