Oakland, Calif., Jun 3, 2011 / 00:02 am
Bishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of Oakland has encouraged Catholics to attend the Napa Institute’s first annual conference to respond to the growth of “practical atheism” and a secularism that is “antagonistic towards religion.”
“The conference will be a great occasion to grow both intellectually and spiritually,” the bishop said in a June 1 message.
The conference is organized on the theme “Equipping Catholics in the ‘Next America.’” The theme is taken from a speech by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver, who said that in coming decades “Catholics will likely find it harder, not easier, to influence the course of American culture, or even to live their faith authentically.”
Bishop Cordileone said Chaput’s remark is a “prophetic call.”