Cleveland Commonweal Local Community Network

“Every moment and every event of every man’s life on earth plants something in his soul. Each moment brings with it germs of spiritual vitality. If these seeds would take root in my liberty, and if His will grow from my freedom, I would become the love that He is. and my harvest would be His glory and my own joy."  Thomas Merton, Seeds of Contemplation ,  Photo taken on December 29, 2024 @5:18pm about the time when we discovered the bishop's pastoral letter on the internet. The original post was on December 30, 2024 @ 12:39pm “It’s simply a letter about how we can draw closer to Christ, and there is no controversy in that,” Bishop Malesic said. “Let’s just pray 15 minutes a day; join a small group; invite your Catholic neighbors and friends together to have a cup of coffee and talk about ‘Why are you Catholic?’; ‘How can you become a disciple of Jesus?’ I think these are the basic things.” -from a media interview of the bishop I invite every Catholic in the Diocese of Clevelan...

by Jack Rakosky "These (CLC) groups are for learning about and discussing far-reaching topics in local spaces. Your conversations may focus on the recent issue of Commonweal Magazine, it may focus on recent news or events, or you might take advantage of our Conversation Starter Series. Overall, we recommend establishing a common vision for your CLC at the first meeting of each year. Each community determines their goals, set-up, meeting times, and the readings best suited for them." -  From Commonweal website:  Tips for Planning Meetings Restarting the Cleveland CLC after the pandemic should not be left up to who happens to attend the first meeting, especially since many on our CLC list have found it difficult to attend meetings because of conflicts and travel distances.  Thoughtful email discussions and additional posts on this website are an important prelude to reopening. Therefore, I have used the skills gained as a researcher and planner in the public menta...

 Thinking about Grief (and Other Emotions) as Medical Disorders Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Mat 5:4) One Year to Mourn Should grief be considered a Medical Disorder? Paul Lauritzen, Mathew A. Crawford Paul Lauritzen is emeritus professor of theology and religious studies at John Carroll University. Interested in discussing this article in your classroom, parish, reading group, or Commonweal Local Community? Click here for a free discussion guide: Discussion Guide: Should grief be considered a medical disorder . "In March 2022, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) announced a revision to its widely influential Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The revised manual, known as DSM-5-TR, included a new diagnostic category: prolonged grief disorder (PGD). The announcement ignited a firestorm of controversy. The criteria for categorizing PGD, for example, are very clear. For an adult who has had someone close to them die, PGD can be...