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Catholic Rural Life Expands Lay Leadership Training Program August 14th, 2014
After being tested and tweaked for more than three years, Catholic Rural Life’s Life in Christ is ready to expand. The Diocese of Des Moines will be the first new diocese to implement the lay leadership program. The program will now be present in three different rural dioceses in three different states. The Oblate JPIC Office is a member of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference, and encourages interested Oblates to contact the coalition to learn more about the lay leadership training program.
The initiative, which has operated as a pilot program in the Dioceses of Winona and Sioux Falls since 2011, aims to equip laymen and women in rural dioceses with the knowledge and ability to lead small groups in their parishes. Life in Christ emphasizes an engagement with the entirety of the Catholic faith, including Scripture, the Catechism, and papal encyclicals, and seeks to ultimately revitalize the faith of Catholics in rural America in the spirit of the New Evangelization.
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August Issue of Stop Trafficking! August 11th, 2014
Read the latest issue of Stop Trafficking!, the anti-human trafficking newsletter of a broad coalition of national and international congregations of women religious and their partners.
The August 2014 issue (Vo. 12, no. 8) highlights the plight of children in the US and those seeking asylum because of violence and sexual exploitation.
Catholic Sisters Release “Earth as our Home” Booklet August 11th, 2014
Too often when we hear the word ‘house’ we only think of a physical building and its rooms. But what if we began to think of Earth as our house – with various rooms – what would we need to do to make this ‘house’ a true ‘home?’ The Catholic Sisters for a Healthy Earth have prepared a reflection booklet on the various rooms of a house, placing each room and its activities into the broader context of our Earth-home.
Catholic Sisters for a Healthy Earth is made up of representatives from congregations of women religious from the upper Mississippi Valley in eastern Iowa and southwestern Wisconsin. The group’s coordinator, Joy Peterson, PBVM explains, “Our intention is to take a new look at how everything we do, no matter where we are, is interconnected and tied to the well-being of all living things.” The booklet includes suggestions of simple actions for families to take in order to live more sustainably and walk more gently on Earth.
You can get a free download of the booklet at the Sisters of St. Francis website.
USCCB Infographic to Stop Slavery! July 2nd, 2014
Please watch this new info-graphic from the US Catholic Bishops’ Conference Anti-Trafficking Program, and take action today!
STOP Trafficking During FIFA! June 5th, 2014
In a week, “the biggest single-event sporting competition in the world” will commence: The FIFA World Cup. Half a million people are anticipated to attend the 2014 World Cup, which will be held in Brazil.
Live Your Dream is an online community empowering offline action, helping women and girls to live their dreams. They sponsored a #STOPTrafficking Awareness Week before the Superbowl in January. Along with spectators, large sporting events see an influx of sex trafficking victims.
You can take action to STOP Trafficking during FIFA!
Live Your Dream has created a resource and letter for nearly 200 hotels in the 12 Brazilian host cities to help hotel employees recognize the signs of trafficking and encourage them to contact the authorities if they suspect trafficking.
GOAL: 7,000 signatures in 7 days – SIGN HERE! Over 4,000 people have signed the letter as of this posting.
With the World Cup a week away, the organization is trying to get as many signatures of support as possible. Please sign your name now, and share this action with others so they may help put a stop to this atrocious crime against women and girls.
