Open Mosque Day: Aug. 21

The Islamic Shura Council of Southern California is hosting an Open Mosque Day Aug. 21 for Christians and people of faith to meet their Muslim neighbors. Mosques will have open houses from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in various cities, including Los Angeles, Claremont, Culver City, Hawthorne, La Mirada, Walnut and more.

The Open Mosque Day includes Mosque tours, meeting Muslims, seeing cultural artifacts, and enjoying ethnic cuisine. Muslim clergy, laymen and laywomen will be available to answer questions about Islam.

To find a nearby participating mosque, see www.shurcouncil.org or call (714) 239-6473.

Labor Day Mass: Sept. 5

Cardinal Roger Mahony will celebrate the annual Labor Day Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels at 10 a.m.

"This is an opportunity for all hard working people to come together as a community and join in prayer for better working conditions," said Maria Elena Perales, director of the archdiocesan Office of Justice and Peace.

Among the top concerns of workers are better healthcare and healthcare for all, affordable housing, and a legalization process for working immigrants without documents.

Joining workers from throughout the region will be community and business leaders, elected officials, community organizations and parish groups. Following the Mass, workers and supporters will process to City Hall for a rally and a barbecue.

Whole Community Catechesis: Sept. 13 or 14

A learning session on Whole Community Catechesis --- the art of doing parish-wide assemblies --- will explore a variety of models and formats that integrate faith sharing, text resources, media and facilitation schools.

Directors of religious education, catechetical teams, pastors, youth ministers, liturgical ministers and Catholic school personnel may attend a Sept. 13 session, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Archdiocesan Catholic Center, 3424 Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles, or a Sept. 14 session, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at St. Bernard Church, 9647 E. Beach St., Bellflower.

The cost is $15 per person, lunch included. To register by Sept. 9 call Sister Clare Melody of the Office of Religious Education, (213) 637-7358.

Parish Leadership for the Future: Sept 16

Pastors, associate pastors, parish staff and pastoral council members are invited to a morning in-service day on exploring parish leadership. "Parish Leadership for the Future" will include presentations by Bishop Gerald Barnes of San Bernardino and his team; San Fernando Region Auxiliary Bishop Gerald Wilkerson; Msgr. Craig Cox, Vicar for Clergy; and Dr. Michael Downey, theologian to Cardinal Roger Mahony. The facilitator will be Msgr. Lloyd Torgerson, pastor of St. Monica Church in Santa Monica. To register, call St. Joseph of Carondelet Sister Carol Quinlivan at (213) 637-7533.

Public Policy Breakfast: Sept. 21

"Our Youth in Crisis: What are the Solutions?" will be the topic of the 11th annual Public Policy Breakfast with Cardinal Roger Mahony. The Sept. 21 breakfast (8-10 a.m.), sponsored by the archdiocesan Justice and Peace Commission, will feature guest panelists Cris Gutierrez, an innovative teacher and pioneering peace educator, and José Huizar, board member and past president of the LA Unified School District.

The gathering is an opportunity for those working on behalf of youth and young adults in education and in employment to network and to learn what programs are succeeding and what needs to be improved, said Maria Elena Perales, director of the Office of Justice and Peace.

The breakfast will take place at The Accelerated School, 116 E. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. in Los Angeles. The suggested donation is $25. To register, call (213) 637-7690.

'Nostra Aetate at 40': Sept. 22

"Nostra Aetate at 40: Seeds for a Secure Future," an evening event Sept. 22 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, will commemorate the 40th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on the relation of the church to non-Christian religions promulgated Oct. 28, 1965.

Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore and Rabbi Michael A. Singer of the University of Notre Dame will be the featured speakers at the event, presented by the archdiocesan Office of Interreligious and Ecumenical Affairs, the Board of Rabbis of Southern California and the American Jewish Committee.

"Nostra Aetate at 40" will take place 7:30-9 p.m. Admission is free; parking is $5. For information, call (213) 637-7556.

Vatican II/Four Theological Legacies: Sept. 24

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the close of Vatican II, the Center for Religion and Spirituality at Loyola Marymount University will offer a four-part course for continuing education credit on the legacies of that historic council.

The four Saturday sessions from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. will proceed as follows: The History of the Council and the Church since 1965 on Sept. 24; The Council's Perspective on Religion and Science and the influence of Teilhard de Chardin on Oct. 22; "Nostra Aetate" and Interreligious Dialogue on Nov. 12; and The Church and the World, Culture and Evangelization on Dec. 17.

Among the 11 featured speakers are Cardinal Avery Dulles of Fordham University, theologian Franciscan Sister Marie Therese Archambault, Jesuit Father Bill Stoeger of the Vatican Observatory, and Dr. Ursula King of the University of Bristol. The fee for the entire course is $250; registration for any single session is $75. Call (310) 338-2799 or see extension.lmu.edu/crs