Updates from the Vicar General and Chancellor
Letter to a Suffering Church: Bishop Robert Barron has mailed to every priest in the country his latest book in which he writes about the sexual abuse crisis. In it, he states that 37% of Catholics are considering leaving the Church due to this calamity. This book can help. At the low price of a dollar a book, you can order copies for your friends, family or parish and access free resources for discussing it. Visit www.sufferingchurchbook.com.
Family Day: Making Every Day Special® is a National Center on Addiction Substance Abuses initiative to promote simple, everyday things parents can do to build a strong, healthy relationship with their kids that prevents future drug use. Family day will be celebrated nationwide on Monday, September 23, 2019. To learn more, visit www.casafamilyday.org, or follow along on Facebook or Twitter.
Electronic Mail from the Chancery: If a priest would like to receive official email from the Archdiocesan Mailbox directly to his personal address without having to log in to the clergy webmail system, he should send his new information to Mr. Samuel Lazare at the data system center ([email protected]). It is our intention to send mail no more than two times a week, on Tuesday and Friday. [Data System Center; contact Mr. Sam Lazare at 646-794-3371]
Half Day Fridays at the Catholic Center: When calling for someone to assist you, we want you to be aware of the custom of closing early at 1:00 p.m. on the ten Fridays of the summer, from June 28 through August 30. The building will also be closed on Thursday, August 15 for the feast of the Assumption, a holy day of obligation. There is always the opportunity to leave a voice mail message which will be returned on the next business day. All are reminded of the after-hours phone number in case of emergencies. It is listed at the bottom of this page.
Columbus Day Mass and Parade will be celebrated at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Monday, October 14 at 9:30 AM and reflects the millions of men, women and children who came to America in pursuit of freedom and opportunity, and the faith that helped them endure hardship and adversity. Tickets are required to enter the cathedral until 9:15, at which point it becomes general admission. We encourage you to distribute this information with an upcoming bulletin.
Passage of the Child Victims Act (CVA): This legislation permits many previously time-barred sex abuse claims to be brought against any party that a claimant believes to be responsible for past abuse during a one-year “window” period beginning on August 14, 2019. In anticipation of this potential litigation, you received a letter from the Office of Legal Affairs providing instructions in the event a legal document relating to the CVA is delivered to the parish or one of its employees. This is obviously a very serious matter and you are being asked to carefully follow the guidance contained in the letter. Currently, a September conference at Dunwoodie for all of our priests is being developed. You are encouraged to make your presence a top priority. The date is still being determined. At this forum, we want to deliver a plan for communicating the essence of the CVA which will be helpful for you, your parishioners and school families. Various presenters will be on hand to share their wisdom with us.
Recovery Sunday in September: Please see the notice and bulletin information from the Family Life office about this day of prayer which you can schedule on any Sunday during the month of September.
To reach the chancery after hours and on weekends,
call Community Answering Service at 877-582-2996.
Add this number to the list of contacts in your mobile telephone
(Chancery Emergency).