Clergy sex abuse talks planned “It’s About Accountability: Clergy Sex Abuse, the Crimes and Cover-ups” will be the focus of presentations by two national activists. David Clohessy, a 12-year director of Survivors’ Network of those Abused by Priests who has spoken on many major TV programs and at the historic 2002 bishops conference, will discuss the group’s work. The Rev. Thomas Doyle, a Dominican priest, canon lawyer and advocate of child abuse prevention, warned Catholic hierarchy in 1985 of the scope of the sex abuse scandal. Today, he challenges lay Catholics to reject clericalism, one factor he blames for the abuse. Their talks will be 2 p.m. Sunday at The Church of the Epiphany, an Episcopal church, 2222 S. Price Road, Tempe. Tickets are $25 at the door. (480) 970-4288 or www.cta-arizona.org. - Garage sale to help pay expenses Christ the King Catholic Community has organized a garage sale 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. today to raise funds for medical expenses of Cindy Stanley, mother of boys ages 10 and 12. She is battling breast cancer and has incurred heart damage from cancer treatment. The sale will be at the church, 1551 E. Dana Ave., Mesa. For more information, call Mendy Bayda, (480) 844-4462. - Kabbalah workshop to focus on healing A workshop, “Kabbalah and the Power of Chant,” will be 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Center, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Shefa Gold uses meditation, movement and sound to help the soul grow and uses prayer as a healing force. Cost is $18. (480) 634-4900 or www.coolkabbalah.com. Gold will also speak on “Havdalah and Cool Kabbalah” at 7 p.m. today at Temple Solel, 6805 E. McDonald Drive, Paradise Valley. (480) 991-7414. - Gospel quartet to sing in Mesa The Mid-Valley Quartet from Basalt, Colo., will sing at the 9 and 10 a.m. services Sunday at East Mesa Baptist Church, 752 S. Ellsworth Road. (480) 986-9827. - Catholic charity agency renamed Catholic Charities Community Services is the new name for Catholic Social Service of Central and Northern Arizona. The new name was introduced Thursday at a news conference in Phoenix. The agency returns to a name it adopted when it was founded in 1969, a name more compatible with its ties to a national network, Catholic Charities USA, the nation’s secondlargest private charitable consortium. A kickoff event in the East Valley for the new name will be 1 to 2:30 p.m. Friday at the East Valley Regional Center, 430 N. Dobson Road, Suite 110, Mesa. The organization has five service centers. It employs 600 people, uses 1,700 volunteers and serves about 210,000 people. (602) 285-1999 or www.catholiccharitiesaz.org. - New style of worship begins What’s being called the Neo Traditional Worship Experience will begin Wednesday at John Calvin Presbyterian Church, 1130 E. Broadway Ave., Apache Junction. “It is a kind of multimedia and multisensory object lesson for adults,” said the Rev. Justin Schlesinger-Devlin.The format will be tied into a six-week Lenten series called Going With God to Golgotha, and focused on the final chapter of the Gospel of John. (480) 982-1268 or www.jcalvinpc.org. - ASU president to address lunch “The Role of Faith-Based Organizations in the New American University” will be the topic of a talk by Arizona State University President Michael Crow at a lunch meeting of the Aslan Society, an interdenominational Christian fellowship for ASU faculty, staff and graduate students. It will be 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Carson Ballroom in Old Main. Tickets are $12.50 in advance or $20 at the door. Parking is available in the ASU Foundation building at College Avenue and University Drive. For reservations, call (480) 242-2836. - Bookstore to host talks on faith “What Do You Know About Your Neighbors’s Faith?” will be the theme of noontime talks a5t the Poisoned Pen Central bookstore, 215 E. Grant St., Phoenix, starting Wednesday and given by representatives of major faiths. Open to the public, the talks will be: Wednesday, Judaism with Rabbi Albert Plotkin, rabbi emeritus of Temple Beth Israel; March 15, Sikhism, with Soul Singh Khalsa, minister of the Sikh Community; March 22, Islam, with Imam Abdur-Rahim Shamsiddeen of Jewel of Islam mosque; March 29, Hinduism, with N.V. Shamasundar; and April 4, with George Nakamura. (602) 252-0663. - Writer to discuss ‘Sins of Scripture’ Writer John Shelby Spong, former Episcopal bishop of Newark, N.J., will give a lecture 2 to 5 p.m. March 12 on “Sins of the Scripture,” based on his book by the same title, with the subtitle “Exposing the Bible’s Texts of Hate to Reveal the God of Love.” The lecture will be at New Vision Spiritual Growth Center, 9659 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale. Spong, who has taught at seminaries and major universities, is the author of 20 books. (480) 391-1126, Ext. 14, or www.newvisionaz.org. - Conference to focus on growth “Learning How to Be Healthy, Wealthy and Wise” is the title of a three-day conference on happiness April 28-30 at Phoenix Airport Marriott, 1101 N. 44th St. Speakers include the Revs. Larry Bedini and Tony Ponticello, cofounders of the Community Miracles Center in San Francisco; Grammy-nominated singer Constance Demby and Valley furniture store entrepreneur Terri Bowersock. Topics will include “Access Your Intuition Effortlessly,” “Communicating With Loved Ones on the Other Side” and “Quantum Success.” Performing April 28 will be Daniel Nahmood, Jason and deMarco. To register, call (602) 347-7799 or visit www.stayawakeproductions.com. - Mountain View teacher honored A Mountain View High School math teacher, Jeff Lewis, will receive the inaugural Community of Excellence Award on April 23 at Interfaith Unity Church, 1731 W. Baseline Road, Suite 108, Mesa. Last April, Lewis, 51, who has taught for 28 years, suffered a debilitating illness, a circulatory disorder called DIC, that necessitated the amputation of all four of his limbs. He was subsequently fitted with prostheses and has had extensive rehabilitation and therapy. In January, after nine months, he returned to teaching. “He is the epitome of ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,’ ” said Chaplain Judi Weir of Interfaith Unity. Lewis will also share his story with the congregation during 10:30 a.m. services. (480) 946-9481. - Pastor installed at Mountain Park The Rev. Alan Fuller has taken over as senior pastor of Mountain Park Community Church, 2408 E. Pecos Road, Phoenix. Fuller, who most recently was an associate pastor of a church in Ohio, will lead a congregation of more than 1,300. He and his wife, Tami, have three children. Services are 9:15 and 10:45 a.m. Sundays. (480) 759-6200 or www.mountainpark.org. - Yiddish Club explores language The adult education program at Temple Kol Ami, a Reform Jewish congregation in Phoenix, has launched the Yiddish Club, which meets 10:30 a.m. every other Thursday. The next meeting will be March 16 at the temple, 15030 N. 64th St. It features Yiddish music, literature, folklore, culture and films. Organizers say it is for those interested in refreshing memories of hearing and speaking Yiddish. Reservations are requested. Call Mona Goldstein, (480) 951-9660. - Day of prayer for animals planned Reiki master and pet psychic Marla Steele is leading a global 444 Animal Campaign asking people to pray for the planet’s animals. She is asking that people spend four minutes in meditation, prayer or focused thought with other people on April 4. She suggests “imagining animal shelters emptying as pets find lifelong homes, lost animals safely reuniting with their families and extra support for people connected to humane organizations.” Visit www.healingwith energy.com. - Photo exhibit keys on grave markers “Descanse En Paz — The Art of Handmade Grave Markers in the Southwest” is the theme of an exhibition April 15 to Sept. 19 at Mesa Southwest Museum, 53 N. Macdonald, by photographer Dick George. Handmade markers are a disappearing tradition, George asserts. He said he undertook the project to preserve a sense of place and culture in the West. George will discuss his work at 10 a.m. April 15, and a meetthe-artist event will be 1 to 3 p.m. Both are free with regular museum admission. (480) 644-2230.
GRAVE IMAGES: Browse the photography exhibit “Descanse en Paz — The Art of Handmade Grave Markers in the Southwest” April 15 to Sept. 19 at Mesa Southwest Museum, 53 N. Macdonald. DICK GEORGE
