The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix ::

Second ‘Charter’ Implementation Report Released by Catholic Bishops Conference

(February 18)- In a report released today by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, by the end of 2004, over 96 percent of all dioceses and eparchies were compliant with all articles of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young people. The “Charter” was adopted by the Catholic bishops of the United States at their meeting in Dallas in June 2002.

This is the second annual report issued by the Office of Child and Youth Protection Office of the USCCB and was based on an independent compliance audit conducted by the Gavin Group of Boston, Massachusetts. Fifty six auditors conducted the audits between July 26 and December 2004.

Two auditors of the Gavin Group visited the Diocese of Phoenix the week of December 6, 2004 to closely examine how well the Charter was being implemented. The Diocese of Phoenix uses a 14 member review board to receive and investigate complaints under the direction of Fr. Fred Adamson, Vicar General of the Phoenix Diocese. Staff, clergy, and volunteers received high marks for their work and Kathleen McChesney, Executive Director of the Office of Child and Youth Protection in Washington stated that the Phoenix results were “quite impressive” and “among the best that I have reviewed.”

WEBSITE LAUNCH IS VALENTINE GIFT TO TEENS

Phoenix, AZ (February 15) – LIFE TEEN, Inc., an international Catholic youth ministry, launches Version2 of its award-winning website, www.lifeteen.com.

The site, which goes live on February 14th with more than 1,550 pages of unique content, introduces teens to the Catholic faith and each other. “lifeteen.com is fun, informational, and uplifting,” says creator Matt Smith. “The site represents our LIFE TEEN ministry, and speaks the language of teens.”

Visitors will notice the use of media throughout the site, including video, radio, streaming teachings and live praise and worship. Teens will especially enjoy the message boards, where they can express themselves, their lives and their questions, which are answered with the foundation of Catholic teaching.

The site includes a review section, which Smith explains as “a place where no other Christian sites have gone before = the real world.” Teens and parents can find thorough reviews of movies, music, books, and video games. “We want our teens to be smart,” says Smith, “so we offer reviews of artists ranging from Third Day to Eminem.”

More than 47 writers from around the country have contributed to the second version of lifeteen.com, with celebrity contributors layered throughout. Notable writers include a former Jr. Miss America, a MLB legend, and two MTV Real World stars, Matt Smith and Rachael Campos. Visitors will also hear from Atlanta’s most infamous rapper, ManChild.

Plans for growth are already in place, with the launch of a full comic strip this spring, and the LIFE TEEN Beach House Reality Show this summer. The initial amount of content is scheduled to double within the next year.

Smith knows first-hand the power of media, as a star on both MTV’s Real World New Orleans and the Real World/Road Rules Challenge in 2003. He promises visitors the marriage of real media experience with real life experiences of today’s teens, resulting in a site that “with God’s blessing, will be an instrument of peace among teens on the Internet today.”

The first version of the website was launched in 1999 and had tremendous visitor growth with over a 52% return/activity rate for more than 21,000 registered members. While it is common to have a two or three minute average session length for a website, lifeteen.com has an average session length of 14 minutes. Valuable information for youth ministers and priests implementing the LIFE TEEN ministry are also found on the site.

Two Arizona Bishops to Speak at Capitol Today

Where can you find twelve hundred students gathered together on a school day? The Arizona State Capitol of course!

The state school tax credit is such an important bill for families and students that twelve hundred Catholic grade school and high school students will appear on the steps of the state capital to say thank you to state legislators for passing the School Tax Credit Bill.

Students from all over the state, including Tucson, Flagstaff, Prescott and St. Peter’s Mission will converge on the capitol grounds on Thursday, February 3rd at 11:30 a.m.

There will be speeches by students, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President of the Arizona State Senate. Also present and speaking will be two Bishops; The Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop for the Diocese of Phoenix, and the Most Reverend Gerald F. Kicanas Bishop for the Diocese of Tucson.

The Catholic Parents Advocacy Network is encouraging parents to attend and to call on their legislators to thank them for passing the Tax Credit Bill and talk to them about education for their children. They also noted that this day will help incorporate civics and government activities into the classrooms.

The Catholic Parents Advocacy Network emphasizes that the gathering of twelve hundred students from around the state is an expression their gratitude to the state officials for this landmark legislation.

This gathering is only one of many activities during Catholic Schools Week that begins January 31st.

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