Links to the videos of the AUSCP 10th Anniversary Assembly will soon be made available on our AUSCP website. Included will be the videos of Jan Michael Joncas' Monday Retreat and the keynote addresses of Michael Sean Winters and Bishop Wack about where we need to go from where we are.

The video of Dr. Shannen Dee Williams will be available for a limited time only, and only to those who were registered for the Assembly. The video material in Dr. Williams' keynote address is drawn from her latest book and is embargoed until her book is published next spring. The Q and A portion of Dr. Williams' presentation at the Assembly, however, will be made available in September by Fr. Bob Bonnot and members of the Anti-Racism Working Group.

The Williams webinar will be part of an AUSCP Season of Creation series. As Pope Francis makes crystal clear in Laudato Si and Fratelli Tutti, we are all connected and are called by God to welcome and embrace all others. Dr. Williams' presentation regarding Why Black Catholic History Matters made clear that such an ideal has long been lacking in U.S. Catholic history.

We have 10^th Anniversary AUSCP Polo shirts (short-sleeved, dark green) for sale. Many were sold at the 2021 Assembly, but there is a limited supply left which can be ordered at $24.95 (includes

shipping). To order: Go online at www.auscp.org and make a donation of $24.95 to AUSCP. Send your size and shipping address to: office@auscp.org or call 872-205-5862. Or, send a check (include your shirt size) to: AUSCP, PO Box 676, Tiffin, OH 44883. Sizes on hand are: M (only 1), L (only 1), XL (24), 2XL (only 2).

Working Groups on issues chosen at the 2021 Assembly will develop plans for prayer, education and action based on input from Assembly participants and others. You are welcome to join us in our efforts. The Working Groups are: Vatican II/Vatican II priests, Gospel Nonviolence, and Anti-racism.

If you would like to actively participate in one of these groups, please send your name and contact information to: office@auscp.org.

Other Working Groups who have been active on different issues, such as Climate Change and Immigration, may also decide to continue their important work. We ask all of you to pray for the guidance of the Spirit in all AUSCP undertakings.

Laudato Si' and the U.S. Catholic Church

The Catholic Climate Covenant and Creighton University held a conference July 13-15 promoting awareness of Laudato Si and the challenges it presents to us. Opening presentations were given by Cardinal Cupich and Maureen Day.

Cardinal Cupich emphasized the need for conversion and called upon Catholics to reject individualism, indifference and the false idol of economic growth. He asked: "What does the pope's challenging message mean for a Christian community that professes a commitment to promoting a culture of life, yet acts with indifference to the call to make the sacrifices needed to protect this common home that God has entrusted to us?"

Maureen Day, assistant professor of religion and society at the University of San Diego's Franciscan School of Theology, said that a key factor needed is getting more church leaders to talk about Laudato Si', along with addressing the nation's polarization, deeper links between faith and civic engagement, and a better understanding of humanity's relationship with the rest of creation. She showed statistics on the various influences of Laudato Si' and lamented the lack of public preaching on this document.

Catholic Social Teaching and the PRO Act

The Senate is currently debating the PRO Act, which would reform U.S. labor law by making it easier for workers to organize and form unions. How can Catholic Social Teaching help us think about a legislative proposal like the PRO Act? Join Clayton Sinyai from the Catholic Labor Network and Bart Sheard from the AFL-CIO for a 1-hour program exploring this question. Wednesday, July 21, 2pm ET. CLICK TO REGISTER

Voice of the Faithful Annual Conference

VOTF 2021 Conference Re―Membering the Church: Moving Forward will take place October 22-23 on Zoom. The conference will look closely at the body of the Church to see how structure, power, participation, and accountability can be brought together within the Church to fulfill its mission of bringing Christ to the world. Featured speakers are: Sr. Carol Zinn, SSJ, Executive Director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, and international ecclesiology expert Prof. Massimo Faggioli, who teaches theology at Villanova University.

Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, Listening Sessions, 7 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021, Full-Day Conference, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. EST

NPM’s National Convention will take place in New Orleans, on July 27-30, 2021. This will be a “hybrid event”, offering both an in-person and virtual experience for attendees. If you sign up for the virtual convention experience, you’ll watch the same Plenum addresses, breakout sessions and other events that your in-person attendees are experiencing as well. Click HERE to register. Be sure to look for the AUSCP booth!

Fr. Dan Zak, (age 79), Diocese of Toledo, died on July 10, 2021. He was well-known for his work with youth through years

of campus ministry at University of Toledo (Corpus Christi University Parish) and Bowling Green State University. After retiring in 2012, he continued his ministry with the home repair of Maumee Valley, prison ministry team, Christian Appalachian Project, and counseling at Lourdes University.

"He was an authentic human being and a great servant leader priest," said Fr. Jim Bacik, who worked with him 1982-94 at Corpus Christi University Parish. "He had immense energy and had new ideas all the time and helped build up Corpus Christi."