Mount St. Joseph honors Sister Mary Elsbernd

COURTESY PHOTO

Sister Mary Elsbernd

The St. Elizabeth Seton Medal is named in honor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, foundress of the Sisters of Charity, the congregation that established the college in 1920 and today continues to sponsor it. The college established the St. Elizabeth Seton Medal in 1996 in honor of the Mount’s 75th anniversary and to recognize distinguished women in theology.

The event is free and open to the public.

ST. FRANCIS DE SALES DEANERY

Archbishop to address global climate change

CNS PHOTO/ERIC KANALSTEIN, COURTESY OF U.N.

Archbishop Celestino Migliore spoke about climate change in an address to the 62nd session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York earlier this year.

Archbishop Migliore has served since 2002 as Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations. In 2007 he addressed the U.N. General Assembly on the topic of global climate change. The archbishop has a master’s degree in theology from the Center of Theological Studies in Fossano and a doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Lateran University.

Jame Schaefer, respondent to Migliore’s lecture, is associate professor of theology at Marquette University. Her work focuses on the constructive relationship between theology and the natural sciences with special attention to religious foundations for ecological ethics.

ARCHDIOCESE

Fall discernment retreat for men

The Missionaries of the Precious Blood will hold a vocation discernment retreat at St. Charles Center in Carthagena on Nov. 7-9. The weekend is for men completing high school, of college age and older men who are discerning a vocation to religious life as a priest or Brother.

The Missionaries of the Precious Blood is a religious society of priests, Brothers and lay associates who work in parishes in the United States and abroad. For additional information, call Missionary of the Precious Blood Father Tony Fortman in the Office of Vocation Ministry at 419-852-3900.

SIDNEY DEANERY

Harvest auction set for Nov. 1

The public is invited to attend the 20th Annual Lehman High School Harvest Auction on Nov. 1. More than 400 live and silent auction items will be up for bids during the gala event that is Lehman’s largest fundraiser.

Individuals who are interested in attending this year’s event are asked to contact Semanie at the Lehman Development Office at 937-498-1161 before Oct. 24. Tickets are $50/person and include a social hour, dinner and admission to the auction. Tickets will not be sold at the door.

ARCHDIOCESE

St. Anthony Messenger interviews Judge Merz

The National Review Board, established in 2002 in Dallas by the U.S. bishops who met to coordinate their efforts to end the sexual abuse crisis, continues to monitor progress. They are completing goals established in the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People to eliminate abuse by priests or others who work for the church.

An interview with Judge Michael R. Merz, chair of the National Review Board since June 2007 and a survivor of sex abuse by a church employee, is featured in the November issue of St. Anthony Messenger.

After October 20, the article will be posted at: http://www.AmericanCatholic.org

Judge Merz was a trial judge for seven years for the Dayton, Municipal Court and has been federal judge for 24 years. He also has served on the pastoral council for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for the past six years.

Completed under the guidance of Merz, the report on the charter, released in March 2008, shows that out of 190 dioceses/eparchies that participated in the survey, 178 are in full compliance with every article of the Charter.

Merz says that his work on the National Review Board is challenging because "it’s just tough work. It’s not so much that we’ve had much interaction with the abusing priests, but we’ve seen some of the cover-up stuff that is really unbelievable."

The National Review Board is also looking to study the causes and context behind sexual abuse in the church. "The fact that we have such a high percentage of abuse of males is definitely something that needs explanation," Merz says. He and the other board members look to understand the role of sexual orientation or opportunity for abuse through the study.