RESOURCES
RESOURCES FOR INTERFAITH FAMILIES
-
How to Survive Being Married to a Catholic – Michael Henesy and Rosemary Gallagher, Liguori, 1997.
-
Double Belonging – Rev. George Kilcourse, Paulist Press, 1992
-
Interchurch Families – Rev. John Bush and Rev. Patrick Cooney, WJK Books () 2002.
Also, there are a couple of websites that would be helpful for interfaith couples at American Association of InterFaith Families and the Association of Interfaith Church (additional resources listed on this website; especially interesting is the Rome 2003 Document)
NEW SCRIPTURE RESOURCE ON THEME OF ECOLOGY
Catholics, from the Vatican to local parishes, are taking steps to raise awareness of the environment and to promote practices that conserve God’s creation.
Pope Benedict XVI has significantly sharpened his environmental message – not just in word but also in deed, placing solar cells atop the Paul VI Audience Hall and planting trees in a stretch of Hungarian forest in order to offset the Vatican’s annual carbon output.
In his 2008 message for the World Day of Peace, Pope Benedict spoke about the urgency of effective ecological safeguards, insisting that “the problems looming on the horizon are complex and time is short.” His ecological emphasis in the new message is strong. “We need to care for the environment,” Benedict writes. “It has been entrusted to men and women to be protected and cultivated with responsible freedom, with the good of all as a constant guiding criterion.”
Many parishes are beginning to take steps to make care for the Earth a pastoral priority and a concern of Christian life. However, many do not know where to turn for resources that integrate this 21st century issue with our ancient faith.
Threshold Bible Study, written by Catholic scholar Stephen J. Binz, has recently published Stewardship of the Earth, a Bible study for individuals or groups. It is being used in parishes throughout the country to demonstrate the direct connection between biblical faith and the ecological challenges faced by the world today.
Stewardship of the Earth is the first and only Bible Study that demonstrates how the fundamental issues of ecological care are rooted in the biblical literature. Though written in the Catholic tradition, it is also ecumenical in scope, chosen as required reading for a course at Columbia Theological Seminary on best practices for weaving Bible Study with contemporary issues.
This work, published by 23rd Publications, may be found by clicking here.
RESOURCES TO NURTURE FAMILY FAITH
Educators and catechists have long known that the key to a child’s faith formation lies in the home. There are a host of resources, both in print and electronic form, available to help families create “households of faith.” Follow the link listing many of the best of these is found on the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry website.
The OYYAM is making this list available to parents as part of its “Will Our Kids Have Faith?” presentations. These presentations are available on request from the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.
RESOURCES FOR THE YEAR OF ST. PAUL
Pope Benedict XVI has declared from June 28, 2008 to June 29, 2009 the Year of St. Paul. The Secretariat of Divine Worship of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has launched a website dedicated to the Pauline year honoring the 2000th anniversary of the birth of St. Paul. The site is designed to provide resources and related materials to those interested in participating in and learning more about the year-long celebration. The Secretariat’s Pauline Year website resources can be found at the link above.
There is a list of other resources on St. Paul available at the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis website.
MEDIA UPDATE FROM THE OEC
We have some new video and print material available in the media centers including a DVD on “Faithful Citizenship” to guide Catholics in the upcoming election. We are also giving away a large amount of VC’s. They are yours for the taking. Come in and browse! Click here for a look at the new media update.
NEW WAY TO TEACH AND REINFORCE FAITH KNOWLEDGE
New Catholic Jeopardy! ® games, coordinated with Levels 1 and 2 of the NCEA ACRE Assessment program, offer a fun, interactive way to teach and reinforce faith knowledge. Each cartridge includes five games of Single Jeopardy!, Double Jeopardy! and Final Jeopardy! with 300 clues. The Jeopardy! game system plays on your classroom television just like the show. For details call your Pflaum representative at 800-543-4383 or play a sample game.
