Singing Unity — Songs for Download

NPM and the Friars of the Atonement sponsored a competition that invited composers and writers to create a new hymn text and a new Communion song based on the prayer of Jesus, “That all may be one” (John 17:21). The winning entries – “Family of Faith” by Steven Ottományi and “That All May Be One in Christ” by Ricky Manalo,csp– are now available forfree downloadat theNPM website. Both compositions were sung by participants during the recent NPM National Convention in Indianapolis.

Faith Doing Justice

The current edition on the online Justice Newsletter, “Faith Doing Justice” from the Office of Evangelization, Justice, & Peace and edited by Linda Batton has just been published. There’s a lot to see – it’s been a busy time! I hope you will find the information useful and informative. Feel free to share it with others.

You will find the full newsletter at dsjjustice.blogspot.com or you can click on any of the links below to go directly to a posting. There is information on the sidebar on the right for printing. You can also click on the Babel Fish icon to see it translated into 8 languages. Try it, it’s a lot of fun! Also on the sidebar is an extensive list of links to key justice websites, the Daily Bulletin for the Diocese, and other Diocesan newsletters.

• Welcome – End of Summer Edition
• Parish Social Ministry Formation Opportunities - Fall 2007
• 2007-2008 State Budget Signed
• Labor Day Statement 2007: A Time to Remember, A Time to Recommit
• Labor Day Speak-Out - 20 Parishes to Participate
• St. Catherine's Hosts Dinner for Darfur
• Blue Bag Project at Holy Spirit - BE THE CHANGE!
• Global Climate Change
• Immigrant Leadership Training
• Increase Affordable Housing in Silicon Valley - Catholic Charities
• Faith Formation Conference - September 21-22
• Respect Life Sunday - October 7
• World Mission Sunday - October 21
• Global Poverty Conference - October 27
• CCHD Collection - November 18
• Poverty USA - Make a Difference!
• Safely Surrendered Baby Law
• Santa Clara County 2-1-1
• "Our Journey to Native Lands" - Immersion Experience to Fort Apache
• Covenant House - Volunteer Opportunities
• New Website from USCCB on Catholic Social Teaching
• A Reflection on Corpus Christi - Legalism and the Immigration Debate

Changing the World One Hug at a Time

Hat tip to Jill.

Total Lunar Eclipse Tonight

We on the west coast will have a great 90 minute show in the sky again. A few weeks ago, we had the Perseids shooting by. Tonight, the moon will be in a total lunar eclipse for an hour and a half, the longest in seven years. For us on the west coast, the eclipse begins at 12:54a Tuesday morning. At 2:52a, the moon will be completely shadowed, turning into a sunset-red, staying this way for almost 90 minutes. NASA headquarters says that at this point on earth, you will witness every sunrise and sunset in the world all at once! I'll be setting my alarm for 3:00a.

Read more about this here.

Hat tip to Todd.

Pic source: NASA

Blessing of Students and Teachers

It's that time of year again when kids pick out new notebooks and folders and parents breathe a sigh of relief.

Here's a blessing for students and teachers you can use at the beginning of this new school year.

So you think RE Congress is big...

The Los Angeles Religious Education Congress in Anaheim, California, with its 40,000 in attendance, is certainly a lot of Catholics in one place each year.

But, the annual gathering for Marian Days in Carthage, Missouri, this last weekend, with 75,000 Vietnamese Catholics coming together to pray and hear lectures on faith, is even bigger.

Listen to National Public Radio's (NPR) story on it.

God's Free Light Show Tonight: The Perseid Meteor Showers

Go out tonight and watch one of God's best light shows. I plan too. After midnight Monday morning (August 13) is the best time to watch, someplace away from city lights. Just look to the east.

Click here for a great list of 12 things you need to watch the Perseids or any meteor shower--and learn the difference between a meteor and a comet.

Update:
At around 1:00a, I drove up Bernal Road in South San Jose almost to the IBM complex at the top, to try to get away from the city lights. Seems like lots of other people had the same idea! There were about 10 other cars parked along the road near the top with people huddled in blankets sitting outside against the hillside looking out over Blossom Valley toward the east. I drove a little further up from the crowd to avoid the headlights from cars coming up the hill.

Granted, it's still not far enough from the city. (Last time I drove down 101 and stopped at a truck rest stop near Morgan Hill. Much darker but not as nice as area.) But the first streak I saw was a long bright stream that stretched right over my head almost all the way down to the faint glow of amber from the city lights in the distance. During the next hour, I saw 8 more shorter bursts of lights throughout the sky and got to gaze at many more constellations than I would normally see from my deck.

Christian lore calls the Perseid meteor showers "Saint Lawrence's tears" because they always appear around August 10, Saint Lawrence the Martyr's feast day. Others refer to them as the shower of gold in which the Greek god, Zeus, appeared to the human, Danae. Their encounter resulted in the birth of Perseus. The divine descends to meet the human. Sound familiar?

Call of the Drum Retreat - August 10-12, 2007

My friend, Antonio Davidson-Gomez, is one of the best liturgical percussionists I know! Below is information on a retreat he is facilitating in northern California.

Call of the Drum:

Percussion in Sacred Traditions Across Cultures

August 10-12, 2007

Mercy Center, Auburn, California

Registration and information

Set in the oak-studded Sierra foothills outside Sacramento, we will explore the use of drums and percussion in the sacred traditions of several different cultures, as well as participate in hands-on practice of good hand drumming techniques. The retreat is designed to help individuals build their own drumming practices informed by respectful exploration of traditional approaches.

It is an ideal weekend of workshops for liturgical percussionists, music/liturgy directors, vocalists/instrumentalists doubling on percussion, or anyone interested in integrating music in her personal spiritual life. No experience is necessary and instruments will be available to use and/or purchase.

Antonio will use his near-20 years of experience “percussing” for diverse faith communities, and his fieldwork in Latin America and the Mediterranean to inform our study of frame drums and barrel drums (congas, djembes), as well as colorful interpretation of rattles, bells, blocks, chimes, and other percussion. A highlight of the weekend will be a program of sacred texts and music dedicated to Mary from different corners of the globe.

Register directly at the Mercy Center website or contact Antonio for more information at tamborlandia[at]hotmail[dot]com or (510) 484-5168.

Confirmation 2008 for the Diocese of San José

M E M O R A N D U M

TO: Confirmation Coordinators
FROM: Patricia Allen, Secretary to the Bishop
DATE: June 25, 2007
SUBJECT: Confirmation 2008


Next year, Easter Sunday falls on March 23rd. Pentecost Sunday will be May 11th. Clergy Study Week takes place the week of May 12-16, 2008.

During the 2008 Easter Season, Bishop Patrick McGrath and Msgr. Francis Cilia will be available to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation. Once a majority of the date requests have come in, the schedule for Confirmation and the celebrant will be determined.

Please know that the deans (Vicars Forane) and all the Vicars are also able to confer the Sacrament of Confirmation. In addition, Bishop McGrath is always very happy to grant to a Pastor, upon request, the delegation to confirm.

Here are some reminders:

1. It is always greatly appreciated when parishes join together for the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, either at the Cathedral or at a designated parish church.


2. Please submit three (3) date requests, listing them in order of preference. We will do our best to accommodate your requests.


3. To the extent that it is possible, calendar requests for Confirmation will be handled on a first-come, first-serve basis. It is my hope to have the Confirmation schedule ready by early September.


4. For those parishes with a confirmation group of less than thirty candidates, please join with another parish.


5. The following Saturday mornings have been reserved at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph for the 9:30 a.m. celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation:

• March 29, 2008
• April 12, 2008
• April 19, 2008
• April 26, 2008
• May 10, 2008.

Click here to downloard the form to Request the Celebration of Confirmation with Bishop McGrath (Word doc).

Please submit request/s-by fax, regular mail, or e-mail as soon as possible to:

Pat Allen
Diocese of San José
900 Lafayette Street, Suite 301
Santa Clara, CA 95050-4966
FAX: 408-983-0200
Email: allen[at]dsj[dot]org

Classifieds (outside of Diocese): Diocesan Worship and Sacrament Coordinator

Position Available: Worship & Sacrament Coordinator - Evangelization & Worship

Under the supervision of the Director of Worship & Sacrament Director, this full time position is responsible for acting as a resource for parish liturgies, planning for Diocesan liturgical programs, assisting with coordination of Episcopal liturgies for the diocesan bishop and overseeing sacramental formation for the Sacraments of Initiation, Reconciliation, Anointing and the RCIA process throughout the Diocese of Green Bay.

The ideal candidate has a Master's degree in Theology with a concentration on liturgy and sacraments, plus a minimum of five years experience in the field in a related parish or diocesan position. Must have experience in sacramental preparation, with particular attention on the Sacraments of Initiation and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and Children (cf. RCIA and RCIC). Preference is for person with musical ability and a good knowledge of sacred music in the Catholic Church. Must have good working knowledge of applicable Church documents on liturgy, the rites and Sacraments of Initiation, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick and RCIA, particularly such documents as Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, Liturgiam Authenticam; Redemptionis Sacramentum; Ecclesia de Eucharistia (On the Eucharist in Relationship to the Church), and Sacramentum Caritatis. Requires candidate to be a practicing Catholic and a registered member of a Catholic parish. Must have a valid driver's license.

If interested, please send cover letter and resume to Barbara Wiegand, Human Resources Coordinator, P.O. Box 23825, Green Bay, WI 54305-3825 or e-mail resume to bwiegand@gbdioc.org.