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Dear Friends,
Happy July! I hope you are enjoying summer and a little rest from the normal school year grind.
There is lots to celebrate this month. At the end of the month, we’ll observe Natural Family Planning Awareness Week. This marks the annual anniversary of Pope St. Paul VI’s Humanae Vitae, which reaffirmed the Church’s perennial teaching on the immorality of contraception.
See below for resources on observing NFP Awareness Week in your parish. Thank you for all you do to support couples and families in your parishes – know that we are praying for you!
In Christ,
Doug |
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Natural Family Planning Awareness Week
July 19-25
Join us in taking a few action steps this year to help make NFP more visible at your parish. Check out the many resources below and pick a few to highlight July 19-25. Whether this is the first time or the 40th time you’ve helped your parishioners encounter NFP, every effort helps make our couples and families more aware of God’s great plan and gift of fertility:
- Include the NFP Week bulletin ad in your bulletins on the weekends of July 18-20 and 25-26. Help your bulletin editor out by sending the graphics to them today!
- Participate in the Archdiocesan wide social media campaign. Repost the Archdiocese’s Facebook posts to your parish’s social media to help spread the word. A new NFP related post will be available each day from July 19-25.
- Utilize the USCCB’s resources for the week, which include homily talking points,
more graphics, intercessions, and a message from Bishop Robert Barron.
- Request NFP resources to have on hand in the vestibule, at post-Mass hospitality, or in the parish office.
- Our NFP and Cycle Charting Brochure gives an overview of all the best local resources for NFP, menstrual cycle health support, infertility support, and body literacy for teens and adolescents.
- Family Planning and Fertility: Everything You Wish You Already Knew is a free book and excellent tool to hand to a married or engaged couple who has never heard of NFP or doesn't know where to start learning NFP. You can also make these tools available all year long to men's and women's small groups, those in OCIA, or those attending Baptism preparation.
- Order today to have in time for July 19!
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August 20-22 | Mary, Mother of the Church Pastoral Center
Regular Price Deadline July 31
Thursday/Friday - $35 ea. | Saturday - $20 | Full Conference - $80
Night Owl Deadline After July 31
Thursday/Friday - $40 ea. | Saturday - $25 | Full Conference - $100
Whether you are new to ministry or have years of experience, the conference offers practical tools, fresh ideas, and encouragement for the year ahead.
Stay tuned for an email about our keynote speakers! This year's keynote speakers will challenge, inspire, and equip you to continue sharing the Gospel with confidence and joy. Learn more about them and register below.
*Parishes have the opportunity to pre-purchase catechists' tickets on registration form.
You don’t want to miss this! Click the link for more details and registration!
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Planning Ahead:
Resources for the New Catechetical Year
Each catechetical year provides many opportunities to incorporate special topics into our programs. When these invitations come in the middle of year, it can be overwhelming! To help, we've collected a few important opportunities to consider building into your programs. Each special topic has a recommended month as well as links to resources to utilize. |
Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi
October
Pope Leo XIV has proclaimed a special Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi to commemorate the 800th anniversary of St. Francis' death. This special year offers a beautiful opportunity to incorporate the life and spirituality of St. Francis into your catechetical program.
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October/January
October is Respect Life Month, providing a wonderful opportunity to discover the dignity of every human person created in the image and likeness of God. The National March for Life occurs each January, creating an additional opportunity to include the resources below.
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Vocations Awareness
November
The first full week of November is National Vocations Awareness Week, making it a natural time to help children, youth, and families reflect on God's call in their lives. |
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Safe Environment
April
April is Safe Environment Month, an ideal time to reinforce our shared commitment to protecting children and creating safe, welcoming parish communities. Together, we help ensure that every parish is a place where children, youth, and vulnerable adults can encounter Christ safely. |
Last month, we held our second Initiation Summit for parish leaders in OCIA and similar ministries. It was a great gathering with lots of ideas and discussion!
As a follow-up, we have created a new webpage to house resources for OCIA. Check it out, in particular, the “Rites Chart” we released at the Summit! This chart outlines each particular rite in the OCIA and classifies it as “Required,” “Expected,” or “Encouraged” for the various groups of those preparing for initiation.
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Wednesday, July 22 | 5:30pm-9:00pm
St. Sebastian Parish, Milwaukee
Cost: $150*
Registration Closes July 13th!
Do you need facilitators trained for pre-marital inventory work with your engaged couples? We will be offering in-person training for the Prepare-Enrich inventory for new facilitators.
*Facilitators can be Individuals or a couple. The price is the same for either. |
Saturday, October 3 | 10:00am
Lumen Christi Parish, Mequon
Registration Closes September 14th
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee invites couples celebrating their Silver (25th), Golden (50th), and greater (50+) Anniversaries to a special Mass with Most Reverend Jeffrey Grob, Archbishop of Milwaukee. Photo opportunity and cake reception will follow.
Can't make it to the celebration on October 3? Register to receive a certificate recognizing your marriage milestone!
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The National Council of Catholic Women have gathered this information which are favorite resources for your consideration. We invite you to use this when looking for gifts to family, friends or your parish. Share it with your faith community. Council groups may want to consider donating books to their parish if they have a lending library. Several of these organizations also publish catalogs you can order from. Some authors are known for the Catholic books they publish and can be found on more than one website. If a book is sold out on one site, it may be available on another.
Please click the button below to check out this resource! |
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Events & News from the Archdiocese
More Events & News from our Friends
- Totus Tuus - St. Jerome | Day Program July 20-24 | Evening Program July 19-23. Volunteers Needed for Totus Tuus Sign up Here!
- Retouvaille Milwaukee for Struggling Marriages | August 7-9 | Redemptorist Retreat Center
- Franciscan at Home Webinars
- Tuesday, Jul 7 at 1:00pm CST– Building a Society of Faith: The Pedagogy of Early Christian Disciples –Dr. Petroc Willey, Professor of Catechetics, Franciscan University, Steubenville, OH Register Here!
- Tuesday, Jul 28 at 1:00pm CST – In Spanish: La Teología del Cuerpo y los desafíos del amor en la cultura de hoy (The Theology of the Body and the Challenges of Love in Today’s Culture) – María Claudia Arboleda Piedrahita, STD, Académica en la Facultad de estudios teológicos y filosofía. Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Chile. Register Here!
- Tuesday, Aug 4 at 1:00pm CST – The Catechetical Purpose of Sacred Architecture – Carter Hord, Hord Architects of Memphis, TN Register Here!
- Tuesday, Aug 18 at 1:00pm CST – Thriving Discipleship: Testimonials from Parishioners and Priests on the Effectiveness of an Effective Small Group Approach for Parish Renewal – Dr. Bob Rice, PhD, Professor of Catechetics and Kristi Scheerbaum, Discipleship Special Projects Coordinator, Catechetical Institute (CI), Franciscan University of Steubenville Register Here!
- Tuesday, Aug 25 at 1:00pm CST – In Spanish: Cómo saber discernir el contenido auténticamente católico en las redes sociales (How to Discern Authentically Catholic Content in Social Media) – P. Byron Cadmen, Sacerdote religioso de la comunidad
Communio Sanctorum, Diócesis Santo Domingo, Ecuador Register Here!
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There are so many great job oppertunities in our Archdiocese. Please take a look or pass them along to someone that you know would make a great fit!
- Director of Music | St. Anthony the Hermit, Menomonee Falls
- Director of Liturgy | St. Charles, Hartland
- Director of Liturgy and Music | St. James the Less, Mukwonago
- Director of Christian Formation | St. John Vianney, Brookfield
- Director of Discipleship | St. Mary, Hales Corners
- Director of Adult and Youth Ministry | St. Mary, Kenosha
- Director of Child and Family Ministry | St. Paul & St. Bruno, Genesee Depot
- Associate Director of Christian Formation | St. John Vianney, Brookfield
- Administrative Assisant | St. Leonard, Muskego
- Pastoral Associate | St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, New Berlin
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Position Changes: if your parish has changes to your catechetical staff (DREs, YMs, Adult Formation, etc.),
Please click the link below to fill out the form with their information!
We want to make sure they get added to the correct email lists, and we often only know if you tell us. |
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