The 2008 conference theme is

Our Earth, Our Church, Ourselves: Embrace the Beloved Community.

Our Earth is in peril. In Mary Southard's painting (above), our exquisite planet is wounded, perhaps mortally. The many-colored children of the world embrace it tearfully. The painting is titled, “The Children Are Asking.” Your conference evaluations have suggested the ecology theme. Give us a GREEN conference. The time is ripe. Three days after the national election that is activating our own young adults in astonishing ways, we will gather to re-commit ourselves to the Common Good of the whole Earth.

We do so in continuity with last year’s theme—becoming an Anti-Racist community. Forty years after Dr. King gave his life for having a dream of the Beloved Community, we embrace it, and do so with special regard for the planet's majority—people of color. Our Anti-Racism work at CTA is growing. Robert Bullard is coming to teach us about environmental injustice, from the neglect of Katrina's black victims to the toxic waste dumps in Latino neighborhoods. Dolores Huerta is returning. Our posthumous award will go to Sr. Dorothy Stang (below), gunned down in the Amazon because she stood up with poor, native farmers and the rainforest they protect.

Our Church needs reform more than ever. Our JustChurch Project (page 5) brings nonviolent resistance where the hierarchical church is itself unjust — to women seeking ordination, LGBT Catholics without a place at the table, sex abuse survivors waiting for bishops to face accountability. The Vatican II vision of the Church as people of God is shining through, more fundamental than hierarchy. Popes and bishops will not be able to extinguish it. The youngest bishop at Vatican II, Remi De Roo, will be with us at age 84 to preach that vision on Sunday morning (below).

And Ourselves? We need nourishment, spirituality for the long haul. We find it in abundance at the conference: liturgies and prayer sessions, art and music, film and drama. And knitting it all together, the marvelous experience of community. The CTA Conference gathers thousands of individuals, faith communities and organizations from all parts of the United States. CTA has 52 regional chapters and links to similar renewal movements in many other countries. Opportunities for caucuses and networking are extensive. The conference is packed with variety. Choose your own level of participation. If cost is a problem, apply for limited income registration. If not, consider an extra donation to support those who need such assistance.

If you can’t come, be part of the movement. If you haven’t joined CTA, join now. Send a donation. Stay in touch.

Co-Directors, Call To Action

then proceed to

Call To Action | 2135 West Roscoe Street 1N | Chicago | IL | 60618 | Phone: 773-404-0004 | Fax: 773-404-1610