In his third encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict XVI reiterates the importance of charity when participating in ministry. "When animated by charity," he writes, "commitment to the common good has greater worth than a merely secular and political stand would have…it has a place within the testimony of divine charity that paves the way for eternity…"

In the spirit of this encyclical, the Texas Catholic Conference Charity and Justice Department is hosting Charity and Truth in Ministry: Our Call to Service. This conference is an opportunity for those in church ministry to gather and reflect on our common call to service. It will be held at the Hilton Austin Airport Hotel in Austin, Texas, on April 30 - May 1, 2010.

Father Louis Brusatti, Dean of Humanities at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, will provide the keynote talks for the conference, offering insight and reflection on Caritas in Veritate, and linking charity and truth in the pursuit of justice, the common good, and authentic human development.. Conference workshop topics include: Working on Reentry, Raising Money for Ministry, Theology of Justice and Peace: Engaging the Hispanic Community, Models of Effective Engagement of Parishioners, Advocacy 101 and Faithful Citizenship, Ministering to Families of the Incarcerated, Raising Money for Ministry, and Immigration Reform: A Catholic Perspective.

Registration for the conference is $125 before April 15, 2010 ($135 thereafter). Registration fee does not include hotel rooms. Rooms at the Austin Hilton Airport Hotel are available at a discounted rate of $92/night for participants. For more information, visit the Charity and Truth In Ministry web page here or contact Becky Sierra at (512) 339-9882, or via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .