News

The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) and the Mexican American Catholic College (MACC) are developing new initiatives in Texas to promote civic and church leadership among southwestern college students.   Both San Antonio institutions serve predominantly Hispanic student populations.  Nationally, Hispanics are part of a vital church trend, representing 35% of U.S. Catholics overall and 50% of those under 26. Yet only 13% hold a bachelors degree. Higher education will help Hispanic Catholics develop as leaders, improve their communities’ prospects and deepen their intellectual contributions toward the church’s future. Following more than forty years of collaboration serving the Hispanic community, UIW and MACC are offering a new bilingual undergraduate degree in Pastoral Ministry to prepare their students for leadership within the culturally diverse contemporary church.  The degree is offered by UIW with additional courses taught by MACC faculty; students will be drawn from both campuses. UIW has also entered into a partnership with CHRISTUS Health to create a Center for Civic Leadership.  The new Center will facilitate opportunities for civic leader development guided by the values of Catholic Social Teaching, strengthening existing local partnerships and connecting with global health and education efforts.   In reflection of UIW’s wider commitment to community service and social justice, it joined with Catholic Charities in 2012 to expand service-learning opportunities within the Refugee Resettlement Program in San Antonio. UIW is an active member of the President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge and hosted a Regional Interfaith Conference in August 2013 to engage higher education and religious leaders in

Washington, DC – A newly published, 36-page conference proceedings tells Catholic foundations and donors that lay leadership development in the home missions among Hispanic Catholics, is an essential first step in a pastoral strategy to prevent attrition to other faiths. “Studies show one in four third-generation Hispanics are leaving for other churches–if not more!” says Jerry White, Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry in the Diocese of Charleston, SC, speaking before members of FADICA in May. “Why? Because they don’t feel included. They don’t feel part of the church. And we as the Catholic church sometimes are not very welcoming,” the diocesan official remarked. The conference entitled: A Vibrant Future: Developing Hispanic Leadership in the Home Missions, was co-sponsored by Catholic Extension and FADICA to learn about the severe financial needs of Catholic home mission dioceses, many of which have been overwhelmed by fast-growing populations of Hispanic immigrant families. “In our diocese we have 162 priests. But active in the diocese there are only 58, including only 12 Hispanic priests,” explained Rhina Medina, Regional Director Hispanic Youth Ministry in the Diocese of Charleston. “But our Hispanic youth ministry coves 92 parishes and 24 missions,” she added. “We have to find the resources and the training to enable them to accompany our people in their faith journey. Most of them feel alone in this country.” Catholic Extension, in partnership with participating home mission dioceses and private donors including members of FADICA, are developing 100 new lay Hispanic leaders who will serve in the dioceses to coordinate a

Washington, DC – A popular and authoritative resource for locating grant support for Catholic-sponsored activities and programs has been updated and published. The Catholic Funding Guide, Seventh Edition, features short profiles on foundations, Catholic funding agencies in the U.S. and abroad, as well as fraternal and religious organizations. The Guide also contains guidance and commentary on the world of Catholic giving and basic information on the grantmaking process. The Guide was first published in 1998. An online version was introduced to the public in 2009, making it now available as both a book and web-based database. The online version of the Guide is continuously updated and subscribers are sent quarterly emails alerting them to changes. The Guide is now considered by many as the most comprehensive compilation of information on funders with a Catholic focus. The seventh edition contains information on grantmakers whose combined annual contributions total some $10 billion, and over 250 new entries from the previous edition published three years ago. Editors have removed some 187 entries from the previous edition because funding agencies have closed or refocused their giving. A wide array of Catholic leaders commenting on The Catholic Funding Guide on the occasion of its new edition complement its practical and timely importance to Catholic ministry. Bishop Blase J. Cupich of the Diocese of Spokane remarks that The Catholic Funding Guide “has been a helpful handbook in the home missions, where the church’s work covers vast territory, but where financial resources are extremely limited.” “The Catholic Funding Guide provides a jumpstart for those whose great ideas need to find their way to generous benefactors,” says the Provincial of the

Washington, DC — International Catholic aid agency, Caritas International (sct@caritas.va) is working to coordinate Catholic worldwide emergency help to the victims of Cyclone Nygris which struck the country of Myanmar on May 3. Current fears are that over 100,000 people in this Southeast Asian region may lose their lives due to the effects of the storm and the shortages of food and water. An official death toll of 22,500 has been reported with over a million and a half persons displaced by the storm. The population centers impacted by the storm number in range of 24,000,000. Caritas Internationalis is coordinating the relief efforts of its 162 national members. Catholic Relief Services in Baltimore (www.crs.org) is planning U.S. Catholic aid to the people of Myanmar, working closely with Caritas International and in particular CAFOD, (Britain) and Caritas Italiana, (Italy). Michael Wiest, Executive Vice President of Catholic Relief Services, told FADICA that if CRS is granted permission to enter the impacted areas, the agency “is prepared to mount a sizable program of assistance.” According to Mr. Wiest, CRS has been able to build up a formidable capacity in staffing and expertise in Aceh, Indonesia following its work in Southeast Asia for the victims of the 2004 tsunami which hit Indonesia, India, and Sri Lanka. CRS provided over $200 million in aid for humanitarian aid and rebuilding in the wake of that disaster and completed the construction of nearly thirty five hundred permanent homes. Already CRS has received over $300,000 in donations from the Catholic foundation community and individual donors