CNE Newsletter - June 12, 2025

June is the Month of the Sacred Heart — a time the Church sets aside to reflect on the boundless love, mercy, and intimacy Christ offers us. It’s also a time when we celebrate the Body of Christ — both in the Eucharist and in our own bodies, created in His image.

With that in mind, what better topic to explore than the language of the body and God’s design for fertility?

On the evening of June 30, join us at St. Ignatius for a special evening with author Christina Valenzuela, who will be sharing insights from her new book, "The Language of Your Body," on these very themes.

This is a beautiful opportunity for women to gather in fellowship — with charcuterie, a glass of wine, and good conversation — and reflect on the sacredness of our bodies and God’s loving design.

In the month of June, while our culture often displays a disintegration of sexual identity, the Church offers a different vision — one rooted in truth and wholeness. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, “Chastity means the successful integration of our sexuality within the person” (CCC 2337). One of the most powerful tools for living out marital chastity is Natural Family Planning.

Mark your calendars: NFP Awareness Week is July 20–26.
Explore ways you can help raise awareness within your parish or community.

Another profound challenge to chastity today is the pervasive influence of pornography. One of the most effective ways to fight the lies of the enemy is to bring them into the light of truth.

This August, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati will participate in Safe Haven Sunday, observed the weekend of August 10. Learn how your parish can equip parents and protect families with faith-based resources.

The Peace of Christ be with you,
Dcn. David Ulmer

Emily recently joined our staff as the Coordinator of Young Adult Evangelization. She works to build up the young adult community in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati as they encounter the Risen Lord on their path to vocational maturity and becoming missionary disciples.

Emily just moved back to the great state of Ohio after graduating from Marian University in May of 2024 and staying in Indianapolis for one year after graduating. She just married the love of her life, Alex, and looks forward to all that the Lord has in store for them. She loves all things Catholic, crafting, and related to Diet Coke.

The CNE will be providing Called & Gifted Team Training on Mon., Nov. 3 and Tues., Nov. 4, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at Church of the Ascension (2025 Woodman Dr, Dayton, OH, 45420).

Called & Gifted Team Training will equip you and your key leaders to provide charism discernment for your parishioners so that they can know and live according to the spiritual gifts they received in their Baptism. Mary Martin and Colleen O’Dowd from the Catherine of Siena Institute will lead this two-day training. Both days of the training are required.

You and your team need to have completed the three-step Called & Gifted charism discernment process before attending Team Training. The three steps are:

Called & Gifted Workshop (live or online), which includes completion of the Spiritual Gifts Inventory
Charism Interview (in-person or via Zoom)
Charism Experimentation (personally or via a Discernment-in-Depth Small Group)

Registration for the Team Training is $50/person and is available at the button below. This covers lunch and all training materials for both days. There is a Q&A on the registration page that should address any questions you have about the Team Training, completing the three steps, and the charisms in general. You can also contact Nicholas Hardesty (nhardesty@catholicaoc.org) if you have any questions.

Since this is two full days of training, our hope is that, by giving you advanced notice, you will have time to reserve both days before your calendar fills up. This will also give you time to complete the three steps before the Team Training begins. Mark your calendar now!

NFP Awareness Week 2025
July 20 - 26

National NFP Awareness Week, July 20-26, is a national educational campaign by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to focus attention on natural family planning methods and the Church teachings that support its use in marriage.

The dates of National NFP Awareness Week highlight the anniversary of Humanae Vitae (July 25), which articulates Catholic beliefs about human sexuality, marital love, and responsible parenthood. During this week we also celebrate the feast day of Saints Joachim and Anne (July 26), the parents of the Blessed Mother. For more Archdiocesan information, contact nfp@catholicaoc.org.

Safe Haven Sunday

Safe Haven Sunday is a weekend set aside within the liturgical calendar by dioceses and parishes to directly address the societal harms of pornography. It is Inspired by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) formal statement, Create in Me a Clean Heart: A Pastoral Response to Pornography.

Safe Haven Sunday is an Archdiocesan-wide initiative on the weekend of August 10, near the Feast of St. Philomena, "Champion of Chastity". For more information, click the button below:

Fr. Spitzer will lead a workshop along with the team of Sophia Institute on The Catholic Faith and Science for principals and teachers of Math, Science, and Religion. This workshop will delve into what students need to know to maintain their faith throughout their lives, give evidence for an Intelligent Creator, and explore the science and the mystery of Eucharistic Miracles.

Sophia Institute for Teachers (Sophia Institute Press - Discover your next Catholic book) has given a scholarship to offset the cost of bringing Fr. Spitzer and the Sophia team! This will be an event you will not want to miss! In the morning, the Sophia team will engage teachers in interactive activities that will show evidence for God from the expansion of the universe, entropy, and to the fine tuning of the physical laws. In the afternoon, the Sophia team will lead hands-on activities to familiarize teachers with Eucharistic miracles and teach them the science confirming their authenticity!