Current issues for bulletins and weekly handouts
JANUARY: This year, we make space on our calendar for special feasts of Central and South America and the Caribbean observed by Catholic immigrants in this country. This segment contains three: the Black Christ of Esquipulas, Guatemala (15); Our Lady of Altagracia, protectress of the Dominican Republic (21); and Our Lady of Suyapa, patroness of Honduras (Feb. 3). These images may already be familiar, even if you didn’t know their names. These celebrations join three U.S. saints’ days this month: Elizabeth Seton (4), John Neumann (5), and Marianne Cope (23).
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (18-25) is an opportunity to ponder the Decree on Ecumenism from Vatican II. How is your diocese or parish participating in this healing effort? A Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of the Unborn (22), World Holocaust Remembrance Day (27), and National Day of Prayer for the African American Family (Feb. 2) are all occasions to reflect on the safety of the vulnerable in our midst.
The Sunday of the Word of God (24), a relatively new designation instituted by Pope Francis in Aperuit Illis (“He opened”) celebrates how Word is also a sacrament of divine presence for believers. Catholic Schools Week (begins 31) and World Day for Consecrated Life (Feb. 2) both remind us of the richness of the church, now and in the future.
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PLEASE NOTE: To offer parish bulletin editors and web editors more flexibility, TAKE FIVE FOR FAITH weekly inserts do not include artwork. If you are looking for artwork, we encourage you to search under Google Images online. (Hint: Select the tools link in Google Images to search for art labeled for reuse.)