Bike to Work Day

Today was observed as Bike to Work Day, an event designed to promote the bicycle as an option for commuting to work.

Media reports:

Huffington Post: Bike To Work Day 2011: What Everyone Should Know About Bicycle Commuting

Background information:

League of American Bicyclists: May is National Bike Month

Wikipedia: Bike-to-Work Day

The Vocal Majority: The "Armed Forces Medley"

In anticipation of this weekend's observance of Armed Forces Day, I offer The Vocal Majority performing the Armed Forces Medley:

Norwich, CT, All-City Art Show Displays Student Art

There are a number of initiatives throughout New England that are designed to encourage the arts and artistic expression. One such initiative is the Norwich, CT, All-City Art Show.

This three-day event showcases over 1,300 pieces of artwork from students in grades 1-12. Admission is free, and the event is being held in the gymnasium of Samuel Huntington School.

Media reports:

Norwich Bulletin: Students share creativity at Norwich All-City Art Show (19 MAY 11)

Norwich Bulletin Photo Gallery: Norwich All-City Art Show

Father McCloskey on the Secret to Evangelization

What are the ingredients for a successful conversion?

Father C. John McCloskey, who is considered one of the Church’s most accomplished “fishers of men,” notes that “People are looking for the truth and the happiness that the truth can give. These people, although successful — many, very successful — still found emptiness in their lives. The answer is a man named Jesus Christ. I just happen to have been the right man at the right time to help guide them.”

In a recent article, the National Catholic Register offers five “rules of thumb for evangelizing” that are used by Father McCloskey. To access this article, please visit:

National Catholic Register: Conversion: What’s the Key? (18 MAY 11)

Portsmouth, NH, Firefighters Try to Reacquire Engine and Paint It Pink

Portsmouth, NH, firefighters want to buy a Mack engine that  was retired from the fire department, sold at auction, and is now listed for sale on Craigslist.

If they are able to acquire the truck, the firefighters  plan to paint it pink and use it to help raise funds for cancer research.

To access a Portsmouth Herald article on this initiative, please visit:

Portsmouth Herald: Firefighters want to buy back engine, paint it pink (19 MAY 11)

Background information:

Portsmouth Fire Fighters Charitable Association

Portsmouth Fire Department

City of Portsmouth

Wikipedia: Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Reflection Starter from Saint Catherine Labouré

"One must see God in everyone." - Saint Catherine Labouré

Gene Kelly: "Singing in the Rain"

I had my own chance to do some "singing in rain" this morning (something I often do when I'm out in the rain), and so I offer:

Gene Kelly - I'm singing in the rain

National Public Health Performance Standards Program

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Public Health Performance Standards Program is a National Partnership initiative that has developed National Public Health Performance Standards for state and local public health systems and for public health governing bodies. Among other guidance, the National Public Health Performance Standards that are designed to describe public health activities that should be undertaken in all communities.

These "10 Essential Services of Public Health” include:

1. Monitor health status to identify and solve community health problems.
2. Diagnose and investigate health problems and health hazards in the community.
3. Inform, educate, and empower people about health issues.
4. Mobilize community partnerships and action to identify and solve health problems.
5. Develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts.
6. Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety.
7. Link people to needed personal health services and assure the provision of health care when otherwise unavailable.
8. Assure competent public and personal health care workforce.
9. Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based health services.
10. Research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems.

For more information about the National Public Health Performance Standards, please visit:

CDC: National Public Health Performance Standards Program (NPHPSP)

National Association of County and City Health Officials: National Public Health Performance Standards Program (NPHPSP)

Community Service in Rhode Island: Rhode Island Tree Council

New England is a treasure house filled with many different types of spiritual, cultural, historical, and other resources. Included in this treasure trove is a rich mixture of individuals and community service organizations that are working to address a particular concern or group of concerns.

One such example is the Rhode Island Tree Council. A non-profit group dedicated to improving Rhode Island’s tree resources, the Rhode Island Tree Council has implemented a number of programs and activities designed to enhance the public’s awareness of the benefits of trees. Its stated mission is to create healthy urban and community forests, which underpin the state’s verdant ecological tapestry, to support its vibrant economy, and to enrich the lives of all Rhode Islanders.

For more information about the Rhode Island Tree Council, please visit:

Rhode Island Tree Council

Saint Augustine on the Love that Renews Us

"A new commandment I give you, that you love one another. This commandment that he is giving them is a new one, the Lord Jesus tells his disciples. Yet was it not contained in the Old Law, where it is written: You shall love your neighbor as yourself? Why does the Lord call it new when it is clearly so old? Or is the commandment new because it divests us of our former selves and clothes us with the new man? Love does indeed renew the man who hears, or rather obeys its command; but only that love which Jesus distinguished from a natural love by the qualification: As I have loved you."

Today's Office of Readings offers a commentary from Saint Augustine on the love that Jesus requires of us. It is an excerpt from his treatise on Saint John. To access the complete reading, please visit:

Catholic Radio Dramas: The New Commandment

Trevin Wax on the Growing Pro-Life Attitude in the U.S.

After reviewing a number of polls, laws, and cultural trends, Trevin Wax (editor at LifeWay Christian resources and author) found five reasons to believe that the nation has reached a tipping point on the abortion issue.

To access Mr. Wax's commentary on his observations, please visit:

Trevin Wax: Five Signs the Pro-Life Cause Is Winning (16 MAY 11)

Tom Neven on Young Adults' Understanding of Religious and Moral Issues

In a commentary in First Things, Tom Neven recently reflected on how many young adults literally cannot understand what we’re saying when it comes to talking about religious and moral issues.

To access Mr. Neven's complete essay, please visit:

First Things: It’s All Greek to Them (16 MAY 11)