Parish roundup: Night to Shine; Christian-Muslim chat; diocese offers app

The dance floor is hopping at the Night to Shine event Feb. 8 at All Saints Parish in Manassas, Virginia. (Arlington Catholic Herald/Joe Cashwell)

The dance floor is hopping at the Night to Shine event Feb. 8 at All Saints Parish in Manassas, Virginia. (Arlington Catholic Herald/Joe Cashwell)

by Dan Morris-Young

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All Saints Church in Manassas, Virginia, was one of more than 500 churches around the world hosting the 2019 Night to Shine, a prom-night experience for people 14 and older with special needs. More than 100 guests and their parents attended the Feb. 8 All Saints event. Additionally, more than 150 volunteers made the night possible, including the buddies who were paired with each guest, reported the Arlington Catholic Herald

John Welch, 82, a longtime member of St. Joan of Arc Parish in Indianapolis, spearheaded what has become a more-than-two-decade weekly lunch conversation between Christians and Muslims at Shapiro's Delicatessen.

A well-known center that ministers to immigrants crossing into the U.S. near McAllen, Texas, will have to find new quarters as a result of a Feb. 11 city commissioners' vote. According to Brownsville Bishop Daniel Flores, Catholic Charities officials, and Missionaries of Jesus Sr. Norma Pimentel who directs the center, its work will continue. A campaign has been in place to build a permanent facility. President Donald Trump declined an invitation from Pimentel to visit the center when he visited the border in January.

A handful of young Catholic missionaries affiliated with the National Evangelization Teams of Canada will be visiting the 50 parishes and missions of the Keewatin-Le Pas Archdiocese through May. The vast archdiocese stretches across northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan and touches the northwest corner of Ontario. Ages 18-28, the missioners shared their experiences and insights from their encounters with residents of the remote north, including Dene and Cree youth, in a Catholic Register feature.

A cellphone screen image of the Sacramento Diocese's "myParish App" (Catholic Herald magazine/BeeJae Visitacion)

A cellphone screen image of the Sacramento Diocese's "myParish App" (Catholic Herald magazine/BeeJae Visitacion)

During Jan. 12-13 Masses across the Diocese of Sacramento, California, parishioners were introduced to "myParish App" for mobile devices. The app will allow users to keep tabs on diocesan events and announcements, their own parish's information, and daily readings, reflections and prayers. Available in Spanish and English, the free service even includes an interactive examination of conscience.

Sharing an adult beverage while discussing things of religion is not new. Catholics, for example, field Theology on Tap gatherings across the country. Beer in particular has a historic relationship with the Catholic Church. However, a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is competing. It founded an expressly "brewery church" in Orlando, Florida: Castle Church Brewing Community.

[Dan Morris-Young is NCR's West Coast correspondent.]

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