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Initiatives:
In Support of Christians in the World
The Newsletter of the National Center for the Laity
P.O. Box 291102
Chicago, Illinois 60629
Editor: Prof.
William
Droel wdroel@cs.com
Fax: 773-776-9036
A
Bit of History
It was
Advent 1977 when 47 prominent Catholics issued A Chicago
Declaration of
Christian Concern. "We wait impatiently," they wrote, "for a
new prophecy, a new word that can once again stir people to see the
grandeur of
the Christian vision for society." Why, the Declaration signers
wondered, has the teaching of Vatican II on the mission of the laity
"all
but vanished from the consciousness and agendas of many sectors within
the
church"? Instead, church leaders seem preoccupied with internal issues:
the relative shortage of priests and religious, financial crises,
personnel
problems. These are, admittedly, important concerns. Yet "the laity who
spend most of their time and energy in the professional and
occupational world
appear to have been deserted."
The Declaration hit a nerve. Conferences, radio programs, and scores of articles debated its implications. Nearly two million copies were eventually distributed. So much mail was generated by the Declaration that a secretariat quickly became necessary. That office, first housed at Mundelein College, was called the National Center for the Laity.
As the months went by the NCL formed a board of directors, filed for separate incorporation, began publishing INITIATIVES, held conferences and retreats, and developed a network of individuals and institutions that share the concern voiced in the 1977 Declaration. The NCL now has a Chicago-based board. There are active committees. There is a national advisory group. There are about 80 churches, Newman centers and organizations in a fledgling NCL network. There are 5,000 readers of INITIATIVES in the U.S., Canada and seven other countries.
What, years since the original Declaration,
is the NCL perspective?
Web Note: Most links on this page are pdf files, you can get Acrobat
Reader here!
| A Chicago
Declaration of Christian Concern |
NCL's
Principles of Lay Initiatives
|
| NCL's History |
Everyday
Christians |
- Initiatives (April 2008, number 171)
- Initiatives (February 2008, number 170)
- Initiatives (January 2008, number 168)
- Initiatives (October 2007, number 167)
- Initiatives (September 2007, number 166)
- Initiatives (Summer 2007, number 165)
- Initiatives (May 2007, number 164)
- Initiatives (April 2007, number 163)
- Initiatives (February 2007, number 162)
- Initiatives (January 2007, number 161)
- Initiatives (November 2006, number 160)
- Initiatives (October 2006, number 159)
- Initiatives (September 2006, number 158)
- Initiatives (June 2006, number 157)
- Initiatives (May 2006, number 156)
- Initiatives (April 2006,
number 155)
- Initiatives (February 2006,
number 154)
- Initiatives (January 2006,
number 153)
- Initiatives (November 2005,
number 152)
- Initiatives (October 2005,
number 151)
- Initiatives (September 2005,
number 150)
- Initiatives (June 2005, number 149)
- Thoughts from a Working Person's Pope (Special Edition number 148)
- Rest in
Peace: Ed Marciniak
(1917-2004) (Special Edictioin number 140)
Other Catholic Social Teachings
General Articles of Interest