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DignityUSA DATELINE

Volume 10, No. 5
May 2001

SPECIAL PRE-CONVENTION EVENT ADDED!

DignityUSA is pleased to announce that Dr. Kristine Gebbie, the first Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, will offer a special pre-convention lecture open to all Delegates and Convention attendees. Dr. Gebbie's talk, entitled "The Church and Public Policy: What to Do About HIV" will be held at the Westin Michigan Avenue Hotel at 5:30 PM on Thursday, July 5, between the close of the House of Delegates and the Convention's Opening Ceremony. This talk, which will be accompanied by a complimentary dinner for all attendees, is made possible by a grant from the Centers of Disease Control, administered by the Council of Religious AIDS Networks, of which DignityUSA's National HIV/AIDS Project is a member.

Reservations for this FREE event are required and can be made by calling the national office at 1-800-877-8797, or writing to info@dignityusa.org. We urge you to attend this significant lecture by one of the nation's leading health policy experts.

MORE CONVENTION NEWS!

A special room will be set aside at the Westin to serve as a chapel throughout the convention. This room will be a retreat from the bustle of the HOD and convention — a place for quiet prayer, meditation and reflection. To help make this room truly our space, chapters and individuals are encouraged to bring icons from their worship space as well as panels the chapter has made reminding us of those lost to AIDS. And visit the DignityUSA website or call the national office for more convention info!

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!

Are you a Lay Catholic in the United States?

¿Es usted católico laico en Estados Unidos?

The Bishops' Committee on the Laity is interested in hearing from Catholic men and women. The purpose of this survey is to solicit ideas on how to improve various aspects of church life, especially at your parish, that help you respond to your Christian calling in daily life.

This survey will be not be used to evaluate individual parishes; rather, the survey will help us to gain an understanding, at the national level, of how parishes can best help Catholic men and women live their lives as followers of Christ.

Because of the large number of people who may respond, we are testing the use of the internet for this survey. We ask that you complete the survey only once, between now and May 13, 2001.

Thank you!

Bishops Committee on the Laity
National Conference of Catholic Bishops
February 28, 2001
http://www.nccbuscc.org/laity/laysurvey/index.htm

MEMBERSHIP ROSTER

Keeping the DignityUSA database up-to-date is a constant job for Richard Ressa, our database manager. Without the assistance of our chapters this task would not be possible. You are reminded to review the membership reports mailed to you every month and report any discrepancies, changes, and additions to Richard: rressa2@directvinternet.com.

Every time a member moves and does not tell us, we lose contact with the member. Thanks!

MATERIALS AVAILABLE FOR PRIDE

The national office has Dignity brochures, Solidarity Ribbons and cards on hand for use by our chapters during upcoming Pride Events around the country. Avail yourself of these by contacting Ron Karstetter, our office manager, at info@dignityusa.org.

UPDATE

For the sixth year, DignityUSA presents Solidarity Sunday, the national campaign to end verbal, physical and spiritual violence against gay. lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. This year's observance will take place on October 7, the Sunday before National Coming Out Day. Materials to help your chapter prepare for Solidarity Sunday are available at the DignityUSA office NOW. Contact the office to request curriculum folders to direct your efforts. Cards and ribbons will be available in time for Pride celebrations in June. This year's Solidarity Sunday is being dedicated to Bruce Jarstfer, MD, the creator of its concept and who, for the past five years, directed and coordinated the effort.

NEW ENGLAND REGIONAL REPORT

The Regional House of Delegates met on March 24 with delegates from Maine, New Hampshire, Boston and Hartford present, as well as Peggy Burns, National Secretary; Janet O'Day, National CWC Co-Chair and Marianne Duddy, Executive Director, DignityUSA. While the agenda included election of Regional Officers, news of the Biennial Convention in July, and selection of Regional Delegates to the HOD in Chicago, the largest part of the day was spent with the Re-Imagining Dignity update.

Following many questions and much discussion, the most recent Re-Imagining progress report was met with a strong and unanimously positive reception. The New England delegates were pleased with the fact that the Board of Directors (BOD) incorporated many of their comments and recommendations provided through the earlier feedback questionnaires and felt very much a part of the process of Re-Imagining. The feeling was that the Re-Imagined Dignity will be a stronger organization with opportunity for input from every member. They also welcomed the idea of membership meetings which would be expanded to include Dignity members from a wider geographic area. Such meetings would provide opportunity for the voice of the membership to be heard by the BOD, as well as be occasions for educational, spiritual and social renewal.

NATIONAL OFFICERS

Candidates who wish to stand for election for the positions of National President and Vice President for the upcoming term (10/1/01 to 9/30/03), should submit their names and qualifications to the National Secretary, Peggy Burns. Candidates are nominated and elected as a two person slate reflecting gender parity. Nominations close 60 days before the opening meeting of the July 2001 House of Delegates (HOD).

DATABASE UPDATE

Keep communications open. Please let Chuck Provancher and Pat McArron know when you make changes in you local chapter (telephone numbers, web site name, etc.). Chuck will then make updates on the web pages. The changes will be passed onto Peggy Burns, National Secretary, so she can update chapter lists for mailings. If you are not sure if the change is important enough, send it anyway. Don't be left out because we did not get the information!

THANK YOU, CHRIS!!

After 2 years of dedicated service as our second Dateline editor, Chris is moving on. He has been accepted into the Holy Name Province of the Order of Friars Minor and will be starting his Affiliate year the first weekend in July. DignityUSA expresses a heartfelt thanks for the fine job that he has done in editing the monthly publication for our membership. We wish you well Chris as you follow your path, and know that you will always be a part of the Dignity family. The July/August edition of the Dateline will be Chris' last.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

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