Religious Offerings: Students for Life of America leader to speak at 'Friends for Life' fund-raiser

May 16—Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins is the keynote speaker at the first-ever "Friends for Life" fund-raiser sponsored by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Toledo at the Hilton Garden Inn in Perrysburg on May 27. Dinner reservations are $75.

Ms. Hawkins is an author, speaker and anti-abortion advocate. In 2006 she was recruited to launch the full-time operation for Students for Life of America, and has since overseen its development into a national team that supports more than 1,200 chapters in all 50 states.

Students for Life of America "exists to recruit, train and mobilize the pro-life generation to abolish abortion," according to its mission statement.

Toledo Bishop Daniel E. Thomas and Peter Range, director of Toledo Catholic Charities' Office for Life & Justice, will also share remarks at the fund-raiser. For more information, or to secure reservations and sponsorships, go to catholiccharitiesnwo.org.

Epworth Bazaar

The Epworth United Methodist Women are accepting vendor applications for their annual arts and crafts bazaar on Nov. 6 at Epworth United Methodist Church, 4855 Central Ave. Vendors must hand-craft the items sold at their booths, and the application deadline is June 7.

The Epworth Arts and Crafts Bazaar raises thousands of dollars each year for area outreach and mission programs. One hundred percent of proceeds benefit local organizations.

For more information or to submit a vendor application, go to Epworth.com/bazaar.

— Nicki Gorny

Vatican establishes lay ministry

ROME — Pope Francis this week formally created a new lay ministry to encourage greater participation of secular women and men in the teaching of the Catholic faith, especially in places where priests are in short supply.

The new law creating the lay ministry of catechists officially recognizes for the universal Catholic Church a practice that has been used for centuries in local dioceses, and goes out of its way to emphasize women's participation in it.

In many parts of the world, lay men and women introduce people to the Catholic faith, educate them on receiving the initial sacraments of baptism and communion and accompany them in their faith journey.

Soon, the Vatican's liturgy office will publish a specific rite of installation to be used around the world when these lay catechists formally begin their ministry. Individual bishops conferences are being asked to develop guidelines to train them.

It's the latest reform by Francis to address longstanding complaints that lay people — and specifically women — have been shut out of all levels of church decision-making, governance and participation in favor of the all-male clerical class of priests, bishops and cardinals. Earlier this year Francis issued another law decreeing that women can be installed in the lay ministries of lectors, to read Scripture, and acolytes to serve on the altar as eucharistic ministers. Such roles had been officially reserved to men even though exceptions were made.

Francis has firmly upheld Catholic doctrine that women cannot be ordained priests. He remains under pressure, however, to allow women to be deacons — ministers who perform many of the same functions as priests, such as presiding at weddings, baptisms and funerals. Currently, the ministry is reserved for men even though historians say the ministry was performed by women in the early church.

— AP