The USCCB concludes its Fall General Assembly; International Restorative Justice Week; National Adoption Month, and an update on COVID school funding in this week’s Insights.
USCCB Fall General Assembly Concludes
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Fall General Assembly concluded on Wednesday after three full days of presentations, reflections, and action items.
During his opening remarks, USCCB President and Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez posed the challenge of understanding “how the Church should carry out her mission in an America that is now highly secularized.”
“What is the best way to help our people to live and work and minister as Catholics in this moment? How can we help our people to raise their children and engage with their neighbors and the culture? As a Church, how should we evangelize and go about the task of striving for justice and the renewal of our society?” President Gomez said.
During the meeting, Bishop Robert Barron, Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles, was voted chairman-elect of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth and will serve a three-year term starting in fall 2022.
The Bishops also approved a 26-page statement, “The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church,” laying the foundation for the Eucharistic Revival that will begin in June 2022 in Corpus Christi, Texas. The Revival will conclude in 2024 with the National Eucharistic Congress to be hosted in Indianapolis.
The meeting, along with vote totals, resources, and other documentation, is available here.
International Restorative Justice Week Nov. 21-28
International Restorative Justice Week will take place Nov. 21-28 this year. The CCC has a variety of resources to promote the work being done to expand restorative justice practices and advocate for its widespread use.
There are press releases, bulletin announcements, prayers, and homily notes available here in both English and Spanish.
The CCC Restorative Justice Committee, through its advocacy in legislation, education, and pastoral care, is dedicated to the transformation of our criminal justice system. This includes the reconciliation and healing of victims of crime and their families, prisoners and their families, and those who serve in the criminal justice system.
State Schools Chief Apologizes to Private, Parochial School Leaders for Mishandling Federal Covid Aid
“We’re incredibly grateful for leadership that sought solutions that reflected listening to the concerns of nonpublic schools,” said Kathleen Domingo, executive director of the California Catholic Conference, the public policy voice of the Catholic Church of California. “All on call breathed a sigh of relief.”
In a hastily scheduled webinar this week, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond apologized profusely to hundreds of leaders of private schools serving low-income families for delays in distributing tens of millions of dollars in federal Covid aid.
Promising to quickly remove the bottlenecks, Thurmond said Tuesday, “We regret any heartburn or difficulties that you have experienced.” He asked for “some grace” as the department fixed the problems it created.
The California Department of Education mismanaged dispatching $187 million for 547 private schools that applied and were approved for the first round of Emergency Assistance for Non-Public Schools. Congress approved that funding last December and included a second round of $181 million for California private schools from the American Rescue Plan. California hasn’t received that money yet.
Continue Reading at EdSource.org.
November is National Adoption Month
November is National Adoption Month! An initiative of the Children’s Bureau, the goal of National Adoption Month is to increase national awareness of the need for permanent families for children and youth in the U.S. foster care system.
This year’s National Adoption Month theme, “Every Conversation Matters,” highlights the importance of listening to youth, asking meaningful questions, and listening with empathy.
For over two decades, National Adoption Month has been promoted and celebrated every November in communities across the country. Many national, state, and local agencies as well as foster, kinship care, and adoptive family groups help educate their communities through programs, events, and activities that aim to raise awareness about the thousands of children and youth currently in foster care who are waiting for their own permanent, loving families.
Click here to learn more about how to support National Adoption Month.
In the News
Retired MLB player is ordained a Catholic deacon in California
Former Major League Baseball player Darrell Miller Sr., who played for the California Angels, was ordained a Catholic deacon of the Diocese of Orange in California.
Happy Thanksgiving
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.
#Prayer is primarily listening and encountering God. The problems of everyday life, then, do not become obstacles, but appeals from God himself to listen to and encounter those who are in front of us. The trials of life thus change into opportunities to grow in faith and charity.
@Pontifex
November 19, 2021
Vol. 14, No. 37