Publications

RESOURCES

Publications

Called to Be Catholic

The original statement issued by Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, August 12, 1996.

Read the statement...

Initiative Report - Quarterly Newsletter

Initiative Report is a free quarterly newsletter sent to those on our mailing list. Usually the issues are eight pages. The outer pages give news about the Initiative; the centerfold is devoted to an article of special interest.

Read some recent articles...

For more information or to subscribe, send your name and mailing address to:
commonground@nplc.org at the National Pastoral Life Center.

Books

	FOUNDATIONAL DOCUMENTS All the basic documents describing the Initiative and its beginnings are here gathered into one volume, from the original statement, "Called to Be Catholic: Church in a Time of Peril," to Archbishop Lipscomb's address at the first conference in March 1997. In a very useful introduction, Msgr. Philip J. Murnion explains the history and development of the Initiative.
	CHURCH AUTHORITY IN AMERICAN CULTURE Four essays (by Avery Dulles, S.J., Joseph A. Komonchak, James A. Coriden, Philip Selznick) on the question of church authority which provided a starting point for the discussion by leading Catholic thinkers at the Second Cardinal Bernardin Conference, March 1998. The book also has a transcript of the group discussion and an introduction by Msgr. Philip J. Murnion.
	THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR The Second Annual Catholic Common Ground Initiative Lecture by Dr. R. Scott Appleby, Cushwa Center, Notre Dame University, with responses by Dolores Leckey, the Woodstock Center and Robert Royal, the Faith and Reason Institute.
	DIALOGUE, TRUTH AND COMMUNION The Third Annual Catholic Common Ground Initiative Lecture by Cardinal Avery Dulles, S.J., with a response by Dr. Monika K. Hellwig, Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities.
	THE ANNUAL CATHOLIC COMMON GROUND INITIATIVE LECTURE The Church and Contemporary Pluralism by Cardinal Walter Kasper Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, delivered the Fourth Annual Catholic Common Ground Initiative Lecture on June 21, 2002. About 250 people came to hear the Cardinal, to engage him in the discussion after his talk, and to enjoy the reception afterwards. The lecture, The Church and Contemporary Pluralism, is a great contribution to dialogue in the church and to ecclesiology today. As one ecumenist said, "It is really a study text."

	THE CHURCH WOMEN WANT by Elizabeth A. Johnson Ten notable Catholic women with a spectrum of views discuss women’s call to holiness, how women embody God, and whether race and cultural differences unite or divide women. Includes chapters by Elizabeth A. Johnson, Susan Muto, Miriam Therese Winter, Sara Butler, Colleen Griffith, Barbara Hilkert Andolsen, Diana Hayes, Ana Maria Diaz Stevens, Mary Ann Glendon, and Marcy Kaptur. A Catholic Common Ground Initiative Book, published by Crossroad

	DEALING WITH DIVERSITY AND DISAGREEMENT: Vatican II And Beyond by Rev. Joseph A. Komonchak Rev. Komonchak's lecture at The Fifth Annual Catholic Common Ground Lecture 2003, with a response by Most Rev. Daniel E. Pilarczyk, (30 p).
	COMMON GROUND IN A GLOBAL KEY by John L. Allen, Jr. International Lessons in Catholic Dialogue written by Rome correspondent for National Catholic Reporter
	BUILDING A CHURCH OF COMMUNION by Archbishop James A. Weisgerber Archbishop Weisgerber's lecture at The Seventh Annual Catholic Common Ground Lecture 2003.
	Resources For Dialogue by Catholic Common Ground Initiative For those who wish to learn more about the Catholic Common Ground Initiative and to begin dialogues with small groups. Resources for Dialogue includes information about the Initiative itself, key documents, "how to" suggestions for setting up a dialogue, and sample formats. Purchasers have permission to reproduce pages for groups.

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Video

	Bernardin A one hour film on the life of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, originally produced for and broadcast by public television.
	Voices of the Catholic Common Ground Video 1: an introduction to the Initiative for parish leaders Video 2: this video invites a small adult group to study Called to Be Catholic as an introduction to the Initiative. It is divided into three sessions and comes with a facilitator guide.
	Participant Workbook for Video 2.

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Television Series

Television programs on specific contentious issues, originally broadcast from Notre Dame University.
Each video is 28 minutes and includes a panel discussion by people with different views of the issue.
Hosted by Dr. R. Scott Appleby and Dr. Cathleen Kaveny, Notre Dame University.

	Let Us Pray: Mystery and Community at Sunday Worship This program explores the way Catholics worship in light of the liturgical changes initiated by the Second Vatican Council. Is the liturgy common ground or is it a point of contestation? Studio guests: Msgr. Raymond East, pastor, Church of the Nativity, Washington, DC; Sr. Kathleen Hughes, RSCJ, professor of theology, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, Illinois; Msgr. Francis Mannion, rector, Cathedral of the Madeleine, Salt Lake City, Utah, and editor of Antiphon magazine.
	Faith Formation: The Nurturing of Faith in a Challenging Time This program focuses on how we can live a life of faith in a secular world and how we can respond to the Pope's call to evangelize in spite of a culture that constantly challenges our faith. Studio guests: Kate Dooley, OP, associate professor, The Catholic University of America; Fr. Patrick Brennan, Holy Family Church, Inverness, Illinois; Anne Bujorian, Heart-to-Heart Communications, Akron,Ohio.
	Sin and Forgiveness This program focuses on what the sacrament of penance means in today's society and why Catholic participation has declined over the past three decades. Studio guests: Msgr. C. Murray Clayton, Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Shreveport, Louisiana; Keith Egan, Ph.D., Aquinas Professor of Catholic Theology, St. Mary’s College, South Bend, Indiana; Fr. Kevin Tortorelli, OFM, St. Francis of Assisi Church, New York, New York.
	The Death Penalty This program questions why Catholics should be concerned about the death penalty. How does it fit with Catholic teaching on abortion and assisted suicide? Can we sustain a consistent "ethic of life" as a church community? Studio guests: Bud Welch, Murder Victim’s Families for Reconciliation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Dr. Jude P. Dougherty, dean, School of Philosophy, The Catholic University of America.
	Poverty & Responsibility: The Role of the Church Are the poor the preferential option of today’s Catholics? What is the Church’s mission with the poor? Studio guests: Rev. David Jones, pastor, St. Ambrose Parish, Chicago, Illinois; Mary Gonzalez, executive director, Metropolitan Alliance of Congregations, Chicago, Illinois.
	Generation X: Believing and Belonging Young adults are facing a world that will continue to challenge their faith. How will they react? What can the Church do to help? How should the Church respond to the tension between the faith community of this generation and our secular society? Studio guests: Tom Beaudoin, author of Virtual Faith: The Irreverent Spiritual Quest of Generation X; Jeff Langan, Opus Dei, South Bend, Indiana; Chris Zirker, secretary of National Catholic Young Adult Ministry Association, St. Paul, Minnesota.
	Lay Ministry: Building or Blocking the Future of Ministry? Over the past few years, the involvement of lay people in the church has increased dramatically. A 1992 study by the Office of Laity of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops showed that there were about twenty-one thousand full-time and part-time lay people on parish staffs. Is the church willing to commit to them and is there a place for them in the church? Studio guests: Zeni Fox, Immaculate Conception Seminary, Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey; Most Rev. James R. Hoffman, Bishop of Toledo, Ohio, member of the NCCB subcommittee on lay ministry; Greg Pierce, editor and publisher, ACTA Publications, Chicago, Illinois.

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