Podcasts about hispanic catholics

Could Hispanic spirituality be the gift your parish needs? In this episode, I sit down with Deacon Gregorio Elizalde, who leads Hispanic Ministry for the Archdiocese of Omaha. We talk about what really makes Hispanic ministry tick—and spoiler alert—it's not just about translating resources into Spanish. It's about receiving culture, building trust, and forming real relationships. Deacon Gregorio shares powerful insights into how many Hispanic Catholics show up with this deep, family-rooted faith that's joyful, sacrificial, and incredibly contagious. There's a deep sense of devotion, hospitality, and joy, even in the midst of hardship in Hispanic Catholic communities. And honestly, their ability to evangelize through relationships, through retreats, through just showing up with love—that's a gift we desperately need in the Church today. If you're leading in a parish, or just want to understand how to better welcome and walk with our Hispanic brothers and sisters, this conversation will open your eyes and maybe even shift your heart. [00:14] The Importance of Hispanic Ministry [04:59] A Life-Changing Retreat [06:31] Becoming a Deacon [09:25] Hispanic Ministry in the Archdiocese [23:57] Ecclesial Movements and Community Impact [29:18] Devotional Culture in Hispanic Communities [33:20] Challenges in Hispanic Ministry [37:23] Consumerism and Faith [42:49] Gifts of the Hispanic Community [47:42] Building Inclusive Parishes [54:32] Resources and Support for Hispanic Ministry For more, check out Dcn. Gregorio's website (https://archomaha.org/oficina-del-ministerio-latino-hispano/), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=centro%20pastoral%20tepeyac), or just email him at hmo@archomaha.org (mailto:hmo@archomaha.org). For more practical advice and experiences from real people sharing their mission with the world, go to https://equip.archomaha.org/podcast/. A Production of the Archdiocese of Omaha Editor: Taylor Schroll (ForteCatholic.com)

Armando Contreras is the National president and CEO of United Cerebral Palsy Inc. The organization has 55 affiliates, 53 of which are here in the United States and two are in Canada. Armando grew up in East Los Angeles and then attended college at the University of Southern California where he obtained a degree in Business Administration. Later he secured a Master's degree in Divinity from the University of San Francisco.   Armando has worked both in the for profit world as well as for and with several nonprofit organizations. He tells us about all his life adventures including being a cancer survivor now for ten years.   Mr. Contreras and I have a great discussion about his vision for UCP which this year is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Along the way, UCP expanded services beyond just working with persons with Cerebral Palsy. As he explains, the same kinds of services required by people with CP also apply to persons with Downs and Autism.   I hope what Armando discusses with me inspires you as much as it did me. Please let me know what you think.     About the Guest:   Armando A. Contreras is the President and CEO of the Washington, D.C. and Vienna, Virginia-based United Cerebral Palsy Inc., one of the nation's leading health associations providing vital services and advocating for the inclusion of people living with neurodevelopmental disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, autism, and Down syndrome via its 55 affiliates (53 in the U.S. and two in Canada).   A native of Los Angeles, Armando's professional career includes having served as CEO of UCP of Central Arizona, President and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (AZHCC), Director of the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, and Executive Director of the Council on Small Business under former Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano.   He was featured in Activator Magazine's March 2021 issue (“A Servant Leader's Faithful Journey”). In November 2016, Arizona Business Magazine recognized him as a top CEO in the nonprofit health sector. In 2015, Armando was named one of the most Influential Minority Business Leaders in Arizona. He was also the featured CEO in the December 2013 issue of Arizona Business Magazine, and the Phoenix Business Journal awarded him a Champions in Diversity award in 2012. Armando was a special guest on The Hill newspaper's virtual Disability Summit, featuring policymakers, business and nonprofit leaders discussing ways to increase employment across the disability community.   Armando attended the Harvard School of Business Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management program. In May 2001, he was honored to meet with President George W. Bush to discuss faith-based and community initiatives during a White House gathering on the topic.   Today, Armando serves on the Board of SourceAmerica. He is a former member of the Bishop's Finance Committee of the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, and he recently completed a term serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Kino Border Initiative, a binational organization that promotes U.S.-Mexico border and immigration policies that affirm the dignity of the human person.   Armando earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Southern California and a master's degree in theology from the University of San Francisco. He also received certificates from the Indiana University School of Philanthropy and Harvard University.   He and his wife, Norma Contreras, live in Phoenix, where they are active in the community, particularly contributing their time and talents to faith-based social justice issues. The couple has three adult children and a grandson with another grandson on the way.       About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Welcome to another edition of unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet, and I won't go through all that again, it's inclusion because that means we include disabilities. Diversity typically doesn't, but the unexpected is what we get to deal with a lot as well. It's all fun, and we're glad that you're able to be here with us, wherever you happen to be. Our guest today is Armando Contreras, who is the president of United Cerebral Palsy, Inc, and I'm really anxious to hear more about that keeps keeps him, and I think a lot of us busy, and there's a lot of good stories and very relevant things to talk about regarding that. So let's get to it, Armando, I want to thank you and really appreciate you being here. Michael,   Armando Contreras ** 02:06 it's such a pleasure, and really it's an honor that I can be here on your show. So thank you for the kind invitation. Well, you   Michael Hingson ** 02:15 are. You're certainly most welcome, and Armando is one of those people who came to us again because of Sheldon Lewis here at accessibe, and he's he's keeping us busy, which is a good thing, and he's probably working on getting Armando to use accessibe, unless you already are with UCP. I haven't checked the website lately. Well, we   Armando Contreras ** 02:33 have. So we've already put in that, I believe, a plugin, and some of our affiliates are actually using accessibe as well,   Michael Hingson ** 02:43 which is cool, and it does a lot to help, which is, of course, what it's all about. Because accessibe, using AI, is able to do a lot of the work with the AI widget, not all, but a lot that needs to be done. So it's really great that you guys are using it, and I appreciate that and thank you for it, or on behalf of all of us at accessibe, yeah,   Armando Contreras ** 03:04 you're welcome. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 03:06 why don't we start as I love to do at the beginning? Why don't tell us a little bit about kind of the early Armando growing up and all that sort of stuff? Yes, so might as well,   Armando Contreras ** 03:18 yeah, the early Armando, growing up, was in East Los Angeles, in East LA so my father had a disability for most of his life. He had a he was in a car accident, and the doctors had said he would never work again. And right about that time when he had that car accident. I was born. I was the first, the oldest of three and my brother Louis and my sister Elizabeth. So life really changed for him, because he was middle class entrepreneur in Mexico, while he was American citizen. Then when he married my mom, then they moved over to Los Angeles, and eventually East Los Angeles, and that's where I grew up. I grew up pretty much in, you can say, in poverty. And while we were in a neighborhood called in Barrio, it's just a neighborhood of of, really, for the most part, a lot of good people. Our neighbors were fantastic, and we knew each other. So that was kind of like the beginning of many years of really, you know, experiencing disabilities with my dad and seeing what he had gone through. And it was a it was a tough, really. It was a tough. It was tough growing up, let me put it to you that way, for for many reasons. So then later, I got involved with the Catholic Church, Saint Lucy. Catholic Church in Los Angeles or a small town called City terrace, and that kind of that really changed a lot for me, as far as getting involved with community issues, getting involved in helping people, getting involved in connecting with the kind of the local issues that were happening in the city of Los Angeles, because those priests, those Catholic priests, were very involved in that, in ministries, and they went outside of the ministries to help community members, regardless if they were Catholic or not, what. And prior to that, I got involved as a musician. So I was a trumpet player, and I played trumpet at St Lucy's church for about 23 years. But then that that did something, something of sort of a miracle for me, because when I applied after going to a junior college in Los Angeles College, and then I applied to a dream university, USC, so the University of Southern California, and I think one of the big reasons that I got in was because of my community involvement, so that that led to a full scholarship, and that was quite the blessing for me, because there was no way that that we can afford me going to a private university. So, you know, that's kind of like, in the nutshell, my my upbringing, otherwise I would be here three days, you know,   Michael Hingson ** 06:30 yeah, what year? What years were you at USC,   Armando Contreras ** 06:34 I was there. I was there in 8085 through 87 ish, around that time? Yeah, around that that time? Yeah, I graduated in 87   Michael Hingson ** 06:46 that's that's much beyond my favorite USC football game, which was, how was it? I think Notre Dame was leading SC 24 to nothing at the end of the first half. You know, the game, I can tell by the end, it was 55 to 24 USC, which is the way it should be.   Armando Contreras ** 07:07 You know, SC had his great moments, and sc has had their challenging moments. Has Yeah. So, you know, last year, it could have been a better year for us. But, you know, we look to the future. And like I always say, don't fight on. So fight on   Michael Hingson ** 07:23 is right. My wife did her graduate work at SC I've never been to a football game there or anywhere, and one of these days, I'd love to go, but she just passed away in November of 2022 we were married for 40 years, but I've already been an SC fan before I married her, and one of my favorite SC stories is that the day we got married, we arrived at the church, and it was supposed to be a wedding that would pack the church. A lot of people wanted to come and see us get together, but the wedding was supposed to start at four o'clock, and like the church was less than half full on about 412 suddenly the doors opened, and this whole crowd came in, and the wedding went forward, only about 15 minutes late. Later, we tried to find out what it was that kept people away for so long. And what we heard was everyone was in their cars waiting for the end of the USC Notre Dame game. And since SC one, it was that God clearly was on our side.   Armando Contreras ** 08:25 I love that. Yeah, it's a great story. And my my sister, condolences for loss.   Michael Hingson ** 08:31 Well, thank you. You know she her body was just slowing down. She was in a wheelchair her whole life, and just in 2022, things were kind of catching up. And as I say, the spirit tends to move ahead of the body sometimes, and that's what happened. But she's watching somewhere, and if I misbehave, I'll hear about it. I'm not at all worried I'm going to try to be a good kid. But that's great that she did go to USC, and you said something else. I think that's really interesting to me, and that is that where you grew up, people were very nice and very friendly. And I think that is so often true, and a lot of times people stray into some of these areas and they think it's going to be horrible, and they they look for the worst, and they find it because they're not looking for the best. They're not looking to try to find friendly people and and it's so unfortunate that too many, too many times, we don't really look for the best in people. And unfortunately, then it comes out.   Armando Contreras ** 09:34 Well, you know, I I could only say great things about East LA and the barrio that I, that I grew up in, were there elements in there? Of course, sure you were, we were about a block away from from the gang activity, and you just had a choice, right? And thanks to my parents that were super strict, they didn't, they didn't allow me to make those kind of choices when I was younger. You know. To join the gangs, but that element was in front of you, you know, and some of them, some of the folks I still know today, some of them that were in gangs and stuff, now they've settled down. They have families, but I just have to say that there was a sense of community there where I grew up, even, even, or despite the elements that were around us. So yes, do I hear the negativity when they somebody mentions East Los Angeles? Yes, but I could, I have to say that even though we grew up in poverty and even though there was a lot of challenges for us as a family, I I really cherish the neighbors that were there. When I remember that the kind of those gatherings, we had nothing. So there was no we played, you know, with just a regular basketball or something. There was no communication via a cell phone or anything like that. Yeah. So, you know, I have only good things to say. And part of my upbringing there today, I realized that wow, I was I was working on a strategic plan without even knowing what a strategic plan was back in the day. Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 11:17 Do you think that today it's harder, or there's more of that kind of activity, or is it just that people are now having their attention drawn more to it, and again, still, I think all too often deal with it in such a negative way. But do you think it's worse than it was?   Armando Contreras ** 11:36 I mean, if we're talking about, if we're talking about gang activity. I mean that still, I think, is just as prominent that today, unfortunately, than what it was this as it was back. You know, when I grew up in the night, in the 60s, I believe that leaders, community leaders, our representatives, really have to invest into communities, invest in education, invest in in jobs, right? Because people, naturally, some of them, will start looking for a way of making a living, and they may choose a different route. In addition to that, gangs and they become a family. So, you know, parents do need to, you know, also be aware of what their kids are doing, and support them and and nurture them and show them love, right? And because, if you really get to the bottom of it, and you start speaking to a gang member, she or he, there's underlining problems, and maybe comes from family. You know, there could be so many things that are happening, but I truly have a vision that that someday there's going to be more funds invested into communities like East Los Angeles, because a lot of great people come out of there, and I'm not talking about myself, but there's just a lot of good people, good hearted people, that really like to help their neighbor and others. When   Michael Hingson ** 13:10 I was selling in New York, when still living in California, and would go back and spend days at a time, I stayed at a particular hotel in midtown Manhattan, Near Time Square, and if I went out at night, every so often, somebody would come up and he would say, I'm one of the guardian angels. You're familiar with them? Yes. And he said, I'm with guardian angels. I want to walk with you. And I said, you know, you don't need to. And he said, I want to. And I didn't mind, but what I always felt and and experienced was if I treated people right, if I treated people like people, if I was I was treated like someone, and I didn't really need to fear any of the other kinds of things. Now, I'm sure there were crazies around, but in general, I really do think that if we would be a little bit more open to just accepting and not fear so much those things that we don't understand, or those kinds of communities that we're not as knowledgeable about, and I'm not so much thinking of the gangs, but just all the other communities, like East LA and watts and so on, we would be a whole lot better off, and we would learn to get along with people better.   Armando Contreras ** 14:31 I totally agree with that. I think it's building relationships, right, and getting to help and getting to know, you know, folks from different ethnicities, people with different abilities, right? It all comes together. Here is that, knowing them, respecting them, listening for understanding, and then building a friendship, right? And collaborating together. Um. For the betterment of humanity. That's what I believe, where it's at, and everybody has an opportunity to do that.   Michael Hingson ** 15:08 Yeah, and I just think that we, we, we somehow also need to get the politics out of providing the funds. And I don't know, it's just people have locked themselves into some very hard political decisions sometimes that that don't help the process at all.   Armando Contreras ** 15:26 Yeah? Michael, so yes, yes. Part of it is yes, taking out the politics, but the other part of it is bringing in the politics right? Is letting our our representatives, our public officials, and on the local level, on the municipality level, state level, on the federal level, to bring them in and know what the issues are, because we're all part of the fabric of society. Yeah, all somehow we do give, and we do contribute, and I don't, I don't care what ethnicity, what religion you are, if you if you have a disability, if you don't have a disability, we're all part of the society, and I believe that our representatives really need to know that and how we contribute in a very big way.   Michael Hingson ** 16:16 I think the biggest part is they need to be open to listening to hear that some do, some don't. And I am a firm believer in the fact that over time, all the issues that we need to deal with will get dealt with.   Armando Contreras ** 16:30 I believe so too, and I think those that those that don't listen to communities, for whatever reason it is that eventually somebody in their family or them may end up in that situation themselves, and then, you know, they'll begin to have that lived experience. But while they've had a chance to make a difference, and if they ignore it, then there was a window of opportunity for them to do something.   Michael Hingson ** 17:01 Yeah, well, and, and if they choose to ignore that again, I believe that things will will happen to deal with that, whatever it is, and hopefully it it doesn't a negative, horrible thing that has to happen to make them realize it. But I think in some cases, that has been what has occurred. But I have a lot of faith in the human race. Yes, so do I. Well, so you, what was your degree in from USC?   Armando Contreras ** 17:29 It was in business administration.   Michael Hingson ** 17:32 Ah. And did you go to any football games?   Armando Contreras ** 17:35 I did, yeah, good   Michael Hingson ** 17:36 for you. My wife did too. Yeah.   Armando Contreras ** 17:38 And, and most recently, most recently, I've gone to the last two USC UCLA games. So last year, it was great. It was fantastic. We were at the Rose Bowl at, you know, in UCLA territory this year, not so good. We were so good, not so good. We were at home at the Coliseum. And, you know, it didn't, it didn't work at a while, but it was a fun game. I   Michael Hingson ** 18:04 don't know, what do you think of the coach?   Armando Contreras ** 18:07 Um, I think that he's good, and I think that he will continue to be successful this year, this next year. I think it will be better this year. Yeah, I think so. And they got this young, this young man that showed up at the at the bowl game. I'm trying to remember Miller. I think it was Miller, and it was his name, and he showed up. He was a he, he did a fantastic job. And I do see a great future for him at USC and perhaps in in the in the NFL.   Michael Hingson ** 18:40 Well, it'll be fun. I know they got a new defensive coordinator and that they needed, so we'll, we'll see how it goes. But we won't bore everyone with football and our likes, but it's nevertheless, it's part of the world. So there you go, but then you went on to the University of San Francisco, right?   Armando Contreras ** 19:01 I did. So that was a few years later, and I graduated, I believe, in 2004 and I it was, it was something that drew me, and it was an opportunity for me to get a degree in Theology at a Jesuit university. So at that time, I was working for a faith based Catholic organization, a national organization called the National Catholic council for Hispanic ministry. And what we looked at overall in the United States were the issues of upper mobility for Hispanic Catholics for immigrants, or for our sisters and brothers that are immigrants, the issues that are happening with Hispanic families, education was a huge thing. You know, how do we how do we move, you know, our children that from, you know, grammar school to. Catholic high schools and perhaps Catholic universities were, yeah, unfortunate. Unfortunately, I have to say, is that there's not a whole lot of access, and we're the backbone of the Catholic Church, right? Because it's so expensive. So those were the things that that we were part of, and one of the opportunities that came about was attending the University of San Francisco and and I received, you know, I earned a degree in theology, master's degree, yes,   Michael Hingson ** 20:32 well, let's go back a little bit. So you graduated from SC then what did you do?   Armando Contreras ** 20:37 Well, then I had several jobs after that. I worked for a nonprofit in Los Angeles that helped people get jobs. And then after that, I believe, I went into a construction company as a contract administrator. I was here for maybe a year and a half or so, and then I went on for whatever reason I was interested in real estate. So then I worked for a corporation that did mortgage loans. And in that I met a gentleman who had his own real estate company, and then we decided to start our own real estate company. So I did that for about seven, seven years, and then I I got hired to work with this nonprofit, the National Catholic council that I just mentioned a little bit ago. I was there for about 10 and a half years. So I had I had a chance to travel around the nation and to meet with Hispanic Catholic leaders, lay leaders. I got to meet with religious orders of men and women from Jesuits, Franciscans, many other different orders. So it was, it was really a insightful time for me in those 10 and a half years about our church. And then after that, we moved from Los Angeles to Phoenix. And shortly after that, I got hired. Let's see here. I'm trying to remember the I got hired by governor Janet Napolitano, but I was her small business advocate, and in about 11 months, I moved into being a deputy director of a one of her departments, the Arizona register of contractors, and soon after that, I was on her cabinet. So I was honored to serve under Janet Napolitano when she moved to Washington, DC, because President Barack Obama appointed her as Secretary of Homeland Security. Then I moved on to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, here Arizona, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. And then about a year later, then that's where I had folks come to me and said, there's an organization here that is the United Cerebral Palsy association of central Arizona. And I said, Well, I'm going to maybe put the word out and see who might be interested in that position, which was a CEO position. And then they said, No, we're looking for somebody like you. So to make a long story short, I got hired. And that was really a beginning of of a lot of things. I got hired not because I had the clinical background, or the researcher background, or that I had been involved with disabilities. I got hired so then I can take take that organization to another level, where they wanted to increase the revenues, they wanted to increase their brand awareness. They wanted to make sure that we had stronger collaborations in the community in Arizona, in in Phoenix, and that's why I got hired, to make sure that we enhance that to benefit the children and adults that we were serving.   Michael Hingson ** 24:05 Well. So what do you think about the differences since you've been in a position to have done both working in the for profit corporate kind of world, as opposed to working in the the nonprofit sector? That's,   Armando Contreras ** 24:21 that's Michael. That's a really interesting question, because there are similarities,   Michael Hingson ** 24:27 I know, and I've done the same thing. I've worked for both as well. Well,   Armando Contreras ** 24:31 look, you know, I'm working for a nonprofit, and those that are going to be listening to this, that are CEOs are working in development for both for profits and nonprofits. There's not a whole there's not a big difference there. Because we strive to be sustainable, like a for profit. We strive to look at years to come, because we want to be around and help people in the next 1015, 75, Years which we we're celebrating this year, our 75th anniversary. So part of our responsibility as a leader, as a president and CEO, is really looking beyond the years that you're going to be there. You can, you can serve for one year, 10 years, 20 years, 30 years. But really the i i truly believe that the test is, once you leave, will that organization continue to survive because of what you put together? So to answer your question, a lot of similarities between a for profit and a non profit. However, at the end of the day, the mission for us is to not make a profit, but to be sustainable so we can continue our life saving work   Michael Hingson ** 25:49 and for not, not for profits. Nonprofits generally tend to work more in an arena where they're trying to make a social difference. And although they're they're still selling products. The products are different. They're oftentimes less tangible, although a lot of the services that that they provide, like UCB, UCP provides and so on, end up being very tangible, but still there's there's an intangibility, but still, I agree with you that the reality is that they're very similar. Development is extremely similar to what a for profit company does. And in reality, when you're in development, you're in sales, and when you're in sales, you're in development, it's just that people have come up with two words for the same thing, but they're so similar in what you ultimately are trying to get from them, and ultimately, how you present to people who you want to be your customers or your donors, is so much the same as well.   Armando Contreras ** 27:00 Yeah, I agree with you, Michael, so in development, because I also have a background in fundraising, it's aligning with the folks that have the same vision and that would want to contribute for an impact that's happening in society. So with United Cerebral Palsy and our affiliates are providing direct services to children and adults with cerebral palsy and many other conditions. So there are people that are very, very generous, but I have to say that in the world of philanthropy now, donors are becoming a lot more informed, and they want to make sure that the dollar that they're going to donate, that it's going to go a long way. Yeah, so obviously they're looking at at administrative costs versus your program program costs, right? And that's a good thing. I encourage the philanthropic community to do that, to do their research and to pick those nonprofits in the United States or maybe around the world that are really making a huge impact. Michael, we we serve 100 and approximately 155,000 children and adults on an annual basis, and this is our affiliates that are working day in and day out to provide those services, vital services, life saving services, and services that maybe other organizations don't or people don't want to do. So those are the things that that people that are going to invest their return is really what's happening in the lives of 1000s and hundreds of 1000s of people. Many,   Michael Hingson ** 28:45 many years ago, I remember watching a little bit of a telethon. It was actually on Channel 13 out here, kcop, and it was back in what had to be the early to mid 80s, I think, and it was a telethon put on by the Society for the Prevention of blindness, which I don't even know whether they're around anymore, but at the end of the telethon, they had raised, I think, like $200,000 it was a local, Just independent television station doing it. But what we learned was that 95% of the cost of the telethon went to pay for it, and that the organization only ended up with about 5% of that $200,000 which is, of course, a real problem.   Armando Contreras ** 29:39 It is so like I mentioned before, is that today you're having more informed donors, right, that are looking at that ratio, right? Yeah, how much of their dollar is going to go to actual services, right? Versus cost for putting on a. For putting like you mentioned, a telethon today, there's not a whole lot of telethons going on. Have a million channels, but back in the day, I remember the channels 13, 574, and maybe 11 nine. Yeah, 11 nine. So there was a few more today. What do you have? 234, 100, and then more and all of that. There's other ways that I certainly believe that that can be as impactful and less expensive than the telethons. But sure, you bring up a really good point, is that if you're going to, if you're a donor, if you're a philanthropist, if you really want to have your money change people's lives, they have to do some homework. Yeah, they have to look at that nonprofit and to make sure that 90% of your dollars not going into it, and 90% is not going into it, administrative expenses. It   Michael Hingson ** 30:55 may well be that that 90% works or maybe a little bit less. You're spending a little bit more money on administration, if you can justify it, to say, but look out of that we are able to reach more people and thus get more money. But I do think it's, it's a it's a tight rope.   Armando Contreras ** 31:20 Yeah, I definitely agree with that, that you have to be strategic when you're out fundraising and your your case statement really has to be where it's so compelling that and then showing the data and and and bringing children and adults to tell their story, right of how their lives have been changed. Those are the storytelling is really part, one part, or a major part, of development and fundraising.   Michael Hingson ** 31:56 Well, tell us a little bit about UCP, the history and so on, if you would to inform more people about it.   Armando Contreras ** 32:02 Well, one, you know, I'm, I'm so excited to share with everybody that we're celebrating our 75th anniversary, right? Uh, 75 years of providing vital services, right? 75 years of having our direct service professionals, the folks that are working at home, under the home community based services. We have we have pre Ks, the different therapies that are out there. We have group homes, we have transportation, we have employment. There's so many things that we're bringing to the community. But it started in 1949 right? It started with concerned citizens and concerned parents, that they felt that in that time, which was a totally different world for people with disabilities, that they felt that something more had to happen, that no more can society or the doctors or people in authority can say, would your kids have to go to an institution no matter if they had Down syndrome? Well, maybe autism wasn't. Were so prevalent back then, maybe not as prevalent, but cerebral palsy, spinal bifid, all of that that their kids suddenly were taken away from their home.   Michael Hingson ** 33:22 Well, my parents were told by our doctors that they should send me to a home when it was discovered I was blind, and my parents rejected that, which was very fortunate, but   Armando Contreras ** 33:32 yeah, and good for your parents. And that's how it started, right? I think, I think a lot of nonprofits started in that way, but back in 1949 that's when a group of parents got together and said, we have to do something more right. Then today, we've evolved where we're in the disability world, there's greater access than there was before, there's more inclusion than there was before, right? We're trying at least that used because UCP national and our affiliates, we're trying to help people be more independent, if it's through legislation, research, therapies, everything that we're trying to do. And we're very we're very centric to those issues that are out there, and we're trying to make a huge difference. So what I'm looking at is, I'm looking at another 75 years and that United Cerebral Palsy. One we're trying to in here. Four goals. One is brand awareness. Also let folks know about our 75th year anniversary. But one of the bigger things Michael that is the challenge for us is that United Cerebral Palsy serves children and adults with cerebral palsy and other conditions, so we're trying to bring that message out. And figuring out, how can we let the community know that if your child has Down syndrome autism, that we are there providing vital services for for them as well. The next goal is development, or what we just spoke about, connecting with the philanthropic community, because we, while a lot of our affiliates rely on government funding and reimbursement, I believe that there's another level that we have to engage with, and that's the philanthropic community right. There are millions and millions of dollars. Michael, I go to this to a an event called the heckling event in Orlando, I've been going there for now five years, and those professionals that are working with Planned Giving, some of them will come to me and say that their clients don't know where to give their money to. That's why we're present there, and that's why other profits are there too, as well. Is that we need to educate the community that that you can actually invest in something that's going to bring back this return of investment, but more of a humanity return, and something that's going to be great for society. The other goal that we have is advocacy. So we're known throughout the federal government, the Biden administration, as well as the Trump administration community, communicated with us, especially during COVID So we had communications with the White House. We still do. We're engaged at the Congress and Senate level with various representatives and senators to make sure that they create legislation that's going to be beneficial for our for the for the disability community, and that we don't ever go back to the institutions that that would be their only option. Unfortunately, Michael, today, there's still institutions that exist, not as many as before, but there's still institution the last goal we have is to grow our footprint, not only nationally, but but internationally. So we're having discussions locally, in places that were not present, to grow our footprint, to see how we can collaborate. We're also having, I'm having conversations with people on the global level, like the International cerebral palsy society, like aacpdm, the Academy for cerebral palsy. I've been invited twice, once, well, I got invited last year to the International Congress on cerebral palsy in Mexico City, I got invited again. I was their president, and I gave a speech. And I got invited again this year, in March, I'll be in medida Yucatan at an international congress again, and that brings a lot of awareness for us, brand awareness, and the main thing is really collaboration. So I kind of touched upon some of the some of the goals, Michael, and some of the things that important things and vital things that our affiliates are doing. So if there's, if there's something else that you want me to elaborate, I'd be glad, more than glad to do. So how are   Michael Hingson ** 38:19 you working toward creating more and better brand awareness to the general population?   Armando Contreras ** 38:27 Well, one of the things that we're doing, given that we have this window of opportunity that we're celebrating our 75th year, and that begins in that started in February, and we'll go all the way through January 31 is that one, we have a lot of partners out there that are doing things like you're doing access to be right, that invited me on this program. And that's one of the beautiful things that in social media, it's not it's not very expensive for us to be out there. So we're using the media vehicles such as LinkedIn, Facebook and the others that are out there. And we're also using YouTube to spread the message out there. So we're we're also sharing the stories of our affiliates and their accomplishments and the people that are being served, the parents and their children, so they can share those great stories that sometimes are miracle stories because of the people that are serving them and providing quality services, care and love. So that's one vehicle. The other one is that I I was on 26 I traveled to 26 locations last year, so I'm also providing that message out there. And then within our affiliate network, they're also doing marketing, and they're doing. Brand awareness as well. So it's a whole it's really this whole core nation that we want, not only the nation, no, but globally. Let the people know who is you at UCP and United Cerebral Palsy,   Michael Hingson ** 40:16 what caused UCP to add in as part of the services that are provided, services for people with downs and autism, as opposed to just UCP   Armando Contreras ** 40:32 or UCP. Yeah, so if I go back to when I was at the local United Cerebral Palsy the UC central Arizona. It just happened to be that the programs, the same programs that were provided for children and adults with cerebral palsy, also were beneficial to other conditions. I'm not a researcher, but when there's a breakthrough in cerebral palsy or in autism or in a different condition, they try to see if that same breakthrough will help people with different conditions. What we do know is that the therapies that are being offered to children and adults with cerebral palsy, those same types of therapies are also impactful to other conditions. So what was happening is that, then parents started to to, I guess, the word went out, and what we have across the board in the United States is that we have a high percentage of non cerebral palsy clients, or we'll call them family members, that are are getting services because that's much needed. One Michael is like respite, like respite care. You know any, any family can use that rest, that respite care, no matter what the condition is. So if you're offering that, then you can offer it to the disability community, a broad range of of people that have various conditions,   Michael Hingson ** 42:13 which makes perfect sense, because a lot of the care that needs to be provided is very similar. Well, or is the same? Yes, well, you know, you, I understand, had a an involvement with cancer, and you survived that. How has that affected you and in your attitude? Because, clearly, you're a very sensitive person and very much involved in community and family and helping people. But what, what was the whole situation with you in cancer?   Armando Contreras ** 42:42 You know, I think it's that. I think that's, it's the experience that all people go through when they first hear that you have cancer, right? First thought is, are you going to survive? You know, the first, first thing that comes to you is that it's, it's terminal, right? You're not going to get through it. You know this when you hear news like that, and you know, maybe it's the same as parents hearing that their child has cerebral palsy or disability, you know, you just, you just, it's a scary moment. It's a scary time. So what? Yeah, it was a difficult time for me and for my family, especially, I think my family knowing that I had transitional carcinoma, high grade, and it was a it was a tumor in my bladder that was nine and a half centimeters. I haven't really talked about it a lot, but it's been 10 years. So February, when I had seen that as a suggestion, like you want to talk about that, my first thought was, No, I think I'm going to skip it. But a few seconds later, I said, maybe it's time for me to share with the community, because it's been 10 years since I was diagnosed so and I'll try to make this short, I got diagnosed huge tumor. They had asked me if I wanted that tumor to be taken out, otherwise I could die. And I said, of course. So they took out the tumor. I had a brilliant surgeon that did that. And then after that, they basically said to me that if I don't, if I don't do radical surgery, taking out my bladder, taking out some lymph nodes, my prostate, that I wouldn't live very long, that I had really, like a 35% chance or less to live. So I had said that I wanted to put a pause on this rush, and that perhaps there's an option out there, perhaps there was another way, because I knew that billions of dollars have been raised for cancer. And maybe because this is a whole new journey for me, that the cure was somewhere out there. Well, after going to five different doctors for second opinions, they all said the same to me, that I only had one choice, and that choice radical surgery. And even after that, even after that, I was still I was confused, I was scared, but I was still. There was a pause that I felt that maybe there was something out there. So thanks to my sister, she really saved my life. She connected me with the scientists that she was researching, and that scientist said, you know, I only, I've only done lab studies on this particular oil called frankincense oil. I haven't done any clinical studies, and today, Michael, there's still no clinical studies on frankincense oil. So I started doing that three months after they they took the tumor out. I had 20 more tumors come back in my bladder. But they were small. They were lesions. So I just asked them to scrape, scrape them. The doctors were furious with me. I get it. I mean, that was, that was a protocol. I totally get it, you know. But something, people say that I had a lot of courage. I'm not sure if it was, like just something, it could have been something was telling you. I mean, I definitely there was a lot of prayer during that time. Yeah, a lot of prayer happening at that time. I just couldn't see myself dying, and I didn't want that to happen. So just to kind of, like, kind of close on this is that when those 20 tumors came back, they scraped them. They were supposed to be a lot more coming back, or it was going to invade my body. Three months later, I had nothing, absolutely nothing. Three months after that, I had six lesions come back, and that was March of 2015, so it's been nine years since the last reoccurrence. It's been 10 years since I was diagnosed, and I get checked very often. Once a year in the beginning, I would go in and get checked every three months. So it's been quite the miracle. But I have to say, this is that one I changed. I had changed my diet at the time for about four and a half years, I was strictly doing a lot of juicing, no sugar, a lot of prayer, a lot of family love, a lot of support. I did the frankincense oil. So I think in a comprehensive way, that helped me, and that gave me another option. And I'm very grateful for that, and I'm very grateful that every day I wake up and I say to God, thank you for sparing me. But on the advocacy side, Michael, I just didn't leave it there. I've had conversations with with the with the University of Arizona, with the Arizona State University, with Cancer Centers of America, with St Joseph's Hospital, with my alma mater, USC, and the last conversation I had was with Georgetown University, and these were top CEOs. And I was sharing my documentation, because I have it all there. But sadly, I have to say that they're not interested. They're not interested in a cure, and I'll continue to pursue it when the opportunity continues on, but it's only my story, and I didn't want to leave it where. Well, Lord, thank you so much. You know it never came back, so thank you. No, I have a responsibility to figure out some ways, somehow, that my my story, can turn into a clinical study, and that someday, and maybe not in my my time, that there's going to be an option for millions of people that will contract cancers. So that's my story in a nutshell. Thank you for asking.   Michael Hingson ** 49:04 So what did the frankincense oil actually do? I assume that you feel it was a very significant part of your ability to deal with it.   Armando Contreras ** 49:12 Yeah, it's a good question, because medically, I can't tell you, because we haven't done right? Yeah, we haven't done clinical studies. And I've been, I've been asking these universities and these hospitals and these cancer firms, you know that are out there, and said, Why don't we do the clinical studies so you can so you can see exactly what it did. I can't tell you that what it did. The only thing I can tell you is that is that as they, as they as they took samples of the cancerous tumors. So you had the big tumor, and then the 20 small tumors, and then you had the six lesions that, according to the scientists, dr, dr Lynn, HK Lynn, what he did see is that the cancer cells were becoming less aggressive. And at the end, some of the cancer cells actually turn into good cells. Now, you know, people can believe that or not. I'm I'm okay with that. Sure, only thing I'm saying, Michael is that there should be, there should be clinical studies on this, because I believe it would save hundreds of 1000s of lives. What was it? We don't know. Was it the combination? Is it the combination of me juicing on a daily basis for four and a half years? Was it that, as a Catholic, you know, I was going through all the different sacraments, prayers and healing masses? So I believe there was a holistic healing process. And then my family that was supporting me during a very difficult time,   Michael Hingson ** 50:49 sounds to me like it's time to write a book.   Armando Contreras ** 50:54 I've I've been asked many times, and I think when I think, when, when I feel that, that when I'm ready for that, that, yeah, that's that will happen.   Michael Hingson ** 51:03 Yes, you've got to, you've got to feel ready and feel that it's the right time. But that might be one way to bring visibility to it. Yes, well, you know, you you value family a lot. I understand that there are music connections in your family, has music always been a part of your life or   Armando Contreras ** 51:24 or, yeah, I think I think so. I think that. Well, I know so, because when I was the trumpet player, young trumpet player at St Lucy's Catholic Church, a few years later, my lovely wife, Norma, joined the choir. I didn't know she was married, but she joined the choir. And you know, we have this thing that she doesn't agree with me, but I say, hey, when I when I met you, when I seen you, was love at first sight. And and I said, but not for you. It took a while. And she says, no, no, but so So music, I was playing trumpet, normal was singing. And then later we got married, and then we had our first child. Was Andrea, Andrea Michelle, our daughter, our beautiful daughter, who's with child today, her and her husband, Fabian. So she knew that in our home there was a lot of music happening, and if it was church or at home. And then our second child, Armando, Michael, he started catching on a little bit, but we started to notice that he started to sing and sing right in tune. And then we said, hey, maybe there's something here. So his first recital in Los Angeles, he's saying pop by the Sailor Man and over the rainbow. And he did pretty good. So later he joined as a as a young child, you know, five years old, he joined the choir at St Lucy's. And then we moved. We moved from, we moved from Los Angeles over to Phoenix, Arizona, which was a great blessing being here. And we then were exploring how we can continue to support his talent. And he joined the Grammy Award winning Phoenix boys choir, and that's where he began to sing. Got to meet some wonderful people. They had wonderful directors there, and had a great experience. That experience led him to fall in love with the classics. Oh, there he began to be part of some of the local, local opera performances. So to make a long story short, Norma, my wife and I supported him. He went to the Cleveland Institute of Music, from there in vocals, and then from there, he went to the University of Missouri in Kansas City for his masters. And today he's a professional opera singer. He's a baritone. So it's it's been amazing. All our kids are amazing. I also have to mention that our youngest Andrew, Matthew. He went to Gonzaga University and then graduated from Lewis and Clark in clinical psychology. He's worked with a lot of kids with disabilities. He's a drummer and he's a guitar player. So yes, music is a big part of our family.   Michael Hingson ** 54:28 Well, it is getting to be that time of the year that Gonzaga will become visible again as we get back down to march madness. I actually, I actually had the pleasure of going up there once to speak and and I hadn't really known a lot about Gonzaga at the time, and they were the ones who told me, however, one always said, Where is Gonzaga? You know what? What kind of a place is it? And so I've kept up with it ever since, but it is kind of funny that their basketball team is good. Yeah.   Armando Contreras ** 54:59 Yeah, it's a, it's a beautiful place. It's a great Jesuit university. We, I, you know, he had a great experience. This is Andrew. He had a great experience out there. So, yes, I totally agree. Yeah, we had a chance to go out to Bob, trying to remember the city here. Spokane, yeah, yeah, yeah. Spokane, various times with him,   Michael Hingson ** 55:25 that's pretty cool. Well, so is he professionally doing music now? No, so,   Armando Contreras ** 55:30 So Andrew, our youngest, he's professionally now a clinical psychologist. Ah, yeah, now and now. Armando, Michael, he is a professional opera singer, right? And that's what he does. So, you know, his, his, one of his dreams, is going to be singing at the Metropolitan Ooh, we do see that perhaps happening within a year or two, because they he'll be, right? He'll be auditioning for that, probably very soon, and he's very young. He's just 34 years old.   Michael Hingson ** 56:03 So that'd be super What would you like people to know about the disability community in general, when we think about disabilities, you know, when there's so many prejudices, what would you like people to know and in terms of disabilities and how to maybe change attitudes, yeah,   Armando Contreras ** 56:23 well, they're definitely part of the fabric of society, and we, nobody, not me, or anybody else in in any organization, can speak for them. We need to allow for them and give them that opportunity and space to voice their concerns, to voice whatever joy they have, to voice things that we need to hear in our community. We have to provide while we're here in the United States, and there's been laws that have been enacted, enacted that laws now have to be updated. We have antiquated laws that do not even pay people with disabilities even minimum wage, right? So, so that we really have to be conscious of a community that is part of our society. We need to engage. Furthermore, we have to collaborate. We need them as public, public officials. They need to run for office, right? Some of them do. They have to be part of the decision making, decisions that are being made from all levels of government, all levels of corporation, all levels of nonprofits. And that's the way, that's the way I really see it. Is that, and we also have to have breakthroughs in research, right? What are some of the things that that we can do so we can those lives can be more that they would have more of a more access, right? That even if you go to certain states in the United States that I've been, there's not even accessibility for wheelchairs. And just speak about the airlines, right? How, how and why are people thinking in those corporations that a person that has a disability can easily go into their bathrooms. There's no way, right flying, especially if it's a long flight. So no, there's, there's been some great things Michael that have, that have evolved and happened through a collaboration of a lot of advocates, and a lot of them are self advocates, but we still have a long way to go.   Michael Hingson ** 59:08 Yeah, and I think that's absolutely true. So what is UCP Inc doing to celebrate its 75th anniversary? What kinds of plans do you have and where do you go from here?   Armando Contreras ** 59:19 Well, we do have a an annual conference coming up in Orlando, and this year in April. So that's a good thing for us, you know. But the bigger thing for us is to celebrate is really bringing that education, bringing that awareness of what we're doing, not only in here in the United States, but we also have affiliates in Canada. So as we celebrate, part of our celebration is educating the society about exactly what we do and please, you know, knock on our door for for help. So that's that's really part of it. The other part of it is acknowledge. Gene, the folks that started UCP back in 1949 right? Like the, like the golden sins, and also the housemans and many others that that have helped us get through the 75 years.   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:18 Yeah, well, it's, a great milestone to be able to celebrate 75 years, and I am sure that you, with your background, is very concerned about making sure that there is great sustainability for the future, which is really important and cool that you're thinking about that, because it's something that always needs to be with us in whatever we're doing. That's a good thing. Any kind of last thoughts that you have that you want to convey to people who are listening or watching us.   Armando Contreras ** 1:00:51 Yes, one is first, I want to share my gratitude for inviting me, Michael. And then second, please reach out to us the disability community. Please find us@ucp.org we may be in your backyard. If there are organizations out there that want to become an affiliate of United Cerebral Palsy, please reach out to us as well. We are here. We want to continue to be here for the next 75 years, so that our community can be part and be an inclusive part of our society. That we can bring that help, bring that independence, but we can continue to see those miracles, that children that we're told, and families that were told that they would never walk. I've seen them walk, and were physicians that said to a mom and dad that their child would never move or never speak, and I've seen them hug their parents and tell them that they love them, right? And we want to continue to make those miracles happen through therapies, through early detection, through early intervention, all these forms of of of a reach that we have through United Cerebral Palsy in the United States and Canada and and watched for us in the near future as we begin to go global, and that's really a vision that that I have. But and also, again, is that it's important to know that we know that I know that, Michael, you know that is that everybody is a fabric at society, some way, somehow, no matter their abilities. And that's really important, important message for people to know.   Michael Hingson ** 1:02:43 I agree. Well, I want to thank you for being here with us and conveying all this information, and I hope people will take it to heart and that they'll support UCP and and reach out and learn more about the organization and that you are doing, and will continue to do a lot to just help people in general, with disabilities, which is cool. I appreciate that, and I want to thank Go ahead. No, no.   Armando Contreras ** 1:03:10 I just wanted to thank and I also want to thank accessibe, right? That's how we got here. So I really thank them for what they're doing and providing. I love their model that they have. They have a for profit, a for profit model. However, the services that they, that they provide for nonprofits, are free, and that's that's amazing. So we're really happy with the services, the access services for websites, the accessibility that they're providing for people in the disability community to have that access. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:48 thank you, and we're excited about the time ahead and and I think that's that's a good thing, and we'll all work to make it happen. Well, I want to thank everyone who was listening and watching today. We really appreciate it. I hope that you'll give us a five star rating wherever you're observing our podcast. We value that. Love it. If you'd reach out to me, give me your thoughts, your opinions and Armando for you and for all of our guests, our listeners and so on today, if you know of anyone else who ought to be a guest on unstoppable mindset, please let us know. Provide introductions. We're always looking for guests. You can reach out to me directly at Michael H, i@accessibe.com that's m, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, I, B, e.com, or go to our podcast page, www dot Michael hinkson.com/podcast, and Michael Hinkson is spelled M, I C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, S o, n.com/podcast, so we really do value all the thoughts and and information and suggestions that people provide. Yeah, as I think I've mentioned to many of you before, I also do travel and speak, especially after September 11, 2001 if anyone needs a speaker, please reach out. You can get me easiest at speaker at Michael hingson.com but however you do it, you've got all sorts of ways to reach out to me. Love to hear from you. And you know, once again, Armando, I want to thank you very much for being here, and thank you for all of your time today.   Armando Contreras ** 1:05:24 Michael, thank you many blessings to you and your family, and many blessings to everybody out there who is going to listen to this podcast interview.   Michael Hingson ** 1:05:39 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

Manny Toquinto of St. Anthony Parish in Davenport shares his insights about celebrating how Hispanic Catholics connect their heritage and their faith. Renew Our Hearts, copyright 2019 by Joe Mattingly. All rights reserved.Published by NS Publications, 2325 James St., #11, Coralville, IA 52241.Email: nspinfo@newmansingers.com. Voice/text: 319-331-8812.For rights and reprint information, contact the publisher.Recorded at Holy Mountain Studios, Coralville, IA. You can hear all our podcasts on your favorite podcast platform including Apple podcasts, iHeartmedia, TuneIn and more.This segment was produced and recorded at KALA Radio Studios, St. Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa, USA.

9/20/24 6am CT Hour - Dr. Mark Miravalle/ Joe Boland/ Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg   John, Glen and Sarah chat about the latest with the election and the amazing Shohai Ohtani from the Dodgers.   Dr. Maravalle explains what the Vatican decreed about Medjugorje.   Joe shares the great impact of Hispanics on the American Church.   Bishop Mueggenborg reflects on this Sunday's gospel.

Recent data from Pew Research reveals a remarkable tilt among American Catholics, demonstrating robust backing for former President Donald Trump over current President Joe Biden. Current trends indicate that a solid 55% of Catholics now either endorse or lean towards endorsements for Trump, while Biden lags behind at 45%. It is quite significant to note that Trump's popularity has seen accentuation since 2020 when it was a competitive 50% - 49% against Biden. Interestingly, Biden enjoys a slim lead within the Hispanic Catholic cohort, boasting slight support from 49% of this group, as opposed to Trump's 47%. Despite the lead, however, the numbers also represent a shift toward more conservative values in this demographic, as Biden had previously enjoyed the favor of 67% Hispanic Catholics in a similar 2020 poll. Protestants, on the flip side, have a definite inclination towards Trump, and have expressed resounding support for him with roughly 60% backing the former president. In contrast, a mere 38% voiced their preference for Biden. Atheists, agnostics, and those associating with no particular religion had a distinct favoritism for Biden, with about 69% of them saying they would back him, while only 28% suggested they would support Trump. Both candidates bring forth strengths and policy points deeply interconnected with the core issues that American citizens consider when casting their ballots. Particularly, concerns revolving around immigration and democracy challenges placed second and third respectively in deciding voter preferences, at 24% and 23%. This was closely followed by economic considerations and inflation, which constituted 29% of the voters' decision-making process.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Explore the intersection of faith and the ongoing situation at the southern border with Mexico. Join Fred Bodimer as he delves into the recent analysis by the Pew Research Center, revealing how different religious groups perceive the issue. Discover the varied perspectives on whether it's a crisis, a major problem, or something else altogether.

Deacon Charlie Echeverry, a board member for the Catholic Association for Latino Leadership (CALL), discusses the unique challenges facing young Hispanic Catholics in California and across the nation. Visit CALL's website: https://www.call-usa.org/ Visit Deacon Charlie's website: https://www.deaconcharlie.com/ If you are interested in learning more about the online M.A. in Pastoral Ministry Program for lay students at St. John's Seminary, email Dr. Stuart Squires at mapm@stjohnsem.edu Visit: www.stjohnsem.edu

1/15/24 6am CT Hour - Fr. Rafael Capo/ Dr. Eric Wallace John, Glen and Sarah chat about winter weather, Iowa caucus, and football of the weekend. Fr. Capo refers to the US Bishops who are making evangelization to young Hispanic Catholics at the top of the list and why this is key to the future of the American Church. Dr. Wallace comments on Martin Luther King Jr., what he stood for and where our country is at when it comes to black relations.

The Non-Prophets, Episode 22.27.4 featuring Secular Rarity, Helen Greene, Phoebe Rose and Kelley LaughlinCatholic Democrats issue new ‘statement of principles' defending abortion rightsReligion News, By Jack Jenkins, June 24, 2023, https://religionnews.com/2023/06/24/catholic-democrats-issue-new-statement-of-principles-defending-abortion-rights/ This next story is about a group of Catholic Democrats in the U.S House of Representatives who unveiled a new statement of principles last week reaffirming their support for abortion rights and expanding on a similar letter that they had sent back two years ago.They referenced a poll from the public religion Research Institute that shows 61 of Hispanic Catholics 62 percent of white Catholics and 71 percent of Catholics of color all say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.While it is good to see anyone facing the right direction, you have to be concerned about people who admit to basing their life on guidelines from an organization that has condoned child abuse. It shows a lack of continuity in people's morals in such a way that is deeply deeply disturbing.Can people who follow a code coming out of the backside of a Papal headdress really be useful allies? How comfortable are you with them making laws that affect everyone?While their effort is in the right place, this time, should we congratulate these people for doing the most basic of good. How often will these same people be on opposite sides tomorrow? As said in the episode , “I'm not going to cheer you for not stabbing me today you would have done it yesterday oh you didn't do it today”The pope is not quaking in his bed hiding under the covers because these 30 Democrats signed a piece of paper , just a baseless symbolic thing in many ways.But in a more charitable view those individuals who signed this statement likely don't think this was a ploy, it is literally the exact same thing that has been done for decades. Perhaps just 30 individuals who genuinely believed things and wanted to put it out there to people and that's what you do as a public official.Does their statement have the potential of reaching people in the middle who are both religious and against abortion who see this as a tool to swing their vote? Perhaps helping people to sway more towards secular humanism?

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - A little more than a third of Catholic parents say it is extremely or very important for their children to grow up to have religious beliefs similar to their own, according to a recent Pew Research Center report. In the study released last month and expounded further in a February 6 article, 35% of Catholic parents with children under 18 said it is extremely or very important for their children to grow up to share their religious beliefs. A crucial note to the study is that parents who attend services weekly or more were more than three times as likely to say having their children share their beliefs is important, 76% versus 21%, Pew said. In total, 65% of Catholics said it was either extremely, very, or somewhat important for their children to hold their Catholic beliefs as adults. Thirty-four percent of Catholics said it was not too important or not important at all. Hispanic Catholics answered with slightly more enthusiasm with 39% saying it was extremely or very important that their children grow up to share their religious beliefs, while white and non-Hispanic Catholics registered at 29%. Catholics recorded among the lowest enthusiasm for passing their religion to their children of any Christian denomination in the survey. An even lower 29% of white non-evangelical Protestants said it is extremely or very important for their children to share their religious beliefs. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253602/1-in-3-catholic-parents-strongly-believe-their-children-should-be-catholic-survey-finds Today, the Church celebrates Saint Scholastica, a nun who was the twin sister of Saint Benedict, the "father of monasticism" in Western Europe. The siblings were born around 480 to a Roman noble family in Nursia, Italy. Scholastica seems to have devoted herself to God from her earliest youth, as the account of Benedict's life by Pope Gregory the Great mentions that his sister was "dedicated from her infancy to Our Lord." https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-scholastica-143

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - A little more than a third of Catholic parents say it is extremely or very important for their children to grow up to have religious beliefs similar to their own, according to a recent Pew Research Center report. In the study released last month and expounded further in a February 6 article, 35% of Catholic parents with children under 18 said it is extremely or very important for their children to grow up to share their religious beliefs. A crucial note to the study is that parents who attend services weekly or more were more than three times as likely to say having their children share their beliefs is important, 76% versus 21%, Pew said. In total, 65% of Catholics said it was either extremely, very, or somewhat important for their children to hold their Catholic beliefs as adults. Thirty-four percent of Catholics said it was not too important or not important at all. Hispanic Catholics answered with slightly more enthusiasm with 39% saying it was extremely or very important that their children grow up to share their religious beliefs, while white and non-Hispanic Catholics registered at 29%. Catholics recorded among the lowest enthusiasm for passing their religion to their children of any Christian denomination in the survey. An even lower 29% of white non-evangelical Protestants said it is extremely or very important for their children to share their religious beliefs. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253602/1-in-3-catholic-parents-strongly-believe-their-children-should-be-catholic-survey-finds Today, the Church celebrates Saint Scholastica, a nun who was the twin sister of Saint Benedict, the "father of monasticism" in Western Europe. The siblings were born around 480 to a Roman noble family in Nursia, Italy. Scholastica seems to have devoted herself to God from her earliest youth, as the account of Benedict's life by Pope Gregory the Great mentions that his sister was "dedicated from her infancy to Our Lord." https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-scholastica-143

Hispanic Catholics are a large part of the Church in America. Why are they such a small part of Catholic schools? “The future of the Catholic Church has a Hispanic face.” Lucia Luzondo, expert in Hispanic ministry, points to the disconnect between the growing presence of Hispanic Catholics in the United States and the low enrollment of Hispanic children in Catholic schools. With hosts Andrea Picciotti-Bayer and Joan Desmond, Lucia explores some of the reasons for this and suggests steps to improve outreach to Hispanic families. Now is the time to bridge the divide so more Hispanic families can choose Catholic schools for their children.

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - Three sex abuse lawsuits were filed this week against the Diocese of Metuchen in New Jersey. One lawsuit names disgraced former cardinal Theodore McCarrick. McCarrick was bishop of the diocese from 1981 to 1986. The lawsuit dates back to his time as bishop. The plaintiff was between the ages of 19 and 22 during that time. Catholics are the religious group most vaccinated against COVID-19 in the United States, according to a new national survey by the Pew Research Center. The survey found that 82% of self-identified Catholics had received at least one does of a COVID-19 vaccine. Hispanic Catholics were slightly more likely than White Catholics to have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Of the major religious groups in the United States, White evangelical Protestants had the lowest vaccination rate, with only 57% saying they had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The cardinal archbishop of Manila in the Philippines has tested positive for COVID-19. The archdiocese said the archbishop has only a slight fever, but he is in quarantine, and doctors are monitoring his condition. The news comes just two days after a religious congregation in Manila announced that 62 of its nuns, and at least 50 of its staff - also tested positive for COVID. The nuns were still waiting to be vaccinated, but all staff members were fully vaccinated. The pope spoke today about his hopes for the new ministry of catechist, which he established in May. Francis said he hopes the new ministry will help awaken the vocation of every Christian to proclaim the Gospel. The pope established the new ministry in May, through an apostolic letter. Catechists have served the Church since New Testament times, but this is a type of formal, vocational service within the Church. The ministry is for lay people who have a particular call to serve the Church, as a teacher of the faith. Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Italian cardinal and theologian Saint Robert Bellarmine. Robert is one of the great saints of the Jesuit order. He is also a Doctor of the Church, and the patron of catechists.

I have wrestled with the following fact/issue for a long time. According to a recent Pew survey, 78% of White evangelical protestants voted for Donald Trump in 2020, and 90% of Black protestants and 67% of Hispanic Catholics (there is not a category in the study for Hispanic protestants) voted for Joe Biden. Note that […] The post #185 Compassion (&) Conviction: The AND Campaign's Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement with Justin Giboney first appeared on The Good Citizen Project.

A webinar conversation with Claudia Herrera (ACHTUS) and Jose Matos Auffant (St. Mary's University). Originally delivered May 4, 2021. Part of a Lumen Christi Institute webinar series on Hispanic Theology. There are complex dynamics to account for when examining the intersectionality of religious identity, social context, and the lived experience of young Latinx in the U.S. Current research shows that almost half of Catholics in the United States self-identify as Hispanic, and that more than half of those Hispanic Catholics are young. To better understand the religious dynamics of young Latinx, we first must identify those who are affiliated as Catholics and examine how they understand their relationship with the faith. This requires a process of listening, reflection and participatory-action. There is a large group of young Latinx who self-identify as Catholics and no longer affiliate nor participate in a local church or any form of pastoral activity. In some cases, their faith identity and daily practice as Catholics is a pilgrimage where the Church is the streets, their home, and other everyday spaces, and the practices of their everyday life represent Catholicism. This conversation aims to provide both practical and theological insight emerging from the particularities of pastoral and research work with young Latinx and their familias/comunidades. There is a great need to open concrete spaces in which young Latinx are listened to and are affirmed as active agents in the sharing of the good news of the Gospel.

Language matters, and it matters much when sharing the best of our faith convictions with one another. Without language there is no communication, understanding or community. Sharing faith in the United States of America in an increasingly Hispanic church demands that we take questions associated with language seriously. Nearly fifteen million Catholics in the U.S. are Spanish-speaking immigrants. Many are raising their children “in Spanish.” Even though the vast majority of Hispanics are U.S. born and English-speaking, Spanish constantly shapes their cultural and religious imagination. In this presentation, we will reflect on the intersectionality of language, culture and religious identity among U.S. Hispanic Catholics at the time of sharing the faith and reflect theologically. To teach Catholic doctrine “en español,” literally or metaphorically, is an invitation to embrace the many creative ways in which God calls us to be church in the twenty-first century. This lecture with Professor Hosffman Ospino (Boston College) was originally presented as a live webinar lecture April 13, 2021. This event is part of a webinar series on Hispanic Theology, made possible by a generous grant from the Our Sunday Visitor Institute.

Dr David Smith from the US Studies Centre takes a look at where the religious vote might be showing up as the US election results come in - the Jews in Florida, white Catholics in Western Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Ohio, Hispanic Catholics in Texas and Arizona, Muslims in parts of Michigan, and of course the white Evangelicals across the country.

Theologian Dr. Hosffman Ospino shares his wisdom and thoughts about the role of Latinos in the Catholic Church in the United States. Listen and learn how to become a transformative leader in society and in the Church. Dr. Hosffman Ospino teaches at Boston College's School of Theology and Ministry, is author of 13 books as well as more than 100 academic and general articles. He has conducted major national research studies on Hispanic Catholics.www.thejoyofthegospelpodcast.orgwww.iskali.org

What is the vocations reality on the ground for Hispanic Catholics and Priests? We explore the stats of the newly ordained and speak with Leticia Ramirez, who works with Vocation Ministry giving workshops in Spanish. She is also the mother of two sons, a priest and seminarian, and the sister of a bishop. You won't want to miss this conversation! Subscribe/Rate Never miss an episode of Vocations Today! Subscribe now!  Also, it is super helpful to share this podcast with someone you know will benefit from it and take a few moments to leave a review in your podcasting app. Thank you so much!   Support The Show Please consider supporting the show by donating today. This helps cover our costs and grow the show so that the message can reach as many people as possible. Thanks in advance! (https://vocationministry.com/get-in-touch/donate/)   Vocations Today is a production of Vocation Ministry. (https://vocationministry.com) Vocation Ministry started from humble beginnings but is now making a big impact in dioceses all over North America. From books, workshops, to a Facebook page that reaches a million people a month, find out more about the nonprofit and how you can get involved at your parish to make a difference for vocations.   Connect with Vocation Ministry on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/VocationMinistry/)   Host: Rhonda Gruenewald Producer/Editor: Taylor Schroll (ForteCatholic.com) All music used on the show is by Rita West. (https://www.ritawest.com)

Sam & Becky, from the safety of their home, welcome remote guest host Shujin Tribble as they contemplate parody ceremonies for cats, criticize craft store antics, and say bye (finally?) to the saga of Coach Joe Kennedy. Also: hotdogs. News Atheists, agnostics, Black Protestants, least confident in Trump; Hispanic Catholics most scared of COVID-19 Museum […]

Recently, we read several articles that surveyed many Hispanic Catholics leaving the church and beginning to find interest in protestant, evangelical churches. In those articles, we saw the top three reasons why many have left the Roman Catholic church and in today's episode, Serge and Marco evaluate what we as Christians can learn from the decline in Hispanics who identify or identified as Catholics since our context has a predominantly Roman Catholic population. What can we as Christians learn from this decline given that we are not immune to some of the reasons suggested by the articles we read?

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock talks policy ahead of his third and final term. Then, while Colorado may be free of drought, not everything's hunky-dory water-wise. Next, the Great Sand Dunes become a beach. Also, why Hispanic Catholics hid their Jewish ancestry. Then, the fascinating history of artist colony Drop City. Finally, 100 voices commemorate D-Day.

Show Notes patticc.com/27 Notas del Programa patticc.com/s27 Koren Ruiz shares his tips and strategies that have led to his success in involving the Hispanic community in the stewardship efforts of many parishes and dioceses. Recommended Resources Stewardship Enhancement Initiative from Koren’s firm Corresponsables de Dios Koren & his wife can lead diocesan stewardship conferences or […]

In the final episode of our three-part series on the Immigrant Church, we dive into the history of Latino immigration to America. We walk through the journey of Hispanic Catholics as they make their way to the United States, discuss the Church's response to the rising population, and what we can do to better serve our brothers and sisters. Music for today's episode: Letra inspirada en Mateo 25, 34–40 y la espiritualidad del V Encuentro. Letra y música © 2015, Javier Iván Díaz. Obra publicada por Spirit & Song®, a division of OCP. Derechos reservados. Exceeding Words and music by Shaun Garrison. © 2015 Shaun Garrison. As recorded on Exceeding. All rights reserved. Used by permission. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mystery-manners/support

Father Jose Hoyos, the keynote speaker at the V Encuentro regional meeting at The Catholic University of America in Washington last Saturday, shares his insights into how the church is welcoming all people. Also in this episode: Our 56-page print issue features a robust Grad Section complete with profiles on graduating seniors who are leaving a mark on their alma maters.

The Religious Education Congress, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Office of Religious Education, is America's largest annual gathering of Roman Catholics, bringing together nearly 40,000 every year for a four-day event! 2017 marked the 20th year that Bishop Robert Barron has been in attendance. In addition to several interviews and book-signings Bishop Barron participated in at this year's Congress, he also gave a keynote in the central arena. This episode of The Word on Fire Show was recorded live at the Word on Fire booth in the exposition hall. During the show the good bishop answers questions from the expo audience as well as the audience watching live on Facebook. Topics Discussed 0:10  - Introduction, Bishop Barron's 20th year at the Congress and his talk on the "nones" 4:00 - What would Bishop Barron ask Thomas Aquinas if he was able to meet him? 6:58 - How do you see Hispanic Catholics evangelizing to future generations? 9:20 - Catholic Stuff You Should Know priests discuss podcasting for evangelization 13:45 - What are some good takeaways from the theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar? 15:20 - What is Bishop Barron's vision for evangelization and catechesis? 21:30 - What's the next filming project for Word On Fire? 23:30 - How should we deal with sin without beating ourselves up when we fail? 28:00 - What is the difference between meditative prayer and contemplative prayer? 32:10 - How can God be three persons and not fall into any genus, the genus of personhood? 35:45 - How can teachers help combat the myth that science refutes religion? 42:30 - How do we reconcile the book of Genesis with scientific facts about creation? 47:35 - What is the best way to bring an inactive Catholic back to the faith? 49:30 - What is one bit of advice for all of us facing the crisis of attrition within the Catholic Church? Bonus Resources Videos Bishop Barron on the Rise of the "Nones" Bishop Barron on Stephen Hawking and Atheism Bishop Barron on The Religious "Nones" Bishop Barron on God's Existence and The Argument from Desire DVD's CATHOLICISM: The Pivotal Players (Word On Fire) Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith (Word On Fire) The Mystery of God (Word On Fire) Faith Clips (Word On Fire)  Articles   Playing at Atheism (Bishop Barron) The Glory of God is a Human Being 'Fully Alive' (Bishop Barron) Apologists, Catechists, Theologians: Wake Up!  (Bishop Barron) Books The Priority of Christ by Bishop Barron Word On Fire: Proclaiming the Power of Christ  by Bishop Barron Catholicism by Bishop Barron Study Program  The Mystery of God: Who God Is and Why He Matters (Bishop Barron) Websites Word On Fire (Proclaiming Christ in the Culture) Catholic Stuff You Should Know (Podcast) Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and, again, be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.

Dr. Uhl interviews Dr. Martin Scanlan of Boston College about outreach to Hispanic Catholics, the development of the two-way immersion model, and other ways to understand this "sacred" educational enterprise.

Summary of today's show: Our Thursday panel of Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, and Gregory Tracy discussed the news headlines of the week, including the pilgrimage by Cardinal Seán and 29 Boston priests to the Holy Land; a burst in vocations from MIT; final appointment of pastors for Phase 1 parishes in the Disciples in Mission pastoral plan; Congress for Catechesis and Evangelization for Hispanic Catholics; unique hot dog street ministry by St. Clement's Shrine on Red Sox opening day; opening of a time capsule from the former St. Joseph church in Salem; and a judge's decision to allow abortifacient pills for any girl without prescription. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today's guest(s): Gregory Tracy, managing editor of the Pilot, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston Links from today's show: Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today's topics: Holy Land pilgrimage; Vocations at MIT; Final Phase 1 Pastors; Hot dog ministry; Time capsule; Abortion pills 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed Susan Abbott to the show and he said things are getting back to normal after the conclave and Easter, but Susan said she's still very busy with so much still going on, including the Co-Workers in the Vineyard gathering for pastoral associates tomorrow at Our Lady Help of Christians Parish in Newton. Susan talked about the various speakers and the title which comes from a USCCB document about the role of the lay ecclesial ministers in the life of the Church. Scot welcomed Gregory Tracy and noted that the Pilot is working shorthanded this week with editor Antonio Enrique traveling in the Holy Land this week. Greg said while he doesn't have someone to bounce ideas of off, that makes things go faster because you don't have anyone to consult with. He also said that he's been experimenting with multimedia journalism for the Pilot like many of the other newspapers are doing with video to accompany printed stories. Speaking of the Holy Land, George Martell is there with Cardinal Seán taking photos and video and reporting back. Scot has a couple of favorite photos from today, including Fr. Mark O'Connell and Fr. Stephen Zukas riding camels and a photo of a George with Cardinal Seán wearing a headwrap. 2nd segment: Scot said in the Pilot this week is a story about the growth in vocations coming from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, some of them for Boston and others for their home dioceses. Greg said they were able to do many more local stories this week now that the conclave and Easter are in the past. He said the campus chaplain, Fr. Richard Clancy, said in the story that the type of student who attends MIT tends to be intense and the more they study something the closer to it they get. A photo with the story shows Deacon Joseph Laracy who is now studying in Rome and is preparing for ordination next month. Christopher Bae is a native of Korea who graduated from MIT and is now at St. John's Seminary. Susan said she touched by his insight that his studies led him to ask what it is that he lives for. “It was a question of what do I ultimately live for? Do I live for money? Do I live for honor? Do I live for some kind of material success? Because that would determine how I chose my next step,” he said. Scot said Fr. Kwang Lee is parochial vicar at Sacred Heart in Weymouth and graduated from MIT. He said had he known he was becoming a priest he would have studied boiler repair, which would have been more applicable than his degree in naval engineering. Greg said having men coming from such varied backgrounds is helpful because it shows that they are like everyone else and that many of them started out wanting to do something and then they discerned God's plan for their lives. Also in local news, there was a Congress for Catechesis and Evangelization for Hispanic Catholics in the Archdiocese. Susan said they have a catechetical congress each year and they usually have it at least bilingual. This year, they decided rather than having the people come to Congress, the office went out to regional gatherings for English-speaking people, but for the Spanish-speaking community, they held an archdiocesan-wide event for 350 people. Susan said the joy cold not be contained in the room. For the official news this week, Cardinal Seán appointed the final three pastors in the Phase 1 parishes under the Disciples in Mission plan. Fr. Joseph M. Rossi will lead Immaculate Conception and St. Jerome Parishes in Weymouth, Fr. John Sassani will become Pastor of Sacred Heart in Newton and remain Pastor of Our Lady Help of Christians, and Fr. Brian Clary will remain Pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption in Brookline. Scot asked for prayer for the priests who are still living in those parishes and awaiting their next assignment, and the members of those parishes. The panel discussed how parishes and priests are dealing with the changes, where priests who have been in parishes a little while stay, and longstanding pastors move. Scot said a timely story came from St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine in the Back Bay, was to provide a hot dog and a drink to people who are walking by on their way to the Red Sox home opener at Fenway Park on Monday. Greg said it's a great story about the seminarians coming up with the idea last year on seeing the crowds. Many people stopped to have a hot dog and chat and even get a tour of the shrine. By giving out something to eat rather than just a flyer, people are more likely to engage and they got a sense that many people didn't know anything about this building they walked by each day. Greg had mentioned that Pope Francis when he was archbishop in Buenos Aires encouraged his pastors to go out from the churches to where the people are and engage them in the streets and he thinks this will become more common. Susan said the Church has a long tradition of feeding people, right back to the multiplication of loves and fishes. In Salem, a time capsule was opened at the former St. Joseph's church that was demolished. It was given to St. James Parish in Salem. Fr. Lawrence Rondeau, the last pastor at St. Joseph's opened it. The capsule was put in place in 1949 when the church was built. There wasn't anything deeply profound but there were newspapers from the day, including a French-language newspaper that served the French-Canadian population in Salem. The opening of the time capsule provides a bit of closure for those for whom the closing and demolition of the church was painful. The panel discussed time capsules and how there should have been a time capsule when Central Ministries moved from Brighton to Braintree during the 200th anniversary year. Also in the Pilot is a disturbing story about a federal judge requiring over-the-counter distribution of abortifacient drugs to girls of any age without prescription. Scot asked what kind of country do we live in where the kids have to get a doctor's note to receive an aspirin in school, but they can get this? Greg said the background is that previously it was only available without prescription for women over 18 and with prescription under. He said the larger concern, in addition to the abortion issue, is also that we're also talking about sex by young women, at an age when it is technically illegal and so the question of coercion comes up. He added that it completely removes the right and authority of parents over their children. Scot and Susan agreed that it shows disrespect for the role of parents. Scot said another disturbing aspect is that such a decision was made by one judge, not by legislators in open debate and accountable to voters. What can you do when one judge with certain opinions legislates from the bench?

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of *The Anchor*, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of *The Pilot*, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese. * [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.org) * [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com) * [Statement of the Archdiocese on the lay pension plan](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Utility/News-And-Press/Content.aspx?id=19854) * [CNS: "Pope appeals for suspension of fighting in Libya"](http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1101210.htm) * [Mass. Catholic Conference brochure on Mass. Health Curriculum Frameworks](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/mcc.aspx) * [Centers for Disease Control statistics on sexual behavior](http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr036.pdf) **Today's topics:** The Archdiocese of Boston's lay pension plan; the Pope's message for suspension of fighting in Libya; teens and abstinence and the new Mass. Health Curriculum Frameworks **A summary of today's show:** Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy discuss with Scot and Susan Cardinal Sean's strong statement of support for lay archdiocesan retirees and employees and their pension plan; Pope's Benedict's plea for the cessation of fighting in Libya for the sake of the innocent; new statistics showing teens are taking up abstinence because of federal funding that started in the early 2000s; the Church's challenge to serve immigrants to the US; and then tributes to two men whose professional careers are undergoing a big change. **1st segment:** Susan has been working on her budget for the past week for her Office for Religious Education, causing her to pull her hair out. But she's also excited for Red Sox Opening Day tomorrow and they've picked a good year to start the season out of town. She also noticed a slight resemblance between our own Justin Bell and Red Sox shortstop Dustin Pedroia. Scot said many national experts are picking the Red Sox to go to the World Series. He doesn't know whether that's encouraging or whether we should be afraid of jinxing the Red Sox. Another exciting event was the blessing of a new statue of St. Patrick at the Pastoral Center, which was a gift of St. Mary parish in Brookline. If you have questions, email LIVE@thegoodcatholiclife.com or call or text 617-410-MASS. **2nd segment:** Gregory Tracy relates a very exciting event in his family's life. His oldest daughter, Carmen, received her acceptance letter to Harvard yesterday and more importantly found out that they would receive the aid so she could go. Scot reflected on his own acceptance to Harvard and how he and his brother Fr. Roger were accepted to the school and received enough financial aid to go. Susan's son also went to Harvard as well. Scot noted that St. Paul in Cambridge is an excellent Catholic community for Catholic students at Harvard. Fr. Roger remembered a Mass for their deceased grandfather in which a relative who had gone to Boston College remarked by joking that it was good he had died before seeing his grandsons go to Harvard and lose their faith. But seriously, Fr. Roger said his experience at Harvard helped prepare him to be a herald of the Good News. Scot also extended congratulations to Greg and his wife, Donis, for all their own hard work supporting their daughter. Today's front page story in the Pilot is Cardinal Sean's commitment to the Archdiocesan lay pension plan. The Pilot received a strong personal statement from the Cardinal. Scot said the archdiocesan pension plan is transitioning from a defined-benefit to a defined-contribution. The defined-benefit is a promissory note that after retirement you will get X dollars every month until you die. A defined-contribution is a promise to put X dollars into the plan every month while you're working and what you receive at retirement depends on the fluctuations in the market. Defined-benefit plans have become a huge burden on organizations as markets have suffered and people have been living longer and health costs have risen. The Archdiocese has offered to transition plan participants or to offer them a lump sum payout. A former chancellor of the Archdiocese accused the archdiocese of strong-arming retirees and pension participants into accepting lump sums. * [Archdiocesan Benefits website and pension information](http://catholicbenefits.org/pension/index.htm) Scot said it is very sad for him to see this plastered on the front page of newspapers locally and nationally. Gregory said it has echoes of the pain of the sex-abuse scandal. He said David Smith said at his press conference that he had heard from many retirees about their concerns for their pensions. As a church plan, it is exempt from many legal requirements and is not guaranteed by the federal government's regulations. The Cardinal said that they never intended to give the impression that the archdiocese wanted to push people out of the plan.  Scot said the Cardinal's statement points out that the pension plan has been struggling in recent years. The Cardinal said, "As long as I have breath in me, I will do everything in my power to care for the people who have given themselves in service for the Church." Fr. Roger said the statement indicates how deeply involved the cardinal is in the outcome and how wounded he is by the inference that the Church is merely trying to cut corners to achieve an economic bottom line. Instead the Church is a family and it lives by both the rule of charity and of justice. Fr. Roger thinks the Church loses every time we focus too much on the institution and not on the reality that the Church is a family and a body that Christ came to found.  Susan said she has many friends who have been to these meetings concerning these pension plans. It's a very technical subject and people are uncertain. At a meeting she attended, the plan administrators said that for those who don't take the lump sum, will they be guaranteed what they were promised and they were told they could not be guaranteed.  Scot said he hopes that the tension caused by this pension plan change comes off the front pages of the newspapers and people can make these important decisions in peace and with full knowledge of the factors involved. **3rd segment:** The Holy Father this week appealed for the suspension of fighting in Libya. Fr. Roger said the Pope expressed his fear that the longer that armed conflict goes on the more innocent people will suffer. In his appeal he said that even the weakest signal of an openness to diplomacy should be responded to positively to end the violence. Even if there is no intention on the part of the NATO coalition to injure civilians, innocent people are inevitably hurt in any armed conflict of this size. Scot asked why the Holy Father's statement is news, since everyone expects him to say this. Gregory said it's because the Holy Father is a moral voice for the world. There's a related statement by the US bishops weighing in on the moral issues, without telling civil leaders what to do, allowing for their prudential judgments. They speak out on behalf of the innocent, to make the moral voice heard. Vatican officials said they were confused by the haste at which these military operations were undertaken. **4th segment:** The Centers for Disease Control report that 43% of teenagers 15-19 are remaining abstinent, up from 35% in the early 2000s. Fr. Roger said we need to proclaim this news from the rooftops to encourage teens who feel like they are alone in making this choice. The CDC stats show that this is led by a disproportionately large change among teen girls. These figures correspond with Bush-era abstinence education programs promoted by his administration. Unfortunately, abstinence-only education has been cut by the Obama administration, which could lead to a rollback of these advances. Planned Parenthood programs in schools used to get 4 times the funding of abstinence education programs, but now they get several hundred percent more than that. The Office of Religious Education works with the Pro-Life Office on chastity education programs for children in religious education programs and Catholic schools. There are many well-trained educators now as well. While the federal government provides abstinence education funds, Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick refuses to take it. Scot said it's offensive to him as a parent and taxpayer. Gregory agrees with Scot's outrage. He said failure to fund abstinence education fails to take into account the psychological effects of early sexual activity, but only looks at the physical and economic consequences. Scot said one of the reasons it offends him is that nationally twice as many parents support abstinence-only education in schools over Planned Parenthood programs. The Massachusetts bishops have produced information for parents on the Massachusetts Health Curriculum, letting them know that the parents can opt out their children from sex ed classes. Susan said some of the issues in the proposed frameworks for health curriculum in Massachusetts include information on how to procure an abortion and acceptance of homosexuality, among other issues that are morally troublesome. Susan said her office is distributing 35,000 of the brochures through parish religious education programs. Scot said that parents are the primary educators of their children and without these information they might not know what their children are being taught. Susan said taxpayers should also be upset that their money is going to fund these frameworks that undermine parental responsibility. Fr. Roger said his own parish either handed the brochures directly to parents or mailed them to their homes. He said most parents were very surprised what was being taught to very young children in these state curricula. Many parents are getting involved. Right now the frameworks are just recommendations for school districts, but there are attempts to make them mandatory. For anyone who wants a copy of the frameworks, they can be downloaded from our website or at the [Mass. Catholic Conference](http://www.macathconf.org) website. * [Mass. Catholic Conference brochure on the Mass. Health Curriculum Frameworks (English)](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/uploadedFiles/BostonCatholicorg/Offices_And_Services/Offices/Sub_Pages/frameworksbrochureenglish.pdf) * [Mass. Catholic Conference brochure on the Mass. Health Curriculum Frameworks (Spanish)](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/uploadedFiles/BostonCatholicorg/Offices_And_Services/Offices/Sub_Pages/frameworksbrochuresspanish.pdf) * [Mass. Catholic Conference brochure on the Mass. Health Curriculum Frameworks (Portuguese)](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/uploadedFiles/BostonCatholicorg/Offices_And_Services/Offices/Sub_Pages/MCC/frameworksbrochureportuguese.pdf) The Pilot also has an article this week on the changing demographics in America due to immigration and a discussion recently in Washington DC on the change it presages for the Church. Hispanics in general are 16% of the population in the country, but 25% of people under 25 are Hispanic. So the Church has to embrace these young people now or they will drift away to secularism or to any number of Pentecostal churches. Scot recalled that when the Archdiocese closed many parishes in 2004, many were originally built in the 19th and 20th century to serve particular immigrant groups and, in a way, it shows the Church did a good job of assimilating them such that the different ethnic parishes were not needed any more, at least for their original purpose of providing a faith community in exclusive to their original languages and cultures. Fr. Roger said New Bedford is 23% Hispanic, up from 15% a decade ago. That's only those who were officially counted. There are many illegals. He said his food pantry at his parish, St. Anthony, feeds many poor people from Central and South America. The Church needs to help not just their physical needs, but also their spiritual needs. In their home countries, they often only had Masses once or twice per year in their small villages, and so they are not in the habit of going to Mass regularly. It affects Mass attendance, but also all the sacraments. He said this is an indicator of the need for the Church to get its act together to help them become strong Catholics now and for the next generation. At the diocesan level, Scot said, we're trying to be responsive to growing immigrant populations as well. Susan said she has someone in her office just serving Hispanic Catholics. They have a program to train leaders in parishes in ministry and catechesis. When they offer a workshop they will get many, many people signing up. They are also very concerned about the prevalence of storefront churches taking away many Catholics. And they are working with other communities, including Brazilians, Haitians, Vietnamese and others. **5th segment:** Scot notes that today is the 66th birthday of his father, Roger Sr. After 50 years of work, he is retiring today. He is a great father who taught his children a tremendous work ethic. Congratulations to his father. Fr. Roger remembers when he was ordained a priest and in his thanks at the time, he said his father has St. Joseph's face. He learned more about being a priest from his father than from anyone else, because the priesthood is a vocation of love and hard work and he's never seen anyone work harder or love more. Now joining Scot and Susan in the studio is John Irwin. Four years ago, Scot hired him to work with the Catholic Appeal and later he moved to work to raise financial support for the health and retirement needs of priests of the archdiocese. John had a love for the Church and wanted to serve the Church. Because of a reorganization, John's job has been eliminated and tomorrow is his last day. Scot said John is one of the finest people he's worked with in the Pastoral Center. John said his work with the priests of the archdiocese has been rewarding and encourages people to visit the retired priests at Regina Cleri. * [Care For Senior Priests](http://www.careforseniorpriests.org) Scot asked John to reflect on working in the Pastoral Center. He said it's a tremendous place to work, to go to Mass every day, to say the rosary every day, in the place where you work. There's a tremendous amount of joy and positive energy from the people who work here. Scot said John holds the record of giving the most tours of the Pastoral Center. Scot thanks him for his four years of service and said we will pray for him as he looks for the next phase of his professional life.

The religious face of New York is being transformed. Once the preserve of the Irish Catholics, New York's churches are now filled with Hispanic Catholics. The dominance of the Irish immigrant community has long been on the wane but not so the Irish leadership of the Catholic Church which is still led by an Irish American Archbishop. Maurice Walsh travels to New York to talk to Catholics about the leaders of their community.

Andy Lichtenwalner discusses a new outreach project of the U.S. bishops to explain Catholic teaching on marriage; Deirdre McQuade comments on an environmental group’s call for a reduction in births to slow global warming; Rome Report: sainthood causes of two founders of women’s religious  orders advance; Fact of Faith: the Protestant Reformation; CNS Spotlight: Increase in Hispanic Catholics; Fr. Rick Hilgartner previews the changes in Mass responses that will come with the new Roman Missal; Movie Review: "Invictus."