You and me: everyday saints

Photo credit: Liturgies.net

Today is All Saints' Day, a day instituted to honor all saints, known and unknown. Let us continue to pray for the grace to become the saints we've all been called to become!

This is a beautiful prayer for today by a Benedictine monastery.



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Diocesan ministry opportunities

Every Friday, the Diocese of Austin sends out an electronic newsletter called "The Friday E-Pistle," to which anyone can subscribe.  To subscribe, send an e-mail to Diocesan Director of Communications Christian Gonzalez at christian-gonzalez@austindiocese.org.

The diocesan ministry opportunities listed in last week's E-pistle include:

Diocesan Law Project needs volunteer interpreters
Spanish interpreters are needed to help people in the community get legal assistance. Two clinics a week are offered in Austin, Martin Clinic at 1601 Haskell St., on Monday evenings and Webb Clinic at 601 E. St. Johns Ave.; both are held in the school cafeteria. Many lawyers are donating their services for free but need interpreters to assist them. For more information, contact Linda Conway at (512) 949-2419.

Choir rehearsals
The following is the schedule for the rehearsals for the two upcoming ordinations. We invite all musicians to attend. E-mail Cheryl Maxwell at cheryl-maxwell@austindiocese.org if you plan to participate.

• May 15: Combined Transitional and Priest Rehearsal, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Margaret Mary Parish in Cedar Park. Co-directed by Ren MacNary and Morris Stevens.
• May 20: Austin Regional Rehearsal, 7 to 9 p.m. at St. Edward's University. Directed by Morris Stevens.

Gabriel Project Life Center
The Gabriel Project Life Center is in need of gently-used maternity clothes. Thanks to St. Catherine of Siena Parish’s Pro-Life Team and G.I.F.T. for the beautiful and generous gifts from the baby shower you hosted for the Gabriel Project Life Center. For more information, contact Pamela Otten at pamela-otten@austindiocese.org.

Gabriel Project Training
There will be a Gabriel Project Angel Training on June 5 at St. William Parish in Round Rock from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (lunch and refreshments will be provided). Registration is due by May 31. Space is limited. For more information, call (512) 949-2486 or e-mail Briana Feiler at briana-feiler@austindiocese.org.

Top 10 Web sites volunteers should bookmark

As someone involved in ministry, you are often looked to for providing information to various folks about all things Catholic-, St. John Neumann- or ministry-related.  Whether it's a client, student or fellow parishioner to whom you're ministering, you want to be in-the-know so you can point people looking for answers in the right direction.  To be prepared (and for your own enjoyment), regularly visit these Web sites:

1. St. John Neumann Catholic Church
2. Diocese of Austin
3. Facebook fan page for "A Willing Witness"
4. Catholic Charities of Central Texas
5. The Vatican
6. Catholic Network of Volunteer Service
7. Catholic Relief Services
8. Relevant Radio Austin
9. Catholic Answers
10. Zenit [News]: The World Seen From Rome

Let us know with what other Catholic Web sites you keep up!

How To: Get Ethics and Integrity in Ministry certified

The Diocese of Austin requires anyone in a parish who ministers to or with minors or vulnerable adults (i.e. elderly, homeless, ill, people in crisis situations) to complete their Ethics and Integrity in Ministry Training.  This means that anyone who participates in the following SJN ministries must get this certification:

• Alpha Prison Ministry
• Boy Scouts
• Care Communities
• Challenge
• Christian Medical Missions
• Coffee and Donut Social Hosts
• Communion to Sick
• Cub Scouts
• Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion
• Engaged Sponsor Couples
• Faith Circle for High School Students
• Family Religious Education
• Catechists
• Vacation Religion School
• Bereavement Ministry
• Godly Play
• Hearts and Hands Respite Ministry
• K for J
• Life Teen volunteers
• EDGE volunteers
• Readers
• Ushers
• Sacristans
• Mary and Martha Guild
• Mobile Loaves & Fishes
• Parish library volunteers
• Southwest Austin Caregivers
• Summit / Querencia Communion Service Teams
• St. Vincent de Paul Society
• Touching Hearts, Bridging Hope
• Venture Crew
• Weekend collection counters
• Gift Shop volunteers

The reason the diocese asks most volunteers to go through the training is so that we can do our part to protect the vulnerable entrusted to our care and ministry.  You can read more frequently asked questions about the training on the diocesan Web site.

The training involves a two-part process -- one of which can be completed from the comforts of your own home!

1. Complete the diocesan Application for Ministry, which will run a background check.  This is best to be completed online, but you can go to the same link to print out a hard copy and mail it to the parish office for us to input into the system, if you wish.
2. Attend a basic workshop.  These are constantly being scheduled all around the Austin area (and beyond); schedules can be viewed at http://www.austindiocese.org/.  It's best to call the number listed ahead of time, but it's also perfectly fine to just show up the day of the workshop if it's a last minute convenience. 

Completing the application is a one-time requirement -- the system automatically runs a background check every few years with no extra work required on your part. 

Attending a workshop, however, must now be done every three years, so if it's been more than three years since you last attended a workshop, it's time to renew your certification!  The good news is that the refresher workshop, as they're called, is half the time that the basic workshop is.  You can also find the list of upcoming refresher workshops at http://www.austindiocese.org/department_home.php?id=9, under the header "Upcoming EIM Refresher Workshops.

Thank you for helping us do all we can to ensure the comfort and safety of those to whom we minister as a Church!
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Image courtesy of http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/

Upcoming seminar on service based on pope's third encyclical

The Texas Catholic Conference Charity and Justice Department is sponsoring an upcoming seminar based on Pope Benedict's third encyclical, Caritas in Veritate.  The event, Charity and Truth in Ministry: Our Call to Service, will be April 30 - May 1 at the Hilton Austin Airport Hotel.

Caritas in Veritate links charity and truth in the pursuit of justice, the common good and authentic human development.  In doing so, the pope calls all men and women to think and act anew.  This seminar is an opportunity for volunteers in church ministry to gather and reflect on our common call to service.  Participants are also offered workshop choices to hone skills in specific areas relevant to their ministries, including fund raising, volunteer retention, Hispanic outreach, legislative advocacy, re-entry services and wrap-around services for families of the incarcerated, and more.

For more information, call (512) 339-9882 or visit www.TXCatholic.org.

Contact

"A Willing Witness" is managed by Jen Crowley, director of young adults, communications and ministries at St. John Neumann Catholic Church.  St. John Neumann Church is located in Austin, Texas.

Below are several areas where we’d love your input.  Or feel free to just say hello!  For more information, please feel free to contact us via:

E-mail
jcrowley@sjnaustin.org

Phone
(512) 328-3220 Ext. 121

Mail
St. John Neumann Catholic Church
5455 Bee Cave Road
Austin, Texas 78746

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Ministry Opportunities
Jen is always looking for ministry opportunities!  Please provide the name of the sponsoring ministry and the details, including a ministry job description.

Real Ministry Submissions
Jen would love to feature your real St. John Neumann Church ministry event – whether it is a service project, fellowship event or spiritual activity.  Please send your photos and a brief write-up about your event.

*Please Note: Before submitting photos, please make sure you have the proper authority to do so! If the photos are the work of a professional, please contact the photographer for approval and then provide Jen their information so she can give credit where credit is due! For all photos that include your friends and family, please make sure they approve of having their image on the web. By submitting your photos, Jen assumes you have done your due diligence!

Resource Recommendations
Jen is always looking for great resources to share with the readers of "A Willing Witness."  Please submit your favorite resource recommendations for review.  Be sure to tell us why you love it!