Each year at the June Assembly many topics are addressed through small group workshops, referred to as colloquia. The topics vary depending on the interest of the participants. Presenters offer 10 to 20 minutes of input on a given topic, then open up for participation by the attendees. This year a set of colloquia will be offered on Tuesday evening, June 21, and on Thursday morning, June 23. Prior to the Assembly, the Assembly attendees will receive a survey to indicate thier interst in the given topics. This will determine whether a topic will be presented once or twice.

Those who wish to offer a colloquium are asked to send in their topic with a brief description and the name of the presenter by May 10th: office@auscp.org.

Special thanks to all who sent nominations for the 2022 St. John XXIII Awards. The AUSCP Leadership Team chose three to receive the award at the 2022 Assembly: Cathy McClain, Fr. Joe Muth, and Sr. Jeannine Gramick, SL. We are featuring one at a time in the e-bulletins. (Cathy McClain and Fr. Joe Muth were featured previously.)

Jeannine Gramick, SL, Co-founder of New Ways Ministry, is a Sister of Loretto, born and raised in Philadelphia. She felt her call to religious life at age 7 and entered the School Sisters of Notre Dame after high school.

In 1971, when very few Catholics were talking about LGBT issues, Sr. Jeannine, a doctoral student in mathematics education at the University of Pennsylvania, met Dominic Bash, an alienated gay Catholic who asked her, “What is the Catholic Church doing for my lesbian and gay sisters and brothers?” Sr. Jeannine responded that she didn’t know, but would find out. She learned that nothing was being done, so she decided to do something. Dominic and his friends gathered for weekly Eucharist in their homes.

In 1977, along with Father Robert Nugent, she established New Ways Ministry, an international Catholic ministry of justice and reconciliation for LGBT Catholics and the wider Church. Through this organization, Sr. Jeannine engages in educational and pastoral work and public advocacy. She has authored or edited hundreds of articles and books, and received many awards. Her outreach was the subject of the award-winning documentary, “In Good Conscience: Sister Jeannine Gramick’s Journey of Faith”.

A Vatican investigation of her ministry resulted in a 1999 order from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to cease her work. Her discernment led her to respond, “I choose not to collaborate in my own oppression.” In the political fallout, Sr. Jeannine transferred from the School Sisters of Notre Dame to the Sisters of Loretto, who continued to receive letters from the CDF saying that Sr. Jeannine must cease her LGBT ministry or be dismissed from religious life. With the election of Pope Francis, the Vatican letters ceased.

In 2021, Jeannine celebrated 50 years in a ministry for LGBT people that has transformed the Catholic Church in the United States and beyond. Last December, she received a handwritten letter in Spanish from Pope Francis. Noting her anniversary as the reason for his letter, the pope congratulated her on “50 years of closeness, compassion and tenderness” in a ministry that he described as being in “‘the style’ of God.”

Laudato Si’ Week 2022, to be held May 22-29, will mark the seventh anniversary of Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical on creation care. This global celebration will unite Catholics to listen and respond together to the cry of creation, rejoice in the progress we have made in bringing Laudato Si’ to life, and intensify our efforts through the dynamic Laudato Si’ Action Platform, walking the “Synodal” path.

The Annual Appeal officially closed on April 30th. The total response to the Appeal is $113,160.25 from 434 different donors. Thank you! All donors will be recognized in the 2022 Assembly Program Book in June.

The AUSCP Mutual Support Group requested donations to send the Rights of Priests card to all U.S, priests. The request has received a generous response. Over $12,000 has been contributed. The project is estimated to cost $15,000. Thank you for whatever support you are able to offer! We are counting on your generosity to help us move forward.

You can give online at the AUSCP website: AUSCP - HOME

Register before May 26th!

See below for the list of exciting speakers for the 2022 Assembly. In addition to those listed, Archbishop Wilton Gregory will be the main celebrant and homilist for the special celebratory Mass on June 22. If you have not yet registered, you can register at: AUSCP - HOME . Or, by mailing a check for registration to: AUSCP office, PO Box 676, Tiffin, OH 44883.

AUSCP must submit the hotel room reservations by May 26, so be sure to register before then. Cancellations received through June 16th are eligible for refund, minus a $50 processing fee. All attendees must be vaccinated or wear a mask.

Assembly Scholarships Available

All AUSCP Priest members and Friends are invited to join us for the 2022 Annual Assembly in Linthicum, MD (near Baltimore), June 20-23. See below for the wonderful line-up of speakers. If you have friends who are interested, we welcome them also.

Scholarships available: Special scholarships are being offered to those who have been ordined five years or less. The scholarships will include the Assembly registration fee and three nights at the hotel (June 21,22,23). Scholarships are also available for others in need of assistance. These scholarships include up to half of the registration fee as needed. Please call the office for more information: 872-205-5862.

Other Assembly Notes: If you wish to share a hotel room, or to connect with someone who is driving to the Assembly, contact us: office@auscp.org.

More webinars are planned for 2022. You can register for these webinars by clicking HERE.

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Thursday, May 19, 1pm EST - Christians in the Holy Land, Part 4 - Mystagogia: What Can We Do to Build a Better Future in Palestine and Israel - Churches for Middle East Peace along with Fr. Elias Mallon

Speakers: Youth representatives from Ir-Amim and Wi'am, Palestine Conflict and Transformation Center; moderator: Kyle Cristofalo, CMEP Senior Director of Government Relations and Advocacy

This webinar will feature some of the key ongoing challenges for peace and a just future in Israel-Palestine in East Jerusalem (demolitions, evictions, confiscations) and the West Bank (challenges within Palestinian civil society). Each speaker will then address where transformation and glimmers of a "better future" have come from: What do you hope to see happen? Finally, what role can foreign actors play in resolving these aspects of the conflict?

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The Vatican II Documents webinar series, Our Mission: Leavening Humankind in Today's World, will begin again on Wednesday, May 4 @ 4pm ET and will continue through the month on May 11,18,25. This month the document to be read is the Decree on the 'Apostolate' of the Laity using the 'lens' of Gaudium et Spes: The Church in the Modern World, the Council's sole "pastoral" constitution -- i.e. what to do. We will update the meaning of such words as "apostolate" to "mission" to share greater clarity about what this document intends and will explore its fit in today's "modern world" as the Church turns to synodality. The combination of the Council's document on the laity and the now open door of synodality for the laity calls us up and into the future.

May 4 -- Introduction, How the Gaudium et Spes lens works, and Ch.1- Lay People's Vocation

May 11 -- Ch.2 - Two Goals for the Laity; Ch.3 - Various Fields for the Laity

May 18 -- Ch.4 - Various Methods and Forms for the Laity; Ch. 5 - Good Order/External Relationships

May 25 -- Ch.6. Formation for the Laity; Conclusion, and Next Documents to be read.

You can register for the webinars by clicking HERE.

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Other webinars that might be of interest to you:

“A World Without Nuclear Weapons: The Humanitarian and Moral Imperative” is a virtual event sponsored by Sacred Heart/Our Lady Help of Christians Collaborative in Newton (SHOLNewton.org) on May 15, 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. It is open to everyone. The featured speaker is Ira Helfand, MD, a leader of two Nobel Peace Prize-winning organizations: the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (1985) and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) - 2017. Joining him is John C. Wester, Archbishop of Santa Fe, NM, who in January issued a pastoral letter, “Living in the Light of Christ’s Peace: A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament.” To register for the free Zoom event, go to tinyurl.com/396zh7wp.

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The following webinars of 2022 are available for viewing:

(Links to past videos can be found on the AUSCP website: www.auscp.org)

V2 and Our Mission: Leavening Humanki nd

Session 1 - Our Lens for Reading Vatican II

Session 2 - The Community of Humankind

Session 3: - Human Activity Throughout the World

Session 4 - The Church's Role in Today's World

Session 5: Fostering Marriage, Family, and Culture

Session 6: Socio-Economic and Political Life

Session 7:The Life of the Political Community

Session 8: Role of Individuals and Dioceses; GS Part II Wrap-up