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Only One Book Tells Mother Teresa’s Full Story

HUNTINGTON, Ind. (MetroCatholic) — As the world remembers the late, soon-to-be-canonized Blessed Mother Teresa (1910-1997) on her 100th birthday today, there is just one book she wanted published about her life’s message. And she asked Fr. Joseph Langford — her longtime trusted friend and co-founder of the Missionary of Charity Fathers — to write it.

This is Mother Teresa’s true story revealed for the first time, kept hidden for more than 60 years — to help others live extraordinarily, like she did, through their own ordinary lives.

Mother Teresa’s Secret Fire: The Encounter That Changed Her Life, and How It Can Transform Your Own (Our Sunday Visitor — by Fr. Joseph Langford, MC) contains the inspiration behind Mother Teresa’s work. Her lifelong desire to help others grew out of a mystical encounter with Christ in 1946. On Sept. 10 that year, while riding a train from Calcutta to Darjeeling in the Himalayas, she experienced God in a vision, about which she hesitated to speak for almost 40 years — until 1984 with Fr. Langford.

“I waited in silence for an answer. She looked up and said, ‘Yes, it is true.’ Then after a pause, she added, ‘And one day you must tell the others….’” says Fr. Langford about the mandate Mother Teresa gave him, some 24 years prior to publishing Secret Fire. In this book, Fr. Langford details Mother Teresa’s response to a direct petition from God — as given her in the vision. The fullness of her response to what He asked is what brought the world’s attention to her.

At 48, Mother Teresa stepped away from the security of her life as a middle school principal, and with only five rupees to her name, she immersed herself in the slums of Calcutta. Within her own lifetime, her Missionaries of Charity had spread her work of love to more than 120 countries, and touched millions of lives.

“How we respond to what God asks will define our lives and our world,” says Fr. Langford. “The choice is ours.”

To try and capture the essence of Mother Teresa from splash-stories in TIME Magazine or carefully edited TV documentaries can only provide a shallow view. “Mother Teresa lived with her heart in the heavens and her hands buried in the worst this world can offer,” says Fr. Langford.

And then a few years ago, when world media attempted to portray Mother Teresa’s last days as spent doubting the existence of God, Fr. Langford clarifies what really transpired.

“Contrary to press reports, Mother Teresa did not suffer a crisis of faith … but rather, a loss of feeling of faith. What had been her usual consolation in prayer abruptly ended,” said Langford in a recent interview with Zenit News Service. “Though she would not understand it until later, she was being asked to share the same inner darkness, the same trial of belief suffered by the poor and destitute — and to endure it for their sake and for the love of her Lord.”

“Never did her lack of feeling become lack of faith,” Fr. Langford emphasizes.

And like the destitution that Christ must have felt, but which didn’t keep Him from pressing forward with His mission, “Mother Teresa would encourage us all to do the same in our own Calcutta,” says Langford. “Instead of allowing our trials and pain to become a prison, we can, as she did, make our pain a bridge into the pain of others, a bond of solidarity, a catalyst for charity.”

Our Sunday Visitor also publishes three additional books about Blessed Mother Teresa:

• Mother Teresa: In The Shadow of Our Lady (Fr. Joseph Langford, MC)
• Mother Teresa’s Lessons on Love & Secrets of Sanctity (Susan Conroy)
• Listening to God with Mother Teresa (Woodeene Koenig-Bricker)

About Father Langford
Joseph Langford, M.C., began his relationship with Mother Teresa while studying theology in Rome. In 1983 she invited him to be the co-founder of her priestly community, the Missionaries of Charity Fathers. He has led retreats on Mother Teresa’s spirituality around the world and currently resides at the community’s motherhouse in Tijuana, Mexico.

Our Sunday Visitor serves millions of Catholics worldwide through its publishing, offertory, and communication services. Established in 1912 by a local parish priest, Our Sunday Visitor has grown into the nation’s largest supplier of offering envelopes, parish and diocesan mailings, books, periodicals, curriculum, address management, and stewardship services. Our Sunday Visitor is a not-for-profit organization, returning a portion of net earnings back to the Catholic community through the Our Sunday Visitor Institute. For more information, visit www.osv.com.

Bus Tour Exposes Indoctrination in Public Schools

WACO, Texas (MetroCatholic) — Touring the United States in a school bus, filmmaker Colin Gunn hopes to inform Americans about the indoctrination he says is taking place in public schools. Gunn will take his wife and seven children from Waco, TX to Boston, MA, talking with educators, historians and everyday Americans about the problems with public schools. The month-long tour, which begins on August 31st, will be made into a documentary film later this year.

Gunn contends that public school curriculum is antagonistic to Christianity, promotes Darwinian propaganda and socialist, Marxist agendas. He considers it ironic that conservatives send their children to a school system that undermines their values. He says, “We now are facing all these problems in America — high taxation, welfare dependency, government debt — and as Christians and conservatives we have to see we can’t solve those problems until we solve the public schooling problem.”

Concerned about the effect of public education on future generations, Gunn decided to embark on the 3,000 mile bus tour as a means of engaging conservatives on these issues. He hopes that his seminars during the tour, and the subsequent film, will cause conservatives to rethink the government school system entirely.

“Conservatives should know that capitalism or the free market will bring the highest quality goods and services at the cheapest price. It’s always amazing to hear conservatives support the public school system when you know that system will bring the worst product at the highest price.”

The “Indoctrination Bus Tour” will visit key locations related to public education, including Dayton, TN, site of the famous 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial; the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY; Washington, DC; New York, NY; and Boston, MA, the birthplace of public education. The Gunn family will be joined on the tour by Gunn’s fellow producer, Joaquin Fernandez, and a crew prepared to interview various national leaders and average Americans. The producers will be “live blogging” during the tour so supporters can follow their daily progress.

Colin Gunn is an award-winning producer/director and accomplished animator. Originally from Hamilton, Scotland, Gunn now lives in Waco, Texas with his family.

To interview Colin Gunn, please contact Joaquin Fernandez at 803-240-4934 or contact@indoctrinationmovie.com. More information about the Indoctrination Bus Tour and film can be found at www.indoctrinationmovie.com.

Catholic Charities USA Remembers Hurricane Katrina

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (MetroCatholic)  — Rev. Larry Snyder, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, this week visits the Gulf Coast Region on the eve of the 5-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, reaffirming the 100-year-old social service network’s commitment to  respond to the needs of the poor and vulnerable and support local communities, especially in the wake of disaster.

Fr. Snyder’s tour includes visits to Catholic Charities agencies in New Orleans, Lake Charles, Biloxi, and Baton Rouge. In 2005, Catholic Charities USA raised over $163 million for hurricane disaster relief; approximately $153 million went directly to agencies in these immediately-impacted areas, with over $116 million going to agencies in Louisiana. The remaining funds were distributed to agencies across the country providing support to evacuees.

On Tuesday, August 24, Fr. Snyder, joined by local Catholic Charities agency representatives, called for a greater commitment of volunteer and financial resources at the Corporation for National and Community Service’s Gulf Coast Convening in New Orleans, LA. The meeting brought together national, state, and local leaders from nonprofit, government and private sectors to coordinate a national service response to the Gulf Coast Oil Spill and to raise public attention on the human service needs of gulf residents affected by the disaster.

On Friday, August 27, Fr. Snyder will attend the Second Harvest Fifth Anniversary Commemoration. The Second Harvest Food Bank will host a press briefing with Archbishop Gregory Aymond, Archdiocese of New Orleans, and Vicki Escarra, President/CEO of Feeding America, to discuss emergency response to disasters such has Hurricane Katrina, the Gulf Oil Spill, and the everyday disaster of hunger.  Catholic Charities USA will be recognized at the event.

On Saturday, Fr. Snyder and Kim Burgo, Vice President of Disaster Operations for Catholic Charities USA, will tour Katrina/Rita devastated areas as well as those impacted by the oil spill.

The tour will conclude on Sunday, August 29, with an interfaith prayer service at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans’ French Quarter with local faith leaders in the community.

Last week Catholic Charities USA released “Katrina & Rita: Five Years Later,” a report outlining the work of the Catholic Charities network as it responded to the life-sustaining needs of over 1.2 million people following the largest natural disaster in U.S. history.  The report, which can be downloaded at http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/, describes Catholic Charities’ sudden 2005 role as an early responder, providing survivors with emergency cash and rental assistance, food, medical supplies, crisis counseling, case management, transportation, temporary housing and employment services, as well as assistance in applying for government aid.

“For as long as the need remains, Catholic Charities is committed to rebuilding better communities, helping families become self sufficient, and ultimately, creating a better tomorrow,” said Rev. Larry Snyder, who began his tenure as president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA just months before the disaster. “While we are very proud of our accomplishments, there remains much work to be done and the Gulf oil spill earlier this summer has only exacerbated things in much of the very same area.”

Catholic Charities USA was founded in 1910 “to bring about a sense of solidarity” among those in charitable ministries. Since 1910, Catholic Charities USA has encouraged professional social work practice, provided opportunities for training and networking, and served as a national voice and expert on poverty issues. The Centennial is a time to reflect on past accomplishments and renew the commitment to serve those in need.

Catholic Charities USA’s members provide help and create hope for more than 9 million people a year regardless of religious, social, or economic backgrounds. For almost 300 years, Catholic Charities agencies have worked to reduce poverty by providing a myriad of vital services in their communities, ranging from health care and job training to food and housing. In 2010, Catholic Charities USA celebrates its centennial anniversary.

Sex: Only for Procreation?

GLENVIEW, IL (MetroCatholic) – The following article is from the July-August 2010 issue of “Family Foundations,” the publication of the Couple to Couple League International (CCL).

Does the Church believe that sex is immoral unless aimed at procreation?

THEY SAY: In Time magazine’s May 3, 2010 cover story, “The Pill at 50: Sex, Freedom, and Paradox,” Nancy Gibbs writes that religions opposed contraception because “sex, even within marriage, was immoral unless aimed at having a baby.” Does the Church teach that the marital act should only be valued for reproduction?

THE FACTS: The Catholic Church does believe that the procreation is an essential element of the marital act. By studying the language of the body, we can clearly see what Humanae Vitae calls “biological laws that apply to the human person” and conclude that the marital act is intrinsically connected with procreation.

Yet the Church accords equal value to the unitive aspect of sexual activity. In fact, in their recent document “Marriage: Life and Love in the Divine Plan,” the U.S. bishops explain that these two purposes are inseparably connected. In other words, altering or eliminating one distorts the other. The unitive meaning is distorted if the procreative meaning is rejected because love, by its nature, is life-giving. Thus, contraception actually diminishes conjugal love. Likewise, the procreative meaning is tainted if the unitive is not fully present (i.e., if someone were to view his or her spouse as simply a way to produce offspring, such as with artificial reproduction techniques).

Catholics believe that sexual union is the most intimate and profound way of showing love for another person. It involves a mutual giving and receiving of all of one’s self, helping a husband and wife become “one heart and one soul.” As fertility is an inherent part of the human person, the church opposes contraception because by thus devaluing fertility, contraception devalues the human person and the marital union. One cannot give oneself totally and completely while withholding one’s fertility.

To be fair to Ms. Gibbs, the early Church Fathers of the Patristic Age did indeed teach that the marital act was solely for procreation and that spouses should intend children when they engaged in intercourse. Even St. Augustine taught that marriage and sexual intercourse were for procreation. However, through the centuries Church teaching and theology have developed. It was St. Alphonsus Liguori in the 18th century who united the two purposes of the marital act and taught that both should exist in the intentional order at least implicitly. This teaching has been upheld ever since, and reaffirmed in documents such as Casti Connubii, Humane Vitae, and Theology of the Body.

*****

Sign up for a membership at Couple to Couple League International at www.ccli.org , and receive “Family Foundations.”

Natural Family Planning Classes Taught

Classes in Natural Family Planning are taught in 17 locations in the Chicago metro area, including southeast Wisconsin and northeast Indiana. The next series of classes will begin Sunday, Aug. 29, 2010 at 6 pm at St. Irene Church in Warrenville, IL, taught by Mike and Denise Kenealy. The method taught is the Sympto-Thermal Method, and it is also taught via CylePRO software.

To register, and for a list of classes throughout the U.S., go to CCL International at www.ccli.org , (800) 745-8252. Chicago area NFP information is at www.naturalfamilyplanningchicago.com .

Thomas Aquinas College: Only Catholic College on the Princeton Review Finalcial Aid Honor Roll

SANTA PAULA, CA (MetroCatholic) – Thomas Aquinas College is one of the country’s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review. The 4-year, Catholic, co-educational college is featured in the education services company’s new 2011 edition of its annual college guide, The Best 373 Colleges. The Princeton Review, along with USA TODAY, also ranked Thomas Aquinas College in its Top 50 “Best Values” in private education. Schools in this category are cited for their excellent academics, low sticker price and/or generous financial aid. In addition, The Princeton Review and USA TODAY singled out Thomas Aquinas College as one of only 11 schools nationwide to be included on the “Financial Aid Honor Roll.” The college received a top score of 99 for its efforts to make an excellent Catholic liberal education economically feasible for those students who qualify for its rigorous program.

Only about 15% of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges and two Canadian colleges are profiled in The Best 373 Colleges, which includes detailed profiles of the institutions with rating scores for all schools in eight categories, plus ranking lists of top 20 schools in 62 categories. Thomas Aquinas College was rated among the Top 20 in 9 of those categories, viz., “Most Religious Students,” “Best Classroom Experience,” and “Stoned-Cold Sober,” a reference to the wholesome social life on the campus.

Says Robert Franek, Princeton Review’s Senior VP / Publishing and author of “The Best 373 Colleges,” “We commend Thomas Aquinas College for its outstanding academics, the primary criteria for our selection of schools for the book. Our choices are based on institutional data we collect about schools, our visits to schools over the years, feedback we gather from students attending the schools, and the opinions of our staff and our 28-member National College Counselor Advisory Board.”

Jon Daly, Director of Admissions at Thomas Aquinas College, commented that “It is gratifying to see a respected organization like The Princeton Review recognize the excellence of our academic program and the high caliber of our students. As a Catholic institution, we are also deeply proud to be singled out for the generous financial aid we give to those students with demonstrated need. A genuine Catholic education is not meant simply for the wealthy, and we are so grateful to our generous alumni and benefactors who each year make it possible for us to keep our commitment that no qualified applicant ever be turned away simply for financial reasons.”

The Princeton Review surveyed approximately 100,000 students on campuses across the country. . Among the comments made about Thomas Aquinas College by one of its students was that the goal of the College is “to discover the truth by studying the greatest minds of Western thought,” and students agree that this approach “far outstrips most others because eternal truth is the end goal, not just some credentials for a job later. Not accidentally, this does actually produce more capable, honest, and self-giving individuals.”

In a “Survey Says” sidebar in the book’s profile on Thomas Aquinas College, The Princeton Review lists topics about which the school’s students were in most agreement in their answers to survey questions. The list includes: “Class discussions encouraged,” “No one cheats,” Students are friendly,” Dorms are like palaces,” and “Campus feels safe.”

The Princeton Review has posted the school profiles and ranking lists in “The Best 373 Colleges” at PrincetonReview.com.

About Thomas Aquinas College
Founded in 1971, Thomas Aquinas College is a four-year, Catholic liberal arts college with a fully-integrated curriculum composed of the Great Books, the seminal works in the major disciplines by the great thinkers who have helped shape Western civilization. There are no textbooks, no lectures and no electives. Instead, under the guidance of faculty members and using only the Socratic method of dialogue in classes of no more than 20, students read and discuss the original works of authors such as Euclid, Dante, Galileo, Descartes, the American Founding Fathers, Adam Smith, Shakespeare, Copernicus, Kepler, Newton, Einstein, Aristotle, Plato, St. Augustine, and of course, St. Thomas Aquinas. Graduates consistently excel in the many world-class institutions at which they pursue graduate degrees in fields such as law, medicine, business, theology and education. They have distinguished themselves serving as lawyers, doctors, business owners, priests, military service men and women, educators, journalists and college presidents.

About The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review (Nasdaq: REVU) has been a pioneer and leader in helping students achieve their higher education goals for more than 28 years through college and graduate school test preparation and tutoring. With more than 165 print and digital publications and a free website, (www.PrincetonReview.com ), the Company provides students and their parents with the resources to research, apply to, prepare for, and learn how to pay for higher education. The Princeton Review also partners with schools and guidance counselors throughout the U.S. to assist in college readiness, test preparation and career planning services, helping more students pursue postsecondary education. The Company also owns and operates Penn Foster Education Group, a global leader in online education. Penn Foster provides career-focused degree and vocational programs in the fields of allied health, business, technology, education, and select trades through the Penn Foster High School and Penn Foster Career School (www.pennfoster.edu ), which are headquartered in Scranton, PA.

Mass Celebrating Mother Teresa Feast and New Mother Teresa U.S. Postage Stamp To Air on CatholicTV

WATERTOWN, MA (MetroCatholic) – On September 5th, CatholicTV will air a special Mass to celebrate Mother Teresa’s feast day and will include the unveiling of a new U.S. postage stamp with her likeness on it.

The Mass will air on September 5th at CatholicTV.com and on CatholicTV cable outlets at 8PM (Eastern) and will be rebroadcast on September 6th at noon.

The Mass will take place at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States will celebrate the Mass and give the homily.

According to CatholicVoteAction.org, over 146,000 people signed a petition asking the U.S. Postmaster General to continue with plans to issue the stamp after certain groups opposed the issuance of the postage stamp.

Footage of other major events in the American Catholic Church and the Vatican can be viewed at http://www.CatholicTV.com/catholic-television.aspx  and http://www.CatholicTV.com/sunday-mass.aspx . CatholicTV is a non-profit and all videos at CatholicTV.com are viewable without charge or obligation.

CatholicTV is a nationally-broadcasted television network streaming a live feed 24 hours a day at CatholicTV.com. Heeding Pope Benedict XVI’s call to greater utilize the power of television and new media, the CatholicTV Network features its cable TV station, Catholic web site, mobile apps and widget. Celebrate Mass online; pray The Rosary; enjoy programs on prayer, the saints, the Scriptures and the Catholic Church on America’s Catholic Television Network.

Thomas More College’s Artist-in-Residence to Host Art Show on CatholicTV

MERRIMACK, NEW HAMPSHIRE (MetroCatholic)— A new Catholic art show hosted by the Thomas More College of Liberal Arts’ artist-in-residence, David Clayton, will debut on CatholicTV starting September 6^th.

Entitled “The Way of Beauty,” this 13-part series will examine Catholic traditions in art and how the styles of these traditions relate directly to the liturgy, theology, and philosophy of the Church.

Beginning September 6^th, “The Way of Beauty” will air at the following five times each week on CatholicTV cable outlets (all times Eastern): Tuesdays at 12:00 Midnight; Wednesdays at 12:00 Noon; Thursdays at7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 3:30 p.m.; and Sundays at 6:30 a.m.

A new full-length episode of Way of Beauty will also be added to CatholicTV’s website each week at http://www.CatholicTV.com/catholic-art.

David Clayton launched the Way of Beauty Program at the Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in 2008 to renew in artists, aspiring artists, and the general public an appreciation for the Catholic traditions in art and architecture.  The Way of Beauty Program includes a series of courses offered as part of the core curriculum at Thomas More College, as well as lectures, workshops, and seminars hosted throughout the country.

The Way of Beauty Program has now added a television show to its already impressive array of educational outreach efforts.

“In this television series I explore the Catholic traditions in art, as well as the theological principles behind them,” said Clayton. “Viewers will be led to a greater understanding of the principles of harmony and proportion that are infused in the work of the old Masters.”

“Christian culture, like classical culture before it, was patterned after the cosmic order, whose unifying principles run through every discipline,” continued Clayton.  “Literature, art, music, architecture, philosophy—all of creation and, potentially, all human activity—are bound together by this common harmony and receive their fullest meaning in the rhythms and patterns of the Church’s liturgy.”

“The principles of beauty are applicable to all aspects of daily life, including business, the academy—indeed, in all areas of human engagement.” said Clayton. “This is the via pulchritudinis—the way of beauty—that Pope Benedict has spoken of as the most attractive path to God.”

Since coming to Thomas More College in early 2009, Clayton’s Way of Beauty Program has become widely popular.  In addition to his TV and teaching commitments, he writes about sacred art for the New Liturgical Movement web site and posts regularly on his own blog, www.TheWayofBeauty.org, where readership has skyrocketed since its release in April 2010.

“I have very much enjoyed working with Catholic TV on the Way of Beauty television program – it has been quite a learning experience for me,” said Clayton. “I am hoping that the series will help to publicize further these important ideas and work toward the renewal of Catholic art and, by extension, the evangelization of culture.”

CatholicTV is a nationally-broadcasted television network streaming a live feed 24 hours a day at CatholicTV.com.  Heeding Pope Benedict XVI’s call to greater utilize the power of television and new media, the CatholicTV Network features its cable TV station, Catholic web site, mobile apps and widget.  Celebrate Mass online; pray The Rosary; enjoy programs on prayer, the saints, the Scriptures and the Catholic Church on America’s Catholic Television Network.

The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts provides a four-year undergraduate education which develops young people intellectually, ethically, and spiritually in the Catholic tradition and in faithfulness to the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church.   An education at Thomas More College introduces students to the central questions of Western civilization – and the Church’s response to them.  It teaches skills in reasoning, speaking, and writing that will allow its graduates to become faithful leaders according to the individual vocations which God has given them.

New CatholicTV Show Highlights Lives and Spirituality of Catholic College Students and a Unique Religious Order

WATERTOWN, MA (MetroCatholic)  - New CatholicTV Show Highlights Lives and Spirituality of Catholic College Students and a Unique Religious Order

Starting September 6th, CatholicTV will air a new program called “Hope on Campus”. Hope on Campus follows the relatively young religious order- (est. 1980) the Brotherhood of Hope (BOH).

BOH serves at large, secular universities, “trying to go where the Gospel is often ignored, into the thick of secular culture”.

The new 13-part series, Hope on Campus, explores the work of the Brotherhood of Hope. Some of the amazing work they are known for include large retreats which often have more than 100 participants.

Each episode includes an on-site, student-produced video. Episode themes include:

Mission to Tanzania: Students volunteer to visit Tanzania and help the local community.

Sex and Life on Campus: BOH responds to “Sex Week” and gathers students from all four of their campuses for a trip to the March for Life in Washington, D.C.

Opening Week Evangelization: Shows how BOH and Catholic students welcome new students to campus and evangelize them.

CatholicTV broadcasts on various cable outlets in the U.S. and streams its broadcast 24/7 at CatholicTV.com.

The weekly schedule for Hope on Campus is as follows: Tuesday. 8:30 p.m., Friday. 6 p.m., Saturday. 11:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m.

Each week, a new, full-length episode of Hope on Campus will be added to the CatholicTV.com website. Starting the week of September 6th, simply visit http://www.CatholicTV.com/campus-ministry.aspx  

CatholicTV is a nationally-broadcasted television network streaming a live feed 24 hours a day at CatholicTV.com. Heeding Pope Benedict XVI’s call to greater utilize the power of television and new media, the CatholicTV Network features its cable TV station, Catholic web site, mobile apps and widget. Celebrate Mass online; pray The Rosary; enjoy programs on prayer, the saints, the Scriptures and the Catholic Church on America’s Catholic Television Network.

Short film on Catholic Faith could win you big trip to World Youth Day 2011

LOUISVILLE, KY (MetroCatholic) – One year from now, Goodness Reigns will send teen and young adult filmmakers to Madrid, Spain for World Youth Day 2011 as part of its “Share the Story” short film contest.

“Goodness Reigns: Share the Story” fuses the imagination of youth and young adults with the art of filmmaking to produce short films about the Catholic Faith. The organization is sponsoring a free short-film contest on the Catholic Faith that will award all-inclusive travel packages to 22 youths, young adults and adults.

Films should be no more than seven minutes in length and pertain to one of four categories:

• Church history (including Bible stories and lives of the saints);
• Sacraments of the Church;
• Church teachings;
• Present-day missionary spirit of an individual or ministry of the Church.

The global contest offers awards in three divisions.

Individual Category Awards (Open to anyone age 14 and up)
One winner will be selected from each of the above categories. The winner and one guest/parent will receive free travel packages to World Youth Day 2011; or winners unable to travel may choose to receive video equipment packages each valued at $4,000.

The High School Class or Youth Group Award
One group of teens and chaperones (up to 10 people) will be selected from all entrants to receive free travel packages to WYD 2011; or the group may select a video equipment package worth up to $15,000.

Young Adult Group Award (Ages 18-30)
One group of four young adults will be selected from all entrants to receive free travel packages to WYD 2011; or they may select a video equipment package worth up to $8,000.

Contest winners choosing to attend World Youth Day 2011 will travel with Youth in Europe (www.YouthInEurope.com ).

Registration for the contest is free! To register and to find out about submission details, visit www.GoodnessReigns.com . The deadline for film submissions is Jan. 10, 2011.

Jewish Artist to Draw ‘The Ultimate Portrait of Jesus,’ Sparking Excitement and Controversy

LOS ANGELES (MetroCatholic) — An artist who creates drawings made from dots, is embarking on his most ambitious project ever. It will involve the participation of Christians across the globe in the creation of perhaps the most extraodinary portrait of Jesus ever — The People’s Portrait of Christ.

It will take one million dots to create the image of Jesus, according to internationally renowned artist, David Ilan, who will be drawing each dot on the canvas.

What makes his artwork meaningful is that each dot in an Ilan drawing represents a real person. The drawing can only exist when people participate.

In Dots For Jesus, a mission to attract enough participants by midnight Christmas Eve, each dot represents a Christian. One dot = one believer.

Even before the first dot is drawn, it is being called “the ultimate portrait of Jesus.” It has also stirred up debate, with some asking, “Is it wrong for a Jewish artist to draw the ultimate portrait of Christ?”

As a Jew who was born in Israel, Ilan says he would never have predicted he would one day be the artist of a celebrated Christ portrait.

Elizabeth Carter, a worshipper at Church on the Way in Los Angeles, believes it’s better that the creator of the Christ portrait is not a Christian. “Why preach to the choir? It’s actually good that he’s Jewish, since he’s giving Christians a chance to tell him why we believe. As the drawing grows, so will his understanding. Jesus was a Jew from Israel, so what’s wrong with the artist being a Jew from Israel? He’s in good company!”

Each participant can attach a message to their dot answering the question: “Why Jesus?” Ilan sees himself as representing all non-Christians who are uninformed about Jesus Christ.

Another churchgoer, recording artist Chris Dane Owens, explained, “What excites me is that it starts with a blank slate on two levels. The Portrait begins as a blank canvas. But the artist, himself, is also a blank slate. He admits he knows very little about Jesus. By inviting Christians to teach him, it will shape his own beliefs. Every Christian should participate and make it their mission to spread the word. Spreading the word about this project is spreading the word about Jesus.”

To reserve your free dot, go to: www.DotsForJesus.com.

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