The AUSCP Leadership Team and staff met in San Diego the week of January 9th for a planning retreat. The first day was

devoted to a day of prayer and team building, asking the blessing of the Spirit on the future of the AUSCP, the leadership team, and all AUSCP members.

Nominations for the Pope St. John 23rd Award for 2023 were reviewed. The recipients who were chosen will be published as soon as the awardees are informed.

One day included a visit to the University of San Diego where the June 2023 Assembly will be held, to tour the campus and see the location of dorm rooms, meeting rooms, chapel, and dining. USD has a beautiful campus, but will require some walking and/or "shuttling" to move from place to place.

The last day in San Diego included a delightful evening reception at the rectory of Fr. Joe Masar, pastor of All Hallows Parish, where the Leadership Team met with some of the area priests to spread the word about the AUSCP and the June Assembly. Cardinal McElroy participated and spoke of his support for AUSCP.

The Vatican II AUSCP Working Group invites you to a zoom conversation focusing on ways the “People of God” image of Vatican II’s Constitution on the Church interfaces with the synod Continental Document—title heading: “Enlarge the space of your Tent”. (The Continental Document has synthesized synod input from world bishops’ conferences and other groups.)

We ask you to read the Continental Document before the meeting. We also welcome your inviting others to join in, especially persons involved in parish and other ministries—whether members of AUSCP or not. Looking forward to a stimulating conversation. The Continental Document is attached to this email.

The 12th Annual Assembly will take place June 12-15, 2023 at the University of San Diego. Please note that this is a week earlier than most years.The Assembly theme is: Unity through Synodality

Cardinal Robert McElroy, Diocese of San Diego, will offer

Words of Welcome at the opening of the Assembly, which will be a Vesper Service, on Monday, June 12, at 4:00 pm.

Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, Pro-Prefect for

Evangelization, Dicastery for Evangelization; President, Interdicasterial Commission for Consecrated Religious. Title: Vision for a Church where we all walk together

Massimo Faggioli, Professor of Theology and Religious studies, Villanova University; columnist, La Croix International. Title: The "Synodal Process" in the USA and in the Global Church: A Geography of Hope

Cecilia Gonzalez-Andrieu, Professor of Theological Studies,

Loyola Marymount University. Title: Bridge people or neglected and peripheral? Latinas/Latinos Catholics in the U.S.

Sr. Nancy Sylvester, IHM, Founder & President of

Institute for Communal Contemplation and Dialogue - Retreat Leader & Contemplative Facilitator. Title: Responding from a Contemplative Heart...Living Synodality in a Polarized World.

The following webinars are coming soon! Please sign up for those that you would like to attend.

An Immigration Judge’s View

Thursday, Jan 26, 2023 05:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)/4:00 PM Central Time: Speaker Jennifer Peyton, an immigration judge in Chicago. Jenna will talk about her experiences as an immigration lawyer then judge from a legal, personal and spiritual point of view. Jennifer Peyton was an immigration lawyer in Cleveland and taught immigration law at Cleveland State University, Marshall College of Law. In 2017 she began hearing cases in Chicago. The webinar will give Jenna time to give us her personal history and some comments on items submitted by the AUSCP Immigration Working Group and other areas of interest.

There will be a time for questions and comments in a controlled atmosphere. The webinar should be very informational on the life of an immigration judge.

Registration is available HERE.

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Discussion Series on Racism

This is part of the three-year strategic plan to combat racism provided by the AUSCP Anti-racism Team. Prepare for Lent by joining us in taking Step 3: Self-Activate in Year One of our Strategic Plan on Anti-racism. Two series will be offered; Monday evenings and Wednesday afternoon:

Monday February 6, 13, 20, & 27 (7-8:30pm EST) or

Wednesday February 1, 8, 15, & 22 (1-2:30pm EST)

You need not have attended previous groups and are free to switch between these as you wish. The sessions will be moderated by Rev. John Judie, and Susan and Paul Sherman. To register, contact Paul Sherman at: (sherman.paul@twc.com)

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Renewal of Religious Life and Mission Activity

Starting on Wednesday, March 1 @ 4pm ET we will continue our Vatican II webinar series regarding "Our Mission of Leavening Humankind in Today's World". This series will address two documents of the Council, The Renewal of Religious Life (Perfectae Caritatis) and Mission Activity (Ad Gentes). This series will consist of 6 one-hour sessions followed with continuing dialogue by those interested. The dates are March 1,8,15,22,29 and April 5, all at 4-5pm ET.

The presenter will again be theologian Joseph Torma, Ph.D. with Bob Bonnot serving as moderator. Dr. Torma will present 2-3 segments with group dialogues between each segment. Over the decades since the Council there has been a dramatic reduction of religious women in the United States (from 181,421 in 1965 to 39,452 in 2021) and of ordained men (58,632 priests in 1965 to 35,513 in 2020, a large number of whom are now retired). Given those statistics and the reorganization of the Vatican by establishing a new set of dicasteries, the two conciliar documents in this series will challenge our grasp of how they are being applied to the life of the Church in new ways -- or need to be. Registration coming soon!

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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