(Follow the bouncing ball.)Notes & News(Follow the bouncing ball.)
A poll commissioned by the Pew Research Center reported 71 percent of
respondents say that they never doubt the existence of God. In
1987, the figure was 60 percent. The poll found that 61 percent
of Americans also believe miracles come from the power of
God—a increase of 14 percent from a decade ago.
Father David Hemann,
Charismatic Liaison for the Diocese of Sioux City, said
recently that in creating his latest musical project, "In
God’s Company," he was looking
for a way to encourage people to pray. So far, it’s working.
Close to 1,000 copies of "In
God’s Company" sold in his
Diocese since its December release. The album, his third,
contains musical settings of the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the
Act of Contrition, the Glory Be, and other familiar Catholic
prayers.
The Vatican has notified the Archdiocese of
Hartford that the cause for sainthood of Knights
of Columbus founder Father Michael J. McGivney may
proceed. The archdiocese will now begin looking into the life,
works and virtue of Father McGivney whose canonization is
unanimously supported by the U.S. bishops conference.
Cardinal Francis George of
Chicago
in his first pastoral letter says that
evangelization does not mean "beating people over the head
with a Bible or a catechism or our own spiritual experience
stridently repeated; but it does mean more than the quiet witness
of Gospel living and Christian service... Some Catholics fear to
evangelize because they are afraid of being asked questions they
cannot answer."
"Religion in the
workplace is becoming more of an issue as we approach the year
2000," says
Paul Salvatore, a New York employment lawyer. "Religious
harassment is becoming an issue employers have to address. As
religious participation in the United States increases—more
adults are returning to church—the controversy over being
able to practice one’s religion on the job has drawn the
attention of lawmakers, who are pushing legislation to make
employers more responsive to requests by religious employees.
Under current law, an employer must reasonably accommodate
religious employees unless doing so poses an "undue
hardship." Courts, however, have loosely interpreted the
hardship clause so new legislation may be needed. For example,
devout Catholic Kathy Pielech was fired from her race track job
in Massachusetts for refusing to work on Christmas.
Seminars of Spiritual
Enlightenment started January 17 at St. Cecilia Church, San
Francisco, sponsored by the Charismatic Renewal and the School of
Pastoral Leadership. Designed to help
Christians grow in holiness through studying the faith, they are
presented on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
The 18
Seminars continue to May 30th. Topics and presenters include
practical information and spiritual enlightenment. Registration
at the door: $5.00 per Saturday or $30.00 for all sessions. Call
the Renewal Office for more information at 415/564-PRAY