This week marks the 25th vigil at the gates of the School of the Americas at Fort Benning in Georgia. Originally begun in response to the massacres carried out in El Salvador by US-trained militaries, the vigil's message of peace and opposition to military hegemony by the U.S. is as relevant today as it ever has been.

We know Conference has a lot to offer, from workshops to receptions to liturgy. It’s easy to get caught up in the offerings but make sure to make time for our wonderful host city too!

The St. Louis-based Organization for Black Struggle and other Don't Shoot Coalition members have called for a mass mobilization in St. Louis this weekend, October 10-13. CTA affiliate Catholic Action Network (CAN) is one of the many organizations bringing people out for the event and organizing places for out of town-ers to sleep and eat.

At our annual Conference this year in Memphis, organizer, speaker and writer Onlielove Alston will present a workshop called “The Black Madonna’s Magnificat: Poor Women, Faith and Resistance.”

After Bishop Paprocki made anti-Muslim statements in a speech last week, our CTA chapter responded quickly with a statement making it clear that the Bishop did not speak for the majority of Catholics in the diocese.

On Wednesday, CTA chapter leader Jenn spoke at a press conference announcing the newly formed Don't Shoot Coalition, which was formed in response to the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson and will work for police accountability and systematic change of the factors that brought about his death.

On our calendar for September 10th-- a lunch hour teleconference with Andrea Smith! Andrea is a well known academic and activist for the rights of women of color, especially Native women in the US.

In the Rio Grande Valley, members of our CTA chapter are among the many people volunteering to serve meals and raise money for a local shelter for migrant families.

Last week, two members of the Anti-Racism Team represented CTA at the Crossroads Anti Racism Leadership Development Institute held in Chicago.

Racial dynamics are key to our work for social justice and our members in Maryland have made exploring these topics a key part of their work as a chapter. Last week, their day-long mini-conference, Hope for Racial Justice in our Church and Society: Planting the Seeds attracted an interested, passionate and diverse group of over 100 people, including many who were new to CTA.

Last weekend, CTA Northwest Oregon hosted two members of our national Anti-Racism Team who led a workshop on how we can all work together to dismantle structures of racism in our communities.

On April 28th, Diana Hayes will kick off a "thruway tour" of Upstate New York with a talk in Buffalo, from there she will head to Syracuse, Rochester and Albany.

Last week, as part of their annual planning retreat, the Anti-Racism team took some time out to learn from some inspiring activists in the border region of South TX.