NEWS
This is the NEWS page of this website. In reality, however, it serves not so much as a news page as an
announcements page, for it is beyond the scope of this page to act as a newspaper
or newsletter.
Announcements found on this page will likely be of general interest
but will often fall short of requiring official and/or assured promptness. Indeed, in some cases, they
will be of interest even long after the date of the announcement or of what is announced; and when that
is deemed to be so, they will eventually be moved to an News Archive page on this website: to
go there, click
here.
Generally, an article will show (just below its headline) the following on two lines in the following
order: when the article (even if revised to keep it up to date) was first posted to this page and the
date (if any) of any main event, as being announced or reported on in the article. If and when an
article is archived, it may retain these two lines of information, to assist the historians among us.
Event:
, 2008
A Lay Convocation will be held for southern California on March 29, 2008, at the St. Joseph Center in
Orange, California 92868 (in northern Orange County). It is a Calling Together of the Laity.
Its purpose is to focus attention on the participation and responsibilities of the laity in the
Catholic Church, reflecting on the gifts received, the hurts endured, and the desire to respond
to the needs of the Church. The objectives are to inspire hope for the future of the Church and
a commitment to action. The oligations and rights of the laity, as articulated in the documents
of the
Second Vatican Council
(1963-65) and in
Canon Law,
will be addressed. All are welcome.
To read more about this Lay Convocation, click
here
to visit its website. To register for it, click
here
for a printable form; and click
here
for a map (with a zoom-in/out feature at the upper left of the map and with Directions
from near or far available by just clicking for them) to the site of the Convocation. On
pages (such as printable forms, etc.) that lack a chapter Banner at the top of the page, use your
browser's Back Arrow (at upper left corner of your screen) to return to some prior page that
does have a Banner, where you will find clickable Links to go to other parts of this website.
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Pastoral Care of GLBTs
At inauguration of this webpage
July 2007
At its biennial national convention in July 2007 in Austin, Texas, Dignity/USA issued its Guidelines
on Pastoral Care of GLBT People; click
here
to read the Guidelines.
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New IRS Regulation on Deducting Charitable Contributions
At inauguration of this webpage
Indefinite, from 2007 on
The IRS has made a change in tax regulations governing deductions for contributions to charitable
organizations, such as Dignity. Prior to 2007, only a contribution of more than $250 required that
the taxpayer have in hand a receipt when he or she filed a tax return on which a charitable deduction
was claimed for the contribution; but starting with tax year 2007 (with the tax returns that are due
in April 2008), a receipt will be required regardless of the amount of the contribution. Although
Dignity/Palm Springs each year gives a receipt for the total verified contributions made by a member,
amounts given in a manner that is unverifiable (such as cash placed in the collection basket at
liturgies) cannot be included. Those who want to deduct their total
contributions may wish to consider using the annual pledge drive as their principal means of
contributing to the chapter and then satisfying their pledges by check, so that a verifiable total can
be computed and a receipt given to the member at the end of the year in time for the tax-return season.
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Pope John Paul II on Evolution
At inauguration of this webpage
Indefinite
The englightened teachings of Pope John Paul II on evolution and faith are explained in an excellent
article in the Jesuit America magazine of February 20, 2006. The Pope stated "the theory of
evolution is no longer a mere hypothesis"; and the article refutes some attacks on him since
his death for having adopted that position (and even questioning whether he actually adopted that
position). Click
here
to read the article.
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"We are not on Earth to guard
a museum, but to cultivate
a flourishing garden of life."
Pope John XXIII
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In 1958, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli (he is pictured above) was, at age 78, elected as Pope John XXIII (after
what was widely rumored to be a near miss by Giovanni Batista Montini, who at the time was not yet
a Cardinal but would later be elected Pope Paul VI). Pope John was expected to be just a caretaker; but
he was not. He spoke out for an "updating" of the Church, admitted it needed "some fresh air," and
summoned the Second Vatican Council to help supply it. The Council enacted many reforms, of which
many are still not fully implemented, partly because Pope John died in 1963 (and was succeeded
by Pope Paul, a cautious, almost fearful person), while the Council was still just starting its deliberations.
Pope John is a candidate for sainthood.
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