It’s Juneteenth, the Hajj is completed, and the U.S. bishops did not strangle the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, not yet. The Southern Baptists did not limit ordination to “only men.”
We begin with a Juneteenth prayer published by the Catholic Health Association: “God of all peoples, of all nations, On this day of freedom, we celebrate triumphantly with all people of goodwill that we might walk arm in arm towards justice for all.” Full text here.
It’s a busy week as we look ahead to the AUSCP Annual Assembly in Lexington next week. Wisdom Wednesday will pause for the week of the assembly, but we have a go-to website by Michael Centore and Today’s American Catholic. Centore has compiled a series of articles about the AUSCP and will add to the series daily from Lexington. Check it out HERE (and please subscribe to TAC to help continue this work)!
Juneteenth
- A history lesson comes from Xavier University.
- We also found a 2021 statement regarding Juneteenth from the National Black Catholic Seminarians Association. A good one!
The Hajj
- The Associated Press is our source for news about the Hajj, counting 1.8 million worshippers this year in Saudi Arabia.
- Muslim pilgrims wrapped up Hajj with the final symbolic stoning of the devil and circling of the Kaaba.
USCCB: What the bishops did
- We offer two articles from National Catholic Reporter, a report on the U.S. bishops June assembly by Brian Fraga, and a commentary by Michael Sean Winters.
- Other items getting attention by the bishops include a mental health initiative, new boarding school guidelines andCardinal Christophe Pierre telling them that Pope Francis shared their desire that Catholics in the United States “rediscover the power of the Eucharist.”Here is a link to all of the coverage given by National Catholic Reporter to the U.S. bishops’ Spring Assembly.
The National Catholic Register
Leading reports from the Register include the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage at the only Marian apparition site in the United States; 4 Questions the US Supreme Court’s Abortion Pills Decision Didn’t Decide; Cardinal Sarah Warns of Dangers of ‘Practical Atheism’ Even Within Church; and the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., welcomes its largest class of new priests in more than six decades. All items can be found at the Register’s front page.
‘Only men’ not approved
Southern Baptists failed to adopt a change in their constitution that would explicitly state that “only men” can be “any kind of pastor” in affiliated churches. The Wednesday (June 12) vote, 61.45% in favor and 38.38% against, did not receive the two-thirds tally required during the second day of the two-day annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention.
The C9 Council
The Council of Cardinals continues meeting in the Vatican, currently for its third meeting of 2024. The previous session, in April, focused on the implementation of the apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium in diocesan Curias; and on the areas of conflict throughout the world. Vatican News has a brief report.
Protecting undocumented spouses
If you attended the AUSCP 2019 Assembly in St. Louis, you had the opportunity to meet the husband and father of American citizens in sanctuary, because he himself was undocumented. News this week is that President Biden plans to give legal protections to undocumented spouses of U.S. Citizens. The New York Times reported earlier this week.
‘Release Time’
Oklahoma joins states with ‘release time’ laws letting K-12 kids leave school for religious lessons. The Supreme Court has twice weighed in on ‘release time’ policies, and many states allow districts to implement them. Oklahoma is the most recent state to allow school boards to implement off-site classes with religious or moral instruction that K-12 students can attend for part of school days with parental consent. Gov. Kevin Stitt signed the bill June 5.
End-of-life care
Don’t let throwaway culture corrupt end-of-life care, says a writer in USCatholic. Life is a fundamental gift from God. Is it always worth living?
Reacting to a bad homily Should I walk out?
Indignation is not an emotion I expect to experience during a homily. Inspiration, interest, contemplation, and even occasionally boredom, sure. But the urge to stand up and walk out in a huff, not so much. Yet last December, while sitting in the pews of a nearby parish, that is exactly where I found myself. The personal experience is in USCatholic.
Blackface or acne medication?
Two students receive $1M in blackface lawsuit against California Catholic school. Officials at St. Francis High School in Mountain View were hit with the jury verdict in May for forcing the two adolescents out without due process.
Religion and Spirituality in East Asian Societies
A survey in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and neighboring Vietnam finds many people don’t identify with a religion but say they believe in unseen beings, venerate ancestors’ spirits and engage in ritual practices.
The pope and the comedian
What Pope Francis and Stephen Colbert know: Comedy is essential to a life of faith, says America Magazine.
A church where wellness meets spirituality
With today’s emptier church pews and fuller yoga studios, churches like The Well are attempting to bridge the two worlds for spiritual fulfillment. From Religion New Service.
A new silent movie
An Historic all-sign-language movie ‘Jesus: A Deaf Missions Film’ comes soon to theaters. Debuting on June 20, it’s the first film entirely in American Sign Language to debut in theaters, according to the filmmakers.
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