CORRECTION RAN FRIDAY (10/3/03)
The date was omitted from a story about an upcoming organ recital on Page 3D in Thursday's paper. The concert, by Huw Lewis at First Presbyterian Church, is at 4 p.m. Oct. 12.
---------------------------------------------------------- A blessing of the animals service will be held at 10 a.m. Oct. 4 at Zumbro Lutheran Church. The gathering of animals and pet owners will be held outside the church on its southeast patio. The service will commemorate the life and ministry of Saint Francis of Assisi.
At 3:30 p.m. Oct. 5 there will be a Blessing of the Animals at the Friends in Need shelter in Austin with the Rev. Barb Finley-Shae presiding. All animals, large and small, are welcome, but must be caged or leashed.
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
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A Choral Evensong and Organ Recital will be held at 4 p.m. Oct. 5 at Calvary Episcopal Church in Rochester. The church's Motet Choir will sing works of C.V. Stanford and Gerald Near. Brian Williams, the church's music director, will play pieces by J.S. Bach, Leo Sowerby and Charles-Marie Widor.
Evensong is the sung service of evening prayer in the English tradition. The event is free and open to the public.
VIDEO SEMINAR
STEWARTVILLE -- "Bringing Up Boys" is a new 12-part video seminar by Dr. James Dobson. It will be shown at 7 p.m. Oct. 7 at High Forest Community Church in Stewartville. A social time with refreshments will be held at 6:45 p.m. Enrollment is limited, and those interested should register early. Registration is $10 per person and includes all material.
To register, call High Forest Community Church at 533-4890. Registration deadline is Tuesday.
PETITION DENOUNCED
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- An association of conservative Roman Catholic priests has denounced a petition signed by 160 fellow clergy in Milwaukee arguing that married men should be allowed to enter the priesthood.
The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, which says it represents more than 600 priests and deacons in the United States and Canada, said making celibacy optional would not solve the clerical sex abuse crisis.
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The conservative group sent a letter on Aug. 29 to Bishop Wilton Gregory, head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in response to a petition circulated last month by priests in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee seeking to lift the celibacy requirement.
Gregory this month rejected the Milwaukee plea and questioned whether optional celibacy would increase the number of priests.
SAME-SEX BLESSINGS
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The head of a Canadian Anglican diocese that sanctions same-sex blessing ceremonies removed some leaders of a parish who disagree with the practice.
Bishop Michael Ingham of the Diocese of New Westminster said he acted only out of concern for maintaining order in the church, and insisted he did not remove the officials because of their views on homosexuality.
He said the officials at St. Martin's Anglican Church in North Vancouver had not been taking care of the daily business of the congregation and had challenged "the order of the church," hurting the diocese's mission within the community.
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