Something to Read

I want to recommend as a must read, the transcript of Mary Hess's talk at the CTS meeting at Notre Dame, May of 2009. Her discussion of Authority, Authenticity and Agency in the Web 2.0 and Social media worlds provides valuable insights for our ministry. She also discusses the changes in the publishing world and its impact on our programs. You will find the article here: www.luthersem.edu/mhess/HessPaper.pdf

Thanks to Caroline Cerveny, SSJ for the link to this article.

I want to recommend that you find a copy of the June 25th 2009 issue of "Origins" and read the article by Terrence W Tilley. The Title of the article is, "Three Impasses in Christology." Tilley's discussion of impasses and stalemates is an interesting conversation. The way we address impasses and stalemates has a direct impact on catechesis. I especially like the emphasis he gives to staying at the table. A tactic he says he learned from his Marianist friends at the University of Dayton.

Anne Emails from the Board Meeting

We are in the thick of our meeting in DC. I honestly thought the agenda would be one that we could finish in good time. However, I have found that there are a variety of topics that need further discussion. Yesterday we looked at a technology piece and had a great discussion. We hope to have a recommendation on that piece in July.

Today we visited the NCCL offices and made random calls to our members. We received valuable input from our members and will incorporate that input into the rest of our meeting. There were also a few membership issues that we grappled with and Russell Peterson, Tom Quinlan, and Michele Harris will finish the piece and bring it back to the board in July.

Currently we are involved in a discussion on the forums lead by Chela Gonzales. We hope to also talk about committees tonight............
Tomorrow we are visiting the USCCB with Michael Steier.

More later!
Anne

Pictures from Board Meeting In DC

Anne Roat, NCCL President sent these pictures from the Board's meeting in Washington. From the looks of things the meetings are going well.

Thomas Berry, CP

I received this information from the people at Loyola Institute for Ministry regarding Thomas Berry, CP.

We want to inform you of the death of Thomas Berry, CP, Ph.D., on June 1, 2009. Thomas died in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he was born 94 years ago, the third of thirteen children.

Thomas left a unique and rich legacy to those of us who follow him in time -- the sense of Creation as God's first and ultimate self-disclosure -- the need to remember that the first article of our Creed is belief in God, Creator of Heaven and Earth -- the reminder that the natural world evokes our earliest and deepest experience of beauty, intimacy, and imagination, those attributes which dispose us to the world of the sacred and distinguish us from other life forms.

Thomas received an honorary doctorate from Loyola in 1994. He responded to this in his customary, self-deflecting way, "I want to thank this University for being the first Catholic university to bestow such an honor on one whose primary commitment is the natural world."

Thomas returned to LIM and Loyola annually over the next ten years, offering workshops and lectures, all of which have been sent to the archive established at Harvard University to house his massive literary and video legacy.

His wisdom and presence suffuse our LIM/LIMEX curricula. And it was under his tutelage that the Religion and Ecology Focus Area was developed.

Thus we at Loyola and particularly the community of the Institute for Ministry are indebted to this scholar/teacher who identified himself as geologian, or student of Earth. May he rest in peace and may his work prosper through the creative efforts of those legions who bear his influence in their minds and hearts and carry it forward into the Great Work of the 21st century. www.thomasberry.org


On behalf to the Loyola Institute for Ministry,

OSV Acquires Harcourt Religion Publishers

Our Sunday Visitor announced today its acquisition of Harcourt Religion Publishers (a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. This brings together two of the nation’s leading Catholic publishing groups. Terms of the transaction were undisclosed. Read the press release here. For more information visit the web site here.