Bishop Kevin Farrell

The Chief Shepherd of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas

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2014 University of Dallas Ministry Conference

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udmc2014

For me the University of Dallas Ministry Conference has become a wonderful fall tradition and celebration of being Church. It is a time of networking, of growth, of worship and entertainment. It is a coming together of the Church of North Texas and beyond. It is truly an experience of walking in faith together.

An impressive array of speakers of national and international note has been assembled by the UD School of Ministry for the conference on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 23-25. There will be tracks for Catholic School teachers, youth ministers, catechists, parish catechetical leaders and marriage ministers who wish to grow in their ministerial skills and knowledge.

But the conference is also for all who wish to grow in their faith, with workshops in Scripture, spirituality, marriage and family life and the social teachings of our Church. Sessions will be offered in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.

In addition to the sessions, the exhibits offer a chance to see new techniques and programs that are available for parishes and schools and see the new offerings from the best Catholic publishers. There will also be liturgical art displays and musical performances.

This year the conference will again be held at the Irving Convention Center, with a direct connection to the DART Orange Line.

I urge all Catholics to take advantage of this opportunity to grow in faith, understanding and ministerial skills. I invite you to visit http://www.udallas.edu/udmc/index.html or phone 972-721-5105 or 972-265-5811 to register or get more information.

Perhaps the UDMC will become your new fall tradition, too.

Pope Francis: Changing Perceptions

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There can be no doubt that Pope Francis has changed the public’s perception of the Catholic Church and reshaped the papacy in the few short months since his election. Publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker and The Dallas Morning News have all taken note of this pope’s engaging style.

He has become a prominent figure on a regular basis on network news programs. On social media, he is a favorite. On Twitter, Catholic News Service reports he is “the most influential world leader” with the highest number of retweets (forwarded tweets) worldwide. His Twitter account, @pontifex, has 7.2 million followers, second only to President Obama among world leaders, but far exceeding the president in retweets.

Many are responding to his openness and transparency, his simplicity and humility and his kindness and compassion. He has called on bishops and priests to follow his example. In addressing the Papal Nuncios (Papal Ambassadors), who are influential on the appointment of bishops, he reminded them that bishops should be “pastors not princes.” He refers to himself as the Bishop of Rome, and wears a plain white cassock rather than using more princely titles and vestments available to him. As pope, he is the Chief Pastor and embraces his pastoral functions with enthusiasm, even celebrating a public Mass and preaching each day at St. Martha residence where he lives in the Vatican.

Much to the chagrin of his security personnel, he has rejected the armored Popemobile in favor of open vehicles that enable him to reach out to crowds and make frequent stops to bless children or handicapped people. Many in the Vatican and around the world have been surprised at receiving a personal phone call from Pope Francis who handles calls himself rather than through a secretary.

It remains to be seen where he will take the Barque of Peter, but he certainly has scraped off a few barnacles and shaken up some crew members.