Support
Courage, an apostolate of the Roman Catholic Church, ministers to those with same-sex attractions and their loved ones. They have been endorsed by the Pontifical Council for the Family.
Child Protection
Parishes and other voluntary organisations within the Church have been working hard to establish proper procedures so that the Catholic Church can be seen to be operating the very best practices for the protection of children.
The Final Report of the independent Review on Child Protection in the Catholic Church in England and Wales chaired by Lord Nolan is available on the Web and can be downloaded either in simple text or as a Word document.
The Churches Child Protection Advisory Service also has a number of very useful publications and papers on a variety of issues related to the care of children. The approach is balanced, practical and sensible.
Work for the Good of the Priesthood
Opus Bono Sacerdotii is a response to the bad press that the Catholic priesthood has suffered in recent years. The motto of the site is "finding solutions to the problems confronting priests in accordance with the authentic teaching of the Church, and the Holy Father and his predecessors"
Mothering with Grace
Inspiration and Practical Help for Mothers
Catholic Mothers
Site created for catholic mothers by a 41 year-old mother of seven. She looks to provide resources to counter the challenges to authentic family life.
www.catholicmothers.com
Accessibility
Tim Berners Lee said "The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect". Today, Churches and other voluntary organisations are increasingly aware of their responsibilities to provide access to all. The Web is a help in this, if content providers are aware. The Web Accessibility Initiative, run by the non-profit World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) offers advice, guidance and recognition to websites that conform to their web content accessibility guidelines. The drive for accessibility may well be a trigger that prevents commercial interests from "privatising" the web Catholic Men’s Ministry
Apparently, an editorial in the Wall Street Journal cited the growing Christian Men’s movement in support of its claim that the US is in the midst of a fourth great awakening. We in England could of course just smile cynically as usual but this will not do anything to restore the devastation of the family in our own country. This issue of Faith Online, we highlight some of the many sites which are dedicated to “Men’s Ministry”.
The famous Promise Keepers is of evangelical origin and has come in for some fierce criticism from Baptists in the USA for being too "ecumenical". Certainly it has much to offer Catholic men. However, there are also some good Catholic initiatives in parallel. One such is Catholic Men’s Ministry which has groups in many US dioceses. The website aims to offer practical help, especially to husbands and fathers trying to live their faith from day to day. The “Four Beliefs” page looks at Family, Marriage, Church and Workplace, giving scriptural texts and a statement of belief. There is then space for an application point (“Today, my family needs me to be …” etc.) and an Action Step for the day.
http://www.catholicmensministry.com/vision.htm
http://www.promisekeepers.org/ St Joseph's Covenant Keepers
In a similar vein, the St Joseph’s Covenant Keepers proposes “Eight Commitments.” These are designed to encourage men to love, cherish and protect their families in union with Christ. The “Executive Summary” found at the “about us” link is an inspiring vision of renewal of family and society. E5men
A curious site that people might either love or hate. The title is a reference to Ephesians chapter five, telling how Christ loved his bride, the Church and gave himself up for her. The concept is simple - men undertake to fast on bread and water for 24 hours once a month, preferably on the first Wednesday. The initiative is an affirmation of men and a practical spiritual attempt to make reparation for some of the harm inflicted by men on women.
Youth Apostles online
Further to last issue's selection of youth oriented websites, this is another site with good articles and links aimed at young people.
Sister Briege McKenna
Given an insight into the holiness and dignity of the priestly ministry, Sr Briege has now spent thirty years ministering to priests both individually and by giving retreats. The St Clare Sisters Retreat Ministry has a schedule with mainly US dates but occasional dates in England and Ireland.
Intercession for Priests
In co-operation with Sister Briege McKenna, Fr Kevin Scallon began the initiative of “Intercession for Priests”. One fo the intentions is “That priests will attain to a deep interior life that will liberate them from materialism and sensuality and from discouragement, indifference and cynicism.” The St Vincent Ministry to Priests has various days of prayer and retreats for priests.
Women for Faith and Family
Started by six women around a dining table in St Louis, Women for Faith and Family has become a major force assisting Catholic women to make their voice heard. The "Affirmation for Catholic Women" now has well over 40,000 signatories. As they point out, "No petition of dissent in the post-conciliar era has attracted such a response - not even the highly publicized statement of dissent from Humanae Vitae in 1968, or Call-to-Action's "We are Church" statement in 1996-97." The Website has an archive of past issues of "Voices", the WFF magazine. This contains excellent and helpful articles by well-known contributors. You can also look up an online magazine "Medicine and Morality", a collection of Church documents and various WFF statements, including the excellent statement on feminism, language and liturgy. The prayers and devotions section has resources for family prayers through the year and the FAQ section gives the opinions of WFF on various topics relating to women and the Church. Highly recommended site for orthodox Catholic women.
Once Catholic.org
This is a site, offered by St Anthony Messenger Press for Catholics who have drifted away from the Church for various reasons. Stories on the site include those who have had problems with "staff" (clergy or others), those who have marriage problems, those who never received spiritual nourishment from the Church and those who have difficulties with the teaching of the Church. The advice is sympathetic, understanding and orthodox. There are answers to frequently asked questions on various subjects and a moderated chat room.
Catholic League
"Defends the right of Catholics - lay and clergy alike - to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination". The collection of research papers and reports makes interesting reading. Maybe some good Catholic lay people might start something in Britain where it is arguable even more necessary?
Community Cenacolo
A Christian association, founded by an Italian nun Sr. Evira Petrozzi in 1983 to welcome in desperate young people who are suffering from the strains of life, and may have turned to drug addiction, alcohol or substance abuse. In Community they are able to rebuild their lives for a new life in society.
Today there are over 50 houses spread throughout Italy and the rest of the world. In March 2005 the first house in the UK was established in Kendal, Cumbria. The Community's aims have been blessed by the Bishops of Lancaster, Salford, Shrewsbury and Wrexham.
Courage, an apostolate of the Roman Catholic Church, ministers to those with same-sex attractions and their loved ones. They have been endorsed by the Pontifical Council for the Family.
Child Protection
Parishes and other voluntary organisations within the Church have been working hard to establish proper procedures so that the Catholic Church can be seen to be operating the very best practices for the protection of children.
The Final Report of the independent Review on Child Protection in the Catholic Church in England and Wales chaired by Lord Nolan is available on the Web and can be downloaded either in simple text or as a Word document.
The Churches Child Protection Advisory Service also has a number of very useful publications and papers on a variety of issues related to the care of children. The approach is balanced, practical and sensible.
Work for the Good of the Priesthood
Opus Bono Sacerdotii is a response to the bad press that the Catholic priesthood has suffered in recent years. The motto of the site is "finding solutions to the problems confronting priests in accordance with the authentic teaching of the Church, and the Holy Father and his predecessors"
Mothering with Grace
Inspiration and Practical Help for Mothers
Catholic Mothers
Site created for catholic mothers by a 41 year-old mother of seven. She looks to provide resources to counter the challenges to authentic family life.
www.catholicmothers.com
Accessibility
Tim Berners Lee said "The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect". Today, Churches and other voluntary organisations are increasingly aware of their responsibilities to provide access to all. The Web is a help in this, if content providers are aware. The Web Accessibility Initiative, run by the non-profit World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) offers advice, guidance and recognition to websites that conform to their web content accessibility guidelines. The drive for accessibility may well be a trigger that prevents commercial interests from "privatising" the web Catholic Men’s Ministry
Apparently, an editorial in the Wall Street Journal cited the growing Christian Men’s movement in support of its claim that the US is in the midst of a fourth great awakening. We in England could of course just smile cynically as usual but this will not do anything to restore the devastation of the family in our own country. This issue of Faith Online, we highlight some of the many sites which are dedicated to “Men’s Ministry”.
The famous Promise Keepers is of evangelical origin and has come in for some fierce criticism from Baptists in the USA for being too "ecumenical". Certainly it has much to offer Catholic men. However, there are also some good Catholic initiatives in parallel. One such is Catholic Men’s Ministry which has groups in many US dioceses. The website aims to offer practical help, especially to husbands and fathers trying to live their faith from day to day. The “Four Beliefs” page looks at Family, Marriage, Church and Workplace, giving scriptural texts and a statement of belief. There is then space for an application point (“Today, my family needs me to be …” etc.) and an Action Step for the day.
http://www.catholicmensministry.com/vision.htm
http://www.promisekeepers.org/ St Joseph's Covenant Keepers
In a similar vein, the St Joseph’s Covenant Keepers proposes “Eight Commitments.” These are designed to encourage men to love, cherish and protect their families in union with Christ. The “Executive Summary” found at the “about us” link is an inspiring vision of renewal of family and society. E5men
A curious site that people might either love or hate. The title is a reference to Ephesians chapter five, telling how Christ loved his bride, the Church and gave himself up for her. The concept is simple - men undertake to fast on bread and water for 24 hours once a month, preferably on the first Wednesday. The initiative is an affirmation of men and a practical spiritual attempt to make reparation for some of the harm inflicted by men on women.
Youth Apostles online
Further to last issue's selection of youth oriented websites, this is another site with good articles and links aimed at young people.
Sister Briege McKenna
Given an insight into the holiness and dignity of the priestly ministry, Sr Briege has now spent thirty years ministering to priests both individually and by giving retreats. The St Clare Sisters Retreat Ministry has a schedule with mainly US dates but occasional dates in England and Ireland.
Intercession for Priests
In co-operation with Sister Briege McKenna, Fr Kevin Scallon began the initiative of “Intercession for Priests”. One fo the intentions is “That priests will attain to a deep interior life that will liberate them from materialism and sensuality and from discouragement, indifference and cynicism.” The St Vincent Ministry to Priests has various days of prayer and retreats for priests.
Women for Faith and Family
Started by six women around a dining table in St Louis, Women for Faith and Family has become a major force assisting Catholic women to make their voice heard. The "Affirmation for Catholic Women" now has well over 40,000 signatories. As they point out, "No petition of dissent in the post-conciliar era has attracted such a response - not even the highly publicized statement of dissent from Humanae Vitae in 1968, or Call-to-Action's "We are Church" statement in 1996-97." The Website has an archive of past issues of "Voices", the WFF magazine. This contains excellent and helpful articles by well-known contributors. You can also look up an online magazine "Medicine and Morality", a collection of Church documents and various WFF statements, including the excellent statement on feminism, language and liturgy. The prayers and devotions section has resources for family prayers through the year and the FAQ section gives the opinions of WFF on various topics relating to women and the Church. Highly recommended site for orthodox Catholic women.
Once Catholic.org
This is a site, offered by St Anthony Messenger Press for Catholics who have drifted away from the Church for various reasons. Stories on the site include those who have had problems with "staff" (clergy or others), those who have marriage problems, those who never received spiritual nourishment from the Church and those who have difficulties with the teaching of the Church. The advice is sympathetic, understanding and orthodox. There are answers to frequently asked questions on various subjects and a moderated chat room.
Catholic League
"Defends the right of Catholics - lay and clergy alike - to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination". The collection of research papers and reports makes interesting reading. Maybe some good Catholic lay people might start something in Britain where it is arguable even more necessary?