From the desk of Maureen Shaughnessy, S.C.
The Archdiocesan Catechetical Office is the recipient of a 3 year grant from the American Bible Society to promote the use of the Bible and increase Scripture literacy throughout the Archdiocese, particularly for our adults.
Cardinal Tobin recently sent a letter to the pastors of the Archdiocese asking them to assist the Catechetical Office with the efforts of this Project. The first phase is an invitation for all our adults to participate in a very brief on line survey to assess where people are presently with respect to their understanding of the Bible. November 12th is the International Day of the Bible and November 12-18th is National Bible Week here in the United States. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have joined with the American Bible Society in encouraging all Christians to become truly people of the Word.
In line with that, we are asking people to participate in the survey from November 12th -24th by accessing the following link:
https://survey.research.bible/jfe/form/SV_3ecNsVFfNYLTWG9
Pope Francis has asked people to give the Bible the same place in daily life as cellphones. He said: “What would happen if we turned back when we forget it, if we opened it more times a day, if we read the message of God contained in the Bible the way we read messages on our cellphones?” Inviting the faithful to carry a pocket-sized Gospel all the time, the Pope concluded with the words: “don’t forget what would happen if we treated the Bible as we treat our cellphone, always with us, always close to us!”
I am asking you to encourage your faculties, staffs and parents to participate in the survey. We are hoping for a very strong response so that the information we receive will help us with planning for the next phases of the Project.