Dear Parish Social Minister,

Catholic Charities USA is honored to sponsor a retreat with Fr. Bob Dufford, SJ, a four-time Grammy nominated composer as a Saint Louis Jesuit and beloved for songs such as “Be Not Afraid.” Click here for more information on this special event scheduled for January 28-20, 2020 at the Bon Secours Retreat and Conference Center near Baltimore. This event is reserved for Catholic Charities staff, trustees, and their spouses.

Here are other items of note:

Over 160 Catholic parishes partner with the Angel Tree Program to give incarcerated parents a pathway to strengthen relationships with their children and families at Christmas. Learn more during a webinar, co-sponsored by CCUSA, on November 6 at 3:00 pm EST.

The first two videos and participant and facilitator guides in Catholic Charities USA’s Catholic Disaster Preparedness Program are now available in the PSM Resources section of the CCUSA website. Additional videos in this comprehensive series will be released in the future.

Act soon to register for CCUSA’s Applied Institute for Disaster Excellence (AIDE) from December 2-6 in Jacksonville, Florida, which features a dedicated track for parish-based disaster operations.

Mark your calendars for the next series of PSM national networking conference calls, scheduled for December 3 (3:00 pm), 4 (2:00 pm), and 5 (11:00 am), and hosted by CCUSA’s Parish Social Ministry Leadership Team. All times Eastern.

Once again, Catholic Charities USA will offer Advent and Christmas reflections authored by Catholic Charities employees and other social concerns ministers, which arrive by email each morning. Sign up here to receive them. 

All of CCUSA’s parish social ministry resources – foundational documents, webinars and newsletters, and CCUSA’s PSM Leadership Team contact info – are freely and publicly available online.

If you have an inspiring or informative story about the work of Catholic Charities, please submit it to the CCUSA Storybank. These stories are used to promote the work of Catholic Charities through the media. Contributing agencies will be credited for approved stories. Email David Werning with questions. 

Do you know of others who would appreciate receiving these emails? Please share with them this link.

Peace,

Scott Hurd

Vice President, Leadership Development and Catholic Identity