Church Women United, a 50-year-old ecumenical women’s...

Church Women United, a 50-year-old ecumenical women’s organization, met at Mt. St. Mary’s College last week to hammer out its five-year agenda.

Established in 1941 as an interracial, ecumenical movement of Protestant, Roman Catholic and Orthodox women, the group has 1,700 chapters in the United States and Puerto Rico.

Because it wanted to hold integrated worship services and meetings in a largely segregated society, the group moved into the arena of social action--and stayed there.

“We believe that Christians should be involved in the world and live their lives according to their faith,” said Patricia Rumer, general director. “There are viable economic alternatives to poverty in this country, but many times the efforts of small, community-based groups are ignored--partially because women are running them and also because cooperatives have trouble trying to make a space for themselves in a free-enterprise system.”

Its 150-member council focused on five tasks during its meeting on the college campus: enhancing women’s social and economic power, advocating a comprehensive national health care program, completing a study on the impact of environmental hazards on women’s health, strengthening the group’s organizational structure, and developing a communications strategy to help reduce poverty among women and children and promote social justice.

Rumer said the group--which she calls “essentially a middle-class women’s organization”--plans to build coalitions with low-income groups helping women find a way out of poverty. The organization also makes small grants to women’s economic programs. It has an annual budget of $1.5 million.

Gean Halliday, president of the Southern California-Southern Nevada chapter, said: “The convention renewed our commitment to do the kind of work with women and children that we’ve been doing in California for more than 50 years.”

For information about Church Women United, call (714) 593-5351.

Across town in Beverly Hills, a symposium of the Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities heard Father William J. Byron, president of the Catholic University of America in Washington, urge Catholics to remain open to sociological studies that could disclose important findings about the priesthood.

“No one in the Catholic community should be surprised or scandalized to find God’s will in conclusions of honest human investigation,” the Jesuit priest said at the June 25 meeting.

“Objective social scientists . . . might be able to tell us something important about the sociological surroundings of contemporary priesthood and what changes may be necessary if the young are to be attracted to priesthood and the religious life,” he said.

Byron received the organization’s Distinguished Catholic Leadership award for his contributions to growth and renewal of Catholic life.

Next weekend, a different kind of organizational powwow takes place in Los Angeles. Hundreds of American Indian dancers and dozens of vendors offering traditional American Indian arts, crafts and foods will gather at the third annual City of the Angels Kateri Circle Pow Wow. The celebration will be at Loyola Marymount University from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 11, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 12.

Sponsored by Native American Indian Ministry of the archdiocese of Los Angeles, the powwow will call together thousands of American Indians from Southern California and the Western United States for intertribal dancing, contests, community honors and prayer. Los Angeles boasts the largest and most diverse Indian population of any North American city, with more than 200 tribes represented.

The powwow is dedicated to Kateri Tekakwitha, the only American-born Indian to be considered for sainthood by the Vatican. Known as “the Lily of the Mohawks,” she was an early Catholic convert who was shunned by her clan. According to Father Paul Ojibway, another Mohawk clan took her in, and she cared for their children, elderly and sick--an unusual vocation for a single Mohawk woman in the late 17th Century. She died in 1680 at age 24.

A Mass will be celebrated in her honor at 10 a.m. Sunday, July 12. Loyola Marymount is located on Loyola Boulevard at West 80th Street in Los Angeles. For further information, phone (213) 482-7615 or (310) 832-7915.

CELEBRATIONS

Trinity United Methodist Church of Anaheim will hold a patriotic worship service at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, followed by a picnic. A 40-voice choir will sing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and other favorites. The Rev. Albert Jansen will preach. Admission to the picnic is $2. The address is 800 S. Lemon St., Anaheim. (714) 535-2429.

A new synagogue has been formed that welcomes gay men and lesbians. Congregation Kol Ami, translated “Voice of My People,” is led by Rabbi Denise Eger.

“I believe that Judaism should be accessible to all,” Eger said. “Our commitment to Jewish learning, healing our world and living Jewishly is a reflection of the caring community we are building.”

Sabbath eve services will be held at West Hollywood Presbyterian Church at 8 p.m. on July 10 and 24 and Aug. 14 and 28. For information, call (213) 893-2838.

GRANTS

The Los Angeles United Methodist Urban Foundation has announced five grants totaling $45,000 for the first half of 1992.

Recipients are: United Neighborhood Organization, to start grass-roots organizing in areas between downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood; College Campus Ministry, to fund minority campus ministry programs; the Clinica Msgr. Oscar A. Romero, to help pay for pharmaceutical and laboratory testing; the Los Angeles Countywide Coalition for the Homeless, for preserving low-income housing, and Lynwood United Methodist Church, for an after-school tutoring program.

SPEAKERS

“The Arab-Israeli Conflict: From Confrontation to Reconciliation--A Primer for the Thirty-Something Generation” is a three-part lecture series held at the Jewish Community Building in Los Angeles. David Ellenson of Hebrew Union College will speak on “Why Create the State of Israel?” at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Jewish Community Building, 6505 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. Admission is $5. (213) 852-7730.

CLASSES

Loyola Marymount University Center for Pastoral Studies is offering a video-lecture series on racial issues, religion and culture and an Institute for Multicultural Pastoral Studies. Presentations will be held on four consecutive Mondays: July 6, 13, 20 and 27. Admission is $5 at the door. To apply for admission or for information, phone (310) 338-2799.

“Women’s Life Narratives as Theological Resource” is a six-session course at Immaculate Heart College Center. Theologian Sarah S. Forth will discuss the writings of such popular authors as Amy Tan and Margaret Atwood as well as those of feminist theologians. The classes meet Friday evenings and Saturdays, July 10 to Aug. 1. Phone (213) 386-3116.