An Intentional Effort to Reach Out
October 2018
A Season of Change & A New Catholic Services Appeal
By Sarah Wunderlin

Change is in the air here in Kentucky; it is finally starting to feel like fall! Fall is a wonderful season- the leaves change colors, there is a crisp chill in the air, and the flavor of pumpkin spice is once more the center of attention. Fall also ushers in another wonderful beginning, the start of the annual Catholic Services Appeal. A new season of Bringing Christ to Others.

The beginning of the CSA is wonderful because it starts another year of ensuring the more than 100 ministries and services provided by the Archdiocese of Louisville will have the necessary financial support to continue.

Here are just a few examples of the many works the Catholic Services Appeal supports:

  • Launched a new senior program at the Catholic Enrichment Center to emphasize the vitality, ability, and value of the senior population. More than 30 seniors gather weekly to address their needs for connection, engagement, and support.
  • Assisted 67 individuals who were victims of human trafficking and held 77 human trafficking prevention trainings for 2,010 individuals.
  • Held a Lent retreat for 69 Hispanic teens in response to the V Encuentro process.
  • Ordained five men to the diocesan priesthood and three men to the transitional diaconate.
  • Convened an advisory board of 45 high school students to provide a “voice of youth” for our Youth Office staff.
  • Held seven refugee simulations that provide parish and school participants with insight into the challenges faced by millions of refugees worldwide.
  • Graduated 11 individuals from the Common Table culinary arts training program, a social enterprise activity designed to provide training in the culinary arts for refugees, former inmates, and other Louisville residents who are in need of job assistance. This program also provided catering services for 177 events.

So this year, please consider supporting the Catholic Services Appeal. Your gift helps the Archdiocese provide ministries and services to people across the 24 counties of central Kentucky, which would not be possible without the generosity of the Catholic community.


Sarah Wunderlin is the Director of Annual Giving for the Archdiocese of Louisville.
Respect Life Month
See Archbishop Joseph Kurtz interview Ed Harpring, Coordinator of Pro-Life Ministries, about Respect Life Month, which is observed in October, and about pro-life activities in the Archdiocese of Louisville.
For information about archdiocesan activities during Respect Life Month, click here. For other resources, click here.
FOCUS at the University of Louisville:
Fulfilling the Great Commission and New Evangelization
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” – Matthew 28: 19-20
By Joe Hemmelgarn

On behalf of my team and I, we would first like to extend a thank-you for the warm welcome we have received from the entire Archdiocese! We are beyond excited to be here in Louisville and share our lives with you all. FOCUS is short for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, and we are a part of the largest Catholic collegiate outreach whose mission is to share the hope and joy of the gospel with college and university students. Currently FOCUS has close to 700 missionaries on 153 campuses across the United States and internationally. This is the first year for FOCUS at U of L.

As missionaries, we spend five weeks in the summer to be trained in Church teaching, prayer, sacred Scripture, and evangelization and discipleship. We encounter students in friendship where they are, inviting them into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and accompanying them as they pursue lives of virtue and excellence. Through Bible studies, outreach events, mission trips, and one-on-one discipleship, we inspire and build up students in the faith, sending them out to spread the good news to others! During the first month on campus, we have met many students during Welcome Week events, Sunday Mass, going to sporting events, eating lunch at the Student Center, and working out at the Recreation Center.

As we begin to foster relationships with the students, we have invited them into our lives and into small group Bible studies to facilitate an encounter with Jesus Christ and his sacred Word and to build community and fraternity with the other members in the study. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) By sharing the Word of God, we allow Jesus to come alive in our small groups and ignite conversation.

Just last week, our freshmen men’s study on prayer sparked one student to recall his experience in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. By having this conversation, others were open to sharing their experience in prayer and led some of the men to come to daily Adoration and Mass this past week. As a team, we each lead two Bible studies per week. Students are looking beyond the... Read More
Archbishop's Tweets
Follow @ArchbishopKurtz on Twitter for more of his tweets.

October 7
@ArchbishopKurtz:
This AM I installed Fr Chuck Walker as pastor of Christ the King & Immaculate Heart of Mary. Both Masses were uplifting!

October 6
@ArchbishopKurtz:
Wonderful dinner at Cathedral Rectory honoring “Feed Our Neighbor” fundraiser from Dancing with the stars.

October 6
@ArchbishopKurtz:
Felicidades! Archdiocese of Louisville follow up to Encuentro V begins with Mass at St John Paul II.

October 1
@ArchbishopKurtz:
The Archdiocese of Louisville is honored with this Seton Award from the National Catholic Education Association. Here I am with Seton Scholar, Ezra Dillard, senior at Bethlehem HS along with his mom & brother
Upcoming Events
10/12/18 6:30 p.m.

10/14/18 3:00 p.m.

10/14/18 5:30 p.m.

10/15/18 3:15 p.m.
(See link for cost/registration)
 
10/16/18 7:00 p.m.

10/17/18 6:30 p.m.
(See link for registration)
 
10/21/18 2:00 p.m.

10/27/18 10:00 a.m.

11/6/18 Noon
(See link for registration)
 
11/8/18 6:00 p.m.
Resources & Recommendations
This month, we're highlighting some helpful and timely resources for Catholics throughout the Archdiocese. We encourage you to check out the resources below and get involved!

Sexual Abuse
The Archdiocese of Louisville is preparing a “Report to the Catholic People” on the issue of sexual abuse, which will appear in the October 18 issue of The Record . This publication will include information about the history of sexual abuse in the Archdiocese, the measures the Archdiocese has taken to deal with this issue, including reaching out to victims, reporting promptly to authorities, removing offenders, and promoting a safe environment for all.

For information about archdiocesan policies and programs related to the sexual abuse of minors, click here .

The Soul of the Parish: Being Led by the Holy Spirit Alive in our Midst
Archbishop Joseph Kurtz released a new pastoral letter in the September 13, 2018 , issue of The Record . In this follow-up to his first pastoral letter: Your Parish: The Body of Christ Alive in Our Midst,  Archbishop Kurtz calls on the Holy Spirit to help parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville to be “healthy, holy and vibrant” and applauds the efforts of parishes to respond to this call during the parish discernment process.  Click here to read the pastoral letter and the results of the parish discernment process.

Accountability Report
The annual Accountability Report of the Archdiocese will be in The Record on Thursday, October 11 . The audited financial statements and the Accountability Report also are available online .

Conversations with Archbishop Kurtz
The 10 th season of Conversations with Archbishop Kurtz continues. For the October episode of Conversations , Chancellor Dr. Brian Reynolds and Archbishop Kurtz discuss the Catholic Services Appeal and the issue of religious liberty. Archbishop also welcomes guest Ed Harpring, Coordinator of Pro-Life Ministries, to discuss the October observance of Respect Life Month and pro-life activities in the Archdiocese.

Conversations airs on the Faith Channel (Spectrum channels 19 and digital channel 279) on Tues. at 7 p.m., Wed. at 10 a.m., Fri. at 7 p.m., and Sat. at 4 p.m. It is on radio stations WLCR 1040 AM, Breadbox Media, and WLHN 95.3 FM in Meade County. In addition, Conversations can be downloaded for no charge through iTunes. Conversations also is available on Bardstown Cable Channel 19 (BRTV) at 7 p.m. on the first two Monday nights of the month and on Bardstown’s PLG TV on Tuesday afternoons at 4 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.  Conversations is also available online .
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