Promoting Catholic Education on Capitol Hill

Leaders from the National Catholic Educational Association join the principal, assistant principal and students from Corpus Christi School, Falls Church, Va., on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The group posed prior to the students heading out to deliver background information on Catholic schools to the 60 members of the Senate and House education committees.

Pictured with the students are NCEA staffers Brother Robert Bimonte, FSC, executive director, Elementary Schools Department; Daniel Curtin, executive director, Chief Administrators of Catholic Education Department; Dr. Regina Haney, executive director, Boards and Councils Department; Kathy Schmitt, Communications Office and Mike Conroy, Secondary Schools Department;.

Leaders from Corpus Christi School in the diocese of Arlington included George Chiplock, principal and Kurt Kaufmann, assistant principal. The eight students are all members of the 8th grade class.

The group was filling in for the almost 100 students and teachers who had been scheduled to meet with congressional leaders on January 28, the official National Appreciation Day For Catholic Schools. That event was cancelled for the first time in its history due to a snow and ice storm that shuttered Washington area schools for two days. “While we were unable to reschedule the event due to congressional schedules, it was vital that congressional leaders on the Senate and House education committees hear from Catholic educators about key issues facing our schools,” said Karen Ristau, NCEA president.

Dr. Ristau and Marie Powell, executive director, Secretariat of Catholic Education, United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB), joint sponsors of the event, were pleased that Corpus Christi students were willing to make personal deliveries of the materials.

“Our young ambassadors were able to turn the tables and educate adults today about the challenges as well as the opportunities our schools are facing,” said Mrs. Powell.
Catholic Schools Week was established by NCEA and USCCB to put the spotlight on the contributions made and community service given by Catholic schools to the church and to the country. Catholic Schools Week was held January 25-31, with the theme "Catholic Schools Celebrate Service." It always begins on the last Sunday in January.

National Appreciation Day For Catholic Schools is a day of outreach to community and government leaders, and is usually held on Wednesday of Catholic Schools Week. On January 28, at the state and city levels, dozens of Catholic educators from around the country met with local civic representatives to present information about area the Catholic school network.

NCEA is the largest private, professional education association in the world. Founded in 1904, the Association's membership represents more than 200,000 educators serving 7.6 million students at all levels of Catholic education. USCCB is the national public policy organization of the bishops in the United States.

Come What May on DVD March 17

Hollywood, brace yourself again.

The burgeoning trend of small Christian films making large impact continues with COME WHAT MAY www.comewhatmaythemovie.com, a smart new story from Advent Film Group, made with the help of some 40 home schoolers and Patrick Henry College (PHC) in Virginia. COME WHAT MAY releases nationally on DVD on March 17 distributed by Provident Integrity Distribution.

While training a new generation of filmmakers, Advent has also broken marketing ground with its “virtual theatrical release” on GodTube, drawing 3.5 million viewers during the recent presidential election. Advent produces on the “Sherwood” model of extensive volunteer help, donated locations, learn-as-you-go filmmaking, high standards, and considerable “prayer coverage.” Sherwood Pictures is the Georgia-based church whose 2008 Fireproof, produced for $500,000, earned $33 million at the box office, and was the year’s top-grossing independent film.

Close to the 36th anniversary of the US Supreme Court’s decision on Roe v. Wade, COME WHAT MAY is Paperchase meets Facing the Giants; a love story and courtroom thriller turning on a counterargument the filmmakers believe may one day overturn the Court’s decision.

PHC students and faculty helped develop the story and polish the script. Manny Edwards wrote the first draft and worked on all subsequent drafts—as did David Hallbrook, Pulitzer Prize nominee and PHC director of communications. Dr. Michael Farris, a constitutional attorney, founder and chancellor of PHC, wrote the legal brief for overturning Roe.

Matthew Staver, dean of Liberty University Law School and a close friend of Dr. Farris, gave permission to film COME WHAT MAY at Liberty’s new replica of the U.S. Supreme Court.

A core team of 40 home-schooled students from 16 states worked on the movie, tapping into speech and debate clubs for home schoolers, in particular the NCFCA (National Christian Forensics & Communications Association) league (www.ncfca.org). “That’s our ‘secret sauce,’” Escobar said. “The NCFCA is the third-largest speech and debate league in the country, created exclusively by and for high school home schoolers. Graduates from NCFCA dominate college debate tournaments.”

COME WHAT MAY won the Redemptive Storyteller Award, at an international festival. Several COME WHAT MAY crew members have won prestigious awards for their own films following their AFG internship. And new opportunities abound: “We’re already considering new projects,” Escobar said.

Nashville-based Provident Films, specializing in grassroots marketing, is a division of Provident Music Group and designed to produce and distribute faith-based films. Provident Music Group, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, is one of the world’s leading Christian entertainment companies. Provident Music Group operates under the umbrella of Sony Music Nashville and comprises Provident Label Group, Provident Films (designed to produce and distribute faith-based films), Essential Music Publishing and Provident-Integrity Distribution.

Divine Mercy Prayer Book

source: www.discerninghearts.com

In response to the increasing devotion to Divine Mercy, the Apostolate for Family Consecration presents their new book, "Drawing Down Divine Mercy."

Designed as both a consecration prayer book and an in-depth meditation book, families can be guided in the richness of God's Mercy during these difficult times through 40 days of meditations on Pope John Paul II's encyclical, "Rich in Mercy." Pope John Paul II spoke often of the strength of Divine Mercy. He established the Feast of Mercy on the Sunday after Easter, now known as Divine Mercy Sunday in the liturgical calendar, to show the trust he placed in this devotion.

In 2001, John Paul II said in his Divine Mercy Sunday homily, "a simple act of abandonment is enough to overcome the barriers of darkness and sorrow, of doubt and desperation. The rays of Your Divine Mercy restore hope, in a special way, to those who feel overwhelmed by the burden of sin." Following the 40-day meditations, readers will benefit from excerpts from St. Faustina's writings, and spiritual classics by Cardinal Francis Arinze such as "Alone with God" and "Divine Providence", Bishop Alvaro del Portillo's work, "Light, Salt, and Leaven," along with St. Louis de Montfort's "Friends of the Cross".

All five dimensions of the Divine Mercy devotion are explained: the image, the Chaplet, the Novena, the Feast Day, and the spreading of the message. The prayer book also includes more than 250 pictures. For even deeper spiritual growth, accompanying video and audio commentaries by Fr. George Kosicki, CSB are also available through the Family Apostolate.

"Drawing Down Divine Mercy" is an excellent way to prepare for Divine Mercy Sunday. Meditations start March 11 (two week after Ash Wednesday) and will end on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 19. Books will be available for shipment starting March 2, but advance orders are now being accepted. To help celebrate on the actual feast day, check out the additional resources at familyland.org.

Founded in 1975 by Jerry Coniker and late wife Gwen, the Apostolate for Family Consecration is a pontifically approved association striving to consecrate families to the Holy Family and in the truths of our faith in the spirit of Pope John Paul II. The Family Apostolate reaches families in Asia, Europe, Africa, and North and South America through its Consecration in Truth Catechetical Series (familycatechism.com), its Internet Media Library, its 24-hour Familyland Television Network and its programs at Catholic Familyland.

Audio Bible Ministry Expands Missions Outreach

Faith Comes By Hearing, the world’s foremost Audio Bible ministry, recently released nine more Audio Drama New Testament recordings.

The following Audio Drama New Testaments are the first of many that will be recorded and released during 2009:

• Lokpa (Lukpa) – Benin
• Tampulma – Ghana
• Idoma – Nigeria
• Marghi – Nigeria
• Nahuatl Huasteca Central – Mexico
• Nahuatl Huasteca Western – Mexico
• Quechua Northern Conchucos – Peru
• Khmer Central - Cambodia
• Arabic Standard – Worldwide


These new Audio Bibles are recorded in the heart languages, or primary languages, of 216 million people. Altogether, Faith Comes By Hearing now has 403 Audio Scripture recordings available in 341 languages.

Indigenous missionaries, local church leaders and ministry workers will take these Audio Drama New Testaments into villages and communities around the world and begin listening groups. Villagers in groups from 10 to 300 will gather to listen to the Word and then discuss what they've heard.

Faith Comes By Hearing is diligently working to fulfill the Great Commission by bringing the Word of God to every nation, tribe and tongue. Research shows that there are 6,809 distinct people groups who make up more than 6.5 billion people.

“For the first time in history, every language group has been identified,” said Morgan Jackson, international director for Faith Comes By Hearing.

“Many of these groups transmit their beliefs, history and values through stories, proverbs, poetry, chants, songs and ceremonies,” said Jackson. “Cultures that primarily communicate their information using these forms are called ‘oral cultures.’”

About 70% of people live and learn in oral cultures.

“People from oral cultures learn differently than you and I do,” he said. “It is not enough to simply take materials created for literate people and read them onto a recorded format. It’s the power of stories that unlocks the Bible for them.”

Many people do not realize that about 70% of the Bible is in a narrative format. Jackson said he’s seen how Audio Bibles impact people firsthand.

“When you go into these villages you see people packed inside these one-room huts and people gathered all around the windows outside. They say, ‘No one wants to miss the stories,’ and they walk for miles to get here,” Jackson said. “When they listen to the Word, they enter into the story; like they are there actually experiencing what’s happening.”

“When Jesus speaks, they feel like He is speaking directly to them. And when they interact with the Word of God this way, people come to know and follow the God of the Bible,” he said.

“There are still language groups that need an Audio Bible in their heart language. There are people who wait to hear God's Word because they cannot read it,” Jackson said.

Faith Comes By Hearing’s goal is to record Audio Bibles in 2,000 languages by 2016, reaching 97% of the world’s population.

In 2008, Faith Comes By Hearing completed and released 86 new Audio Bible recordings, providing nearly one million Audio Bibles throughout the world.