Mary's Pence makes grants

At a 10th anniversary dinner at the CTA conference, Mary's Pence announced 26 new grants supporting the ministries of Catholic women in the Americas. Each organization given a grant of $2,500 to $3,000 benefits the least powerful in church and society, or helps Catholic women working in their interest. Recipients include Connections Adult Learning Center, Chicago, and the Women and Children's Project, Milwaukee. Contact Mary's Pence, at 708 499-3771. http://www.igc.org/maryspence


Offertory funds distributed

The offertory collection at the CTA conference Eucharist Nov. 1 totalled $10,909. Half of the money has been split between Mary's Pence and Genesis House, the house of hospitality for prostitutes founded by Edwina Gateley in Chicago. The rest will support CTA regional development.


Crowley Legacy Fund

Witty and irrepressible at age 85, Patty Crowley came to the CTA podium Oct. 31. Together with CTA Resources Developer Bob Heineman, she announced the new Crowley Legacy Fund, named to honor Patty and late husband Pat, founders of the Christian Family Movement and lay leaders on the Papal Birth Control Commission before Humanae Vitae in 1968. The multi-year campaign is raising funds to enhance CTA's work both for church renewal and for social justice. Some goals are outreach to young adults and minorities, international networking, and upgrading electronic communiciation. Patty insists: "Call To Action is our best hope for the Church." CTA members will receive a mailing about the fund in 1999.


Pope to visit U.S. in January

Look for another flurry of national media interest in the Catholic Church's struggles for reform around Jan. 26-27, when John Paul II visits St. Louis, Mo. At the Oct. 28-29 meeting of Catholic Organizations for Renewal (COR) in Milwaukee, CTA and a dozen other church reform groups began plans for press conferences on "another face of the Church" in St. Louis during the papal visit. Major U.S. media are already primed to take note of COR perspectives on the papacy: they all received the IMWAC statement, "A Pope for the Time to Come" in October, which most COR groups signed. (Separate story, right.)


Action Alert

CTA is launching two new "Action Alert" lists to enable members to participate in rapid responses to issues. Subscribers will be given background information on an issue, and asked to take an action (phone calls, letter writing, organizing a vigil, etc.). Each list may receive five or six alerts a year. There are two separate lists: CTA-JustWorld on peace and justice (concentrating on target issues that CTA has selected), and CTA-Community on issues of church reform. Subscribe to one list or to both. These are not discussion lists; the information will flow one way: from CTA to subscribers.
To join, send a message to Majordomo@igc.org saying subscribe CTA-Justworld (your name) subscribe CTA-Community (your name) Both messages can be sent in the same e-mail if you want to subscribe to both lists.


End anti-gay violence

The murder of collegian Matthew Shepard in Wyoming and a climate of escalating violence has led New Ways Ministry and Pax Christi USA to prepare "A Catholic Pledge to End Violence Against Gay and Lesbian People." Deadline for signatures was Dec. 14. The ad will appear in The New York Times or other major paper. For a copy, contact NWM: 301 227-5674.