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News and Information

News and Information for members of and people interested in the North American Conference of Associates and Religious.

NACAR Web Meditation ~ Lent ~ 2012

Wednesday, 22 February 2012 17:46 Judith Ann Gomila

The Award Goes to...

You know them! Listen to the names: Emmy, Oscar, Grammy… not persons but awards conferred by various segments of the entertainment community during these first months of 2012. And it is common to hear the emcee say something like, "Let's give up for the producers of ______." Of course, the meaning is "give a round of applause" in recognition of their good work.

Lenten symbol of cross, palms, eucharist and plate Holy Mother Church asks us something similar as we begin this season of the Liturgical Cycle: "What are you giving up for Lent?" Fasting, one full meal supplemented by two smaller meals, obliges us to reduce our intake of food on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The fast is broken by eating between meals and by drinks which could be considered food (milk shakes, but not milk). Abstinence from meat (mammals and fowl) is a part of Church discipline not only on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday but also for all Fridays of Lent.

The faithful are encouraged to perform other acts of penance in union with the suffering of Christ. A custom has developed where some people make a sacrifice and "give up" something they enjoy for the duration of Lent: playing cards, chocolate, favorite TV shows, pre-dinner cocktails. Others do a positive act of penance: avoid complaining and criticizing, participate in daily Mass and/or the parish mission, do a random act of kindness for another ("…do not let your left hand know what your right is doing…") Matt. 6: 3

You know them! Listen to the names: prayer, fasting and almsgiving… each spiritual practice can draw us closer to Jesus and our personal call to holiness this season of Lent. And the award conferred… a life-time achievement that's out of this world!

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The Associate for Spring 2012 is now available

Friday, 10 February 2012 15:04 Mary Jo Mersmann

The Spring 2012 issue of the The Associate is now available!!!

If you are a current member of NACAR and have registered on the website, you will be able to access it.

In order to register click on the word Register on the left side of the page and follow the steps for setting up your own user name and password. We will approve your registration, if you are a current member of NACAR and then you are ready to go. If you are uncertain about these instructions, contact us.

The link to The Associate, Spring 2012, Volume 17, Number 1 is on the right side of the page. You can also go download it directly here.

There is an important article on regionalization written by Board Member, Joe Connell. We encourage you to read and consider its implications before the Conference in June.

Read about the Lay Associates Open Conference that was held in Tennessee in January, the Elizabeth Ann Seton Award recipient, a new section of the Leadership Manual being published and so much more!

Thanks to Board Member Jane Forni, SSND and David Lavender, CDP Associate and Volunteer Editor, for all of their work in putting this issue together.

Blessings,

The NACAR Board of Directors and the Management Team

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February Blessings from NACAR!

Wednesday, 01 February 2012 17:08 Mary Jo Mersmann

We are getting excited for the NACAR Conference "A Journey of Blessings" to be held June 1-3, 2012, in Chicago, IL, with Joyce Rupp as the keynote speaker. If you haven't had a chance to register, it is easy. First read the registration packet on our website and then register.

An Email was sent out in mid-January letting you know that NACAR's Annual Report can be seen on our website. If you haven't had a chance to read it, please take some time to do so. The content is worthwhile, and it even has pie charts. Cool!

Also posted on the website are the benefits of being a congregational or individual NACAR member. If you are unaware of them, follow the link. A new benefit for Congregational Members is Job Posting on the NACAR website. If you would like a Position posted, please contact us and we will post it for 30 days at no charge.

A new issue of The Associate is in the works. Articles are due today - February 1. If you have an article to submit, including upcoming events, send it to us.

The NACAR Board of Directors and Management Team

Here is a poem that is good for the month that contains Valentine's Day. Add new comment

2011 Annual Report

Friday, 27 January 2012 14:20 Mary Jo Mersmann

The 2011 Annual Report is now available online!

You have to be registered and logged in to either download it or go to the page where it is listed.

icon Click here to download NACAR Annual Report 2011 directly (you must be logged in).

icon Click here to go to the file listings (you must also be logged in).

If you have any questions about the Report or how to access it, please contact us.

The NACAR Board of Directors and the Management Team

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If Pigs Could Fly…

Tuesday, 17 January 2012 22:01 Judith Ann Gomila

Aaah! A New Year is upon us! Some of us were creatively inspired, scribbling down our heart-felt resolutions for physical, emotional, financial or spiritual improvement. Others among us are already changing our minds and x-ing out those fervent plans for 2012 because they are just not working. The stick-to-it-iveness of self-discipline can be as slippery as black ice.

"If" can be a calculation that indicates the outcome of a situation or determines the choices that we make. "If pigs could fly..." is a way of saying that something will never happen! "What if...?," "If only...", and the rest of the "iffy" family translate into words like supposing, even though, whether, when or whenever. Periodically, I like to prayerfully mull over the British Nobel Laureate, Rudyard Kipling's poem,"IF," written in 1909. It reminds me of our common call as followers of Christ even as it depicts the complexities of human existence.

NACAR

NACAR Web Meditation ~ Lent ~ 2012

The Associate for Spring 2012 is now available

February Blessings from NACAR!

2011 Annual Report

If Pigs Could Fly…

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