??From the President's Desk - March 10, 2023
Welcome back to Legatus' From the President’s Desk!
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From the President’s Desk is a chance for me to share with you what has held my attention this week. The weekly update will present a selection of observations and news stories focused on Catholic, business, and secular affairs, oriented to inform and empower Catholic professional leaders like you.?
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Let’s get started:
?? On the Road
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Earlier this week I traveled to the Lansing chapter for their monthly chapter meeting. Although small in numbers, the chapter has great momentum with their new regional vice president, Rhonda Panczyk hitting the ground running with her dynamic leadership. Jere Palazzolo, founder and president of Catholic Healthcare International (CHI), discussed the new Padre Pio hospital project in Michigan. CHI has also established a new medical school in collaboration with Benedictine College. Check out chi-usa.com to learn more about CHI.
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Please keep the Lansing chapter and CHI in your prayers!
?? Why It’s Worth Praying
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That is the title of a recent post on Dominicana, published by the Dominicans of the St. Joseph Province. I struggle with prayer during Lent (and throughout the year, if I am being honest). Sometimes my prayer life is dry, sometimes I have to work to fit prayer into my daily routine, and other times, I am just plain tired. Here is an insight from the post:
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God knows what we need, better than we ourselves know. And it is his desire to give us what we truly need, whether we recognize it at the moment or not. Sometimes we pray to God for something, and yet we don’t receive it. This tempts us to think that God has ignored our prayer. But our heavenly Father desires our true good, even more than we do. God is all-good, all-knowing, and all-loving. Because of this, he is trustworthy. That is certain. That’s why it’s worth praying.
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Keep praying. God does know it is tough for us at times.
? Notre Dame to Reopen
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I remember the horror I felt when I saw the footage of the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in April of 2019. I was anxious, as were many other Catholics, that the cathedral may be significantly delayed in being restored and reopened, with many of the faithful missing out on the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to the cathedral. Well, the cathedral is set to open in 2024. As Catholic News Agency reports,
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Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, whose spire and roof were destroyed by an April 15, 2019, fire, is expected be rebuilt within the five-year deadline set by the French government.
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As confirmed by the head of the construction site, French Army Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin, in an interview with the Associated Press, the faithful and tourists should have access to the site again by the end of 2024.
Reconstruction work only began some 24 months after the tragic incident occurred, with the first phase consisting of cleaning and securing the site, involving more than 200 different companies.
Although the beloved cathedral will not be ready for the Olympic Games to be held in the French capital in July and August 2024, it should have regained its former shape by then, with the reconstruction phase of its emblematic spire to begin in April.
Let’s pray that this cathedral, dedicated to Our Lady of Paris, is open soon!
?? Job Openings Drop, Still High
领英推荐
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News this week on jobs, here is Reuter’s reporting:
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Job openings, a measure of labor demand, decreased by 410,000 to 10.8 million on the last day of January. Data for December was revised higher to show 11.2 million job openings instead of the previously reported 11.0 million. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 10.5 million job openings.
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The report also showed job openings were mostly higher than initially estimated in 2022, averaging 11.2 million, an increase of 1.2 million from 2021.
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More:
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Hiring rose to 6.4 million from 6.3 million in December. The hires rate increased to 4.1% from December's 4.0%. There were 77.2 million hires in 2022, a gain of 1.2 million from 2021. The hires rate averaged 4.2% in December, down from 4.3% in 2021.
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Layoffs jumped 241,000 to 1.7 million, concentrated in the professional and business services industries. Layoffs, however, decreased in federal government. They increased 461,000 in 2022 to 17.6 million. Still, they remain low by historical standards.
A chart from Axios gives a visual of job openings (there is more reporting from them at the link).
?? Date Night…During Lent!
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Ascension Presents has a fun and useful YouTube video with date night ideas for Lent. I had never considered what date night during Lent would look like, but this video gave me some terrific suggestions to make Lent a time to grow closer to God, and my wife. Lent doesn’t have to be a solitary journey; you can share it with your spouse. Many of these ideas can be shared by couples throughout the year.
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Thank you for reading, and be on the lookout for our next From the President’s Desk!
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P.S. Join Legatus this spring for our 3-part webinar series focusing on various aspects of mental health for Catholic leaders and their families.?
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Here's the info for the first part this month:
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Paul C. Vitz, Ph. D.
"A Father’s Important Impact on a Family"
Thursday, March 16
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM ET
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Add this event to your calendar