April 21, 2020 — Annapolis, MD
LEGISLATIVE NOTE
The General Assembly has made the decision to postpone the Special Session that had been scheduled to take place the last week of May. We will keep you updated as we learn more. In addition, May 7 is the deadline for Governor Larry Hogan to take action - veto, sign into law, or let a bill go into law without his signature - on legislation passed during this session.
FROM SCHOOL TO SCREEN
Photo: St. Martin School, Gaithersburg, via Twitter
Moving 54 elementary schools online in a matter of days takes a lot of work, but Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Washington were online as soon as schools were ordered closed as part of state health precautions.
“We took off and started distance learning immediately. Our families deserve the same quality of education whether the campuses are closed or not,” said Vicky McCann, Director for Curriculum and Instruction for the Archdiocese of Washington Catholic Schools.
Technology that already was in place (with iPad or laptop loans made to families where needed), ongoing training for teachers, parent surveys, and flexibility by principals, teachers, and parents have been key factors in making the transition a success, McCann said. Data collection and assessment have helped schools adapt as the online experience has continued.
“There were some bumps,” said Ms. McCann. “We figured out what was working and not working. Now, we have a system down and the schools are really taking off.”
READ MORE <[link removed]>
SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE IS JUNE 1
If you know families who are interested in Catholic school for their children but need some financial assistance, please encourage them to apply for the State of Maryland Broadening Options and Opportunities Today (BOOST) Scholarship Program.
Applications are being accepted through June 1, 2020, for the 2020-21 school year. During the legislative session that just ended, the Maryland legislature provided $7.5 million for BOOST scholarships to empower low-income parents with the option of a Catholic or other nonpublic school for their children. Income-eligible current Catholic school students may also receive BOOST Scholarships. Spread the word to your local and/or parish communities to make the option of Catholic school a reality for interested families!
To apply CLICK HERE <[link removed]>
DOING MORE WITH LESS
When stay-at-home orders went into effect for safety reasons, Our Daily Bread in Baltimore had to scramble. Parishioner-volunteers, through a parish-based program, had been providing 3,500 casseroles every month, but no longer could get the supplies they needed to prepare the meals.
Our Daily Bread staff stepped in to buy and cook the food themselves in the short term, which kept the center’s 39-year history of serving meals every day intact. Now, with a skeleton crew and a shift to “grab and go” meals, plus a re-start of the casserole program as many parishes have worked out a new system, Our Daily Bread is not only serving meals, but serving more meals. Lee Martin, director of Our Daily Bread, told the Catholic Review that demand for food is up 25 percent, to nearly 1,000 meals every day.
CLICK TO READ MORE <[link removed]>
In Southern Maryland, food deliveries to 400 low-income seniors, once bi-monthly are now weekly, while 1,600 children are getting meals through The Southern Maryland Food Bank’s school partnership program. Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington is reporting demand at their other centers is up 150 percent. The agency continues to provide as many services as possible safely.
To learn more about available services in the Archdiocese of Washington, CLICK HERE <[link removed]>or visit the Amazon wish list <[link removed]>, and add a few items the next time you are online.
Visit our COVID-19 <[link removed]>page for more information, including links to online Masses, ways to help (or get assistance), and government resources.
EARTH DAY AT 50
April 22 is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and a good time to reflect upon our call to be stewards of our environment. As Pope Francis notes in his encyclical, Laudato Si’: “[T]he ecological crisis is also a summons to profound interior conversion…Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience.”
Here in Maryland, the friars at the Shrine of St. Anthony <[link removed]> in Ellicott City have embraced his call to care for our common home by installing a solar power grid, returning traditionally farmed land to organic farming, and growing and harvesting fresh vegetables for the Franciscan Center in Baltimore. The shrine's Little Portion Farm recently was featured by Catholic News Service. WATCH THE VIDEO HERE <[link removed]>
Pope Francis has invited Catholics worldwide to join in a special week dedicated to the fifth anniversary of Laudato Si', May 18-24, 2020. Information and resources are online. To learn more CLICK HERE <[link removed]>
GET INVOLVED
JOIN THE CATHOLIC ADVOCACY NETWORK
Learn more about the Catholic Advocacy Network and how you can take action on important issues in Maryland: CLICK HERE. <[link removed]>
VOLUNTEER WITH US!
The Maryland Catholic Conference is still looking for volunteers to serve as Parish Legislative Ambassadors for some parishes. If you are passionate about the work we do and want to help us speak up on important issues in Maryland, please sign up to volunteer!
To sign-up to volunteer CLICK HERE. <[link removed]>
STAY CONNECTED WITH US!
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