This online encyclopedia is the 1917 version. Journalists should be aware that it contains no updates, such as church reforms made during Vatican II and should not be relied upon for current information.

The United States government’s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services.

A well-respected news service that is owned and funded by U.S. bishops.

Orval Gingerich is director of the Center for Global Education at Augsburg College in Minneapolis and has created and led experiential study abroad semesters as part of EMU’s Global Village Curriculum.

Responsible for federal programs which promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities.

David Livermore is executive director of the Global Learning Center at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Mich. He is author of Leading with Cultural Intelligence (2011) among other books.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), for matching grants to states to provide abstinence education and, at state option, mentoring, counseling, and adult supervision to promote abstinence from sexual activity, with a focus on groups that are most likely to bear children out-of-wedlock.

Shawn Daggett is director of the Center for World Missions at Harding University in Searcy, Ark. Shawn served as a missionary to Bergamo, Italy, for ten years before teaching at Harding University. His focus is on missions history, anthropology and the New Testament.

Joseph Cistone is CEO of International Partners in Mission, which offers immersion trips. The organization is based in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He is a board member of a number of national and international organizations including the Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Case Western Reserve University.