encourage people to vote involve many people. A group of Catholics in the Chi- cago area are using the booklet produced by Maryknoll Office ofGlobal Concerns, “Loving OurNeighborhood in a Shrinking World,” as a basis for monthly discussion to study issues impor- tant in the presidential election. They are also using materials from the Catholic Campaign forImmigration Reform of the Arch- diocese of Chicago. Immigration is a key issue in Florida this year and Catho- lics are participating in and using materi- als from a forum, “Immigrants and the 2008 Elec- tion: What is at Stake?” In the Philadelphia area people are pre- paring articles as inserts for par- ish bulletins on the Bishops pas- toral, “Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States.” In Walla Walla, Washington an effort to educate people on the issues is resulting in a lecture series. The US presidential election has sparked interest not only in the United States but in other coun- tries as well. Because of the influence exerted by the US in the world people all over the Elections 2008 Mission Update “In the Catholic Tradition, re- sponsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation. This obli- gation is rooted in our baptismal commitment to follow Jesus Christ and to bear Christian wit- ness in all we do.” In their letterof November 2007, the US Bish- ops made a clear statement that American Catholics have a re- sponsibility to take part in the political life of our country. “The Church’s obligation to par- ticipate in shaping the moral character of society is a require- ment of our faith.” The bishops went on to affirm that “as Catholics, we are part ofa community with a rich heritage that helps us consider the chal- lenges in public life and contrib- ute to greater justice and peace for all people.” The bishops’ statement “highlights the role of the Church in the formation of conscience, and the corresponding moral responsibility of each Catholic to hear, receive, and act upon the Church’s teaching in the lifelong task of forming his or her own conscience. With this foundation, Catholics are better able to evalu- ate policy positions, party plat- forms, and candidates’ promises and actions in light of the Gospel and the moral and social teaching of the Church in order to help build a better world.” At the USCMA Annual Meeting in October 2007, members passed a Resolution, “US Elec- tions 2008: In a Global Neighborhood,” in which they agreed to “promote active, non- partisan, civic participation and collaboration to promote an in- formed electorate and active participation in the upcoming 2008 U.S. elections.” Catholics around the country have taken their responsibility to heart and are involved in differ- ent ways to live out this obliga- tion outlined by the bishops. Parishes in both Los Angeles County and in the Rio Grande Valley are involved in interfaith efforts to identify issues of im- portance to the voters and then to develop strategies to learn the candidates’ positions on them. In these areas local issues may take on greater importance than national elections. Voter registration drives, voter education, phone banks and door- to-door campaigns to In This Issue Elections 2008 1 From the Director2 From the President 2 Clean Water for the World3 Other Resources 4New Resource for Twin- ning Projects 4Mission Congress 2010 4Conference 2008 5 Executive Summary ofMission HandbookCenterOrbis Books 6Resources & UpcomingEvents 6We Pray That future priests in young Churches may be ever more seriously formed culturally and spiritually in order to evangelize their respective countries and the whole world. Benedict XVIUnited States Catholic Mission Association Spring 2008 Volume 17, Issue 1 cont’d on p. 3 US Catholic Mission Association Vote here #2 Maryland Voters
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8/9/2019 Spring 2008 Mission Update Newsletter - Catholic Mission Association
A group of Catholics in the Chi-cago area are using the booklet
produced by Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns, “Loving Our
Neighborhood in a ShrinkingWorld,” as a basis for monthlydiscussion to study issues impor-tant in the presidential election.They are also using materialsfrom the Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform of the Arch-
diocese of Chicago.
Immigration is a
key issue in Floridathis year and Catho-lics are participatingin and using materi-als from a forum,“Immigrants andthe 2008 Elec-tion: What is at Stake?” In thePhiladelphia area people are pre-
paring articles as inserts for par-ish bulletins on the Bishops pas-toral, “Faithful Citizenship: ACall to Political Responsibilityfrom the Catholic Bishops of theUnited States.” In Walla Walla,Washington an effort to educate
people on the issues is resultingin a lecture series.
The US presidential election hassparked interest not only in theUnited States but in other coun-tries as well. Because of theinfluence exerted by the US inthe world people all over the
Elections 2008
Mission Update
“In the Catholic Tradition, re-sponsible citizenship is a virtue,and participation in political lifeis a moral obligation. This obli-
gation is rooted in our baptismalcommitment to follow JesusChrist and to bear Christian wit-ness in all we do.” In their letter of November 2007, the US Bish-ops made a clear statement thatAmerican Catholics have a re-sponsibility to take part in the
political life of our country.“The Church’s obligation to par-ticipate in shaping the moralcharacter of society is a require-
ment of our faith.”
The bishops went on to affirmthat “as Catholics, we are part of a community with a rich heritagethat helps us consider the chal-lenges in public life and contrib-ute to greater justice and peace
for all people.”
T h e b i s h o p s ’ s t a t e m e n t“highlights the role of the Churchin the formation of conscience,and the corresponding moralresponsibility of each Catholic tohear, receive, and act upon the
Church’s teaching in the lifelongtask of forming his or her ownconscience. With this foundation,Catholics are better able to evalu-
ate policy positions, party plat-forms, and candidates’ promisesand actions in light of the Gospeland the moral and social teachingof the Church in order to help
build a better world.”
At the USCMA Annual Meetingin October 2007, members
passed a Resolution, “US Elec-tions 2008: In a Global
Neighborhood,” in which theyagreed to “promote active, non-
partisan, civic participation and
collaboration to promote an in-formed electorate and active
participation in the upcoming2008 U.S. elections.”
Catholics around the countryhave taken their responsibility toheart and are involved in differ-ent ways to live out this obliga-tion outlined by the bishops.Parishes in both Los AngelesCounty and in the Rio GrandeValley are involved in interfaithefforts to identify issues of im-
portance to the votersand then to developstrategies to learn thecandidates’ positionson them. In these areaslocal issues may takeon greater importancethan national elections.Voter registrationdrives, voter education,
phone banks and door-to-door campaigns to
In This Issue
Elections 2008
From the Director 2
From the President 2
Clean Water for the
World
3
Other Resources 4
New Resource for Twin-
ning Projects
4
Mission Congress 2010 4
Conference 2008 5
Executive Summary of
Mission Handbook
Center
Orbis Books 6
Resources & Upcoming
Events
6
We Pray
That future
priests in young
Churches may be
ever more seriouslyformed culturally
and spiritually in
order to evangelize
their respective
countries and the
whole world.
Benedict XVI
Un i t ed S ta t e sCa tho l i c M i ss ion Assoc ia t i on
Spring 2008
Volume 17, Issue 1
cont’d on p. 3
US Catholic Mission Association
Vote here #2
Maryland Voters
8/9/2019 Spring 2008 Mission Update Newsletter - Catholic Mission Association
First of all, commentators from radio,newspapers and television have been cap-turing the excitement in the upcoming USPresidential elections. Varied voices onvaried issues that we confront as a countryvie for attention. In fact, some commenta-tors are also listening to the so-called“Catholic voice.” But what exactly doesthat mean?
One of the resolutions we passed asUSCMA last year encourages all of us “to
promote active, non-partisan, civic par-
ticipation and collaboration to promote aninformed electorate and active participa-tion in the upcoming 2008 U.S. elec-tions,” “using the lens of the Gospel andCatholic Social Teachings.” Our experi-ences as missioners tell us that, althoughthe election is US, its global impact can-not be ignored. We need to put the global
perspective in the discourse, as well aswiden the lens out of which we view our
participation. Our lead article gives ussome helpful resources.
I would like to point your attention too onthe Convention for the Common Good:
Rooted in Catholic Social Teachings. Thisis a collaborative effort initiated by NET-WORK and Catholic Alliance for Com-mon Good, which many Catholic organi-zations such as the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, Pax Christi,Maryknolls, Franciscans, and USCMA (toname a few) are supporting. It will be held
on July 11-13, 2008 in Philadelphia.
As part of the preparation for this conven-tion, we are asking for input from diversegroups around the country. We need peo-
ple to convene dialogues to identify thecommon needs of your communities andhow those needs should be addressed. Theresults of these dialogues will be used todevelop a Platform for the Common Goodthat can be ratified at the Convention. For more information, you may contact NET-WORK at 202- 347-9797 or www.networklobby.org . There are also
Greetings to you in these holy days of encoun-ter with the Risen Lord!
As this issue of Mission Update was being pre- pared, the USCMA board was enjoying thehospitality of the Maryknoll Fathers and Broth-ers in New York as we took time for a boardmeeting and visioning session. I want to usethis greeting to share a few of the highlights of that meeting.
Responding to trends that we have been watch-ing and reporting for a few years now, we wantto give priority to attracting participation andmembership from “new groups” in mis-sion. Those would include parish and diocesantwinning groups, college volunteers, returnedvolunteers from mid-term groups like the Jesuit
Volunteers, etc. That means too that we will be planning our conferences to respond to theirinterests and needs.
In another area, we are hoping to improve our use of technology, with an emphasis on themedia most appropriate to the younger groupswe hope to attract. In addition to that, we arelooking at the feasibility of encouraging local orregional chapters of the USCMA. We realizethat not everyone can attend our annual confer-ences, but that regional/local groups could be awonderful source of sharing mission experienceand wisdom.
Those are just some of the ideas we’ve startedworking on. We hope that you will think aboutthem and other suggestions you might have for our future. Obviously, we’re going to be count-ing on you to help carry this out! We’ll belooking forward to talking with you more aboutit all at our next conference, October 24-26 inBaltimore.
Peace to you.
useful pages on how to organize the Dia-
logue Sessions.
Secondly, this year marks the 100 yearsthat the US Church has been faithfully re-sponding to the challenges of Sapienti Con-
silio. Up until the issuance of this apostolicconstitution by Pope Pius X on June 29,1908, the US Church has been primarily amission-receiving territory. Our coming of age as a Church challenged us then to sendout missioners throughout the world aswell.
It is very timely then that we bring to youthe latest Executive Summary of the surveyof all the US Catholic Missioners workinghere and abroad. This survey is done everytwo years and remains to be the official
survey of all the US Catholic missionersworking here and abroad. A quick glance atthe numbers and figures allow us a peak into how we have been responding as a USChurch to God’s call to mission. The in-crease in the number of lay missioners isalso a sign of hope that the mission en-trusted to the Church will continue.
It is with this sense of excitement and hopetoo that this year we invite you to partici-
pate in our upcoming 2008 Mission Con-ference which will be held in Baltimore,
MD on October 24-26, 2008. The theme isMission: A Journey of Hope. Together withMichael Amaladoss and Dianne Bergantare 12 other speakers that will help us look at our journeys of hope as missioners
within a new globalized context.
All of these excitement and signs of hopecan only inspire us as we enter this Easter Season. May the celebration of the Resur-rection of our Lord give you joy and peace!
Spring 2008
From the Director
Rev. Michael Montoya, MJ
8/9/2019 Spring 2008 Mission Update Newsletter - Catholic Mission Association
globe are interested in and curious about our elections. Many Afri-cans especially are curious to see what happens to “one of their own.”
Two Maryknoll Lay Missioners serv-ing in Cambodia, Roberta and JimMcLaughlin, took time to organize thefirst ever Global Presidential Primaryin Cambodia. At a gathering of the
Maryknoll Global Concerns Meeting inCochabamba, Bolivia, missionersshared the following as ideas to feed tothe US government in preparation for
the presidential elections in November:
We dream of a new government that would be a model for the
world, one that would use dialogue in place of aggression, one that
would respect diverse opinions. Because of the environmental
effects of so many cars in use, we would like to see more promo-
tion of public transit, and not so many multi-car families. We
wish that creativity could be restored to schools in the form of
arts, music, athletics--programs that involve the young people in
doing something. Public parks should be fun places to gather,
even in the evening, when possibly they might have to have lightsinstalled for safety if that is a problem. Nothing good is achieved
by having everyone lock themselves into their homes to watch
television alone in the evening.
Resources that are quite helpful for Catholics in preparing for the 2008
elections are:
1. ”Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from theCatholic Bishops of the United States.” This is available in both Eng-
lish and Spanish. (http://www.faithfulcitizenship.org/ )
2. “US Elections 2008, Loving Our Neighbor in a Shrinking World,” presents five issues important in this election, each discussed from the perspective of a person in another country as well as from insightsfrom our Catholic social tradition. The story is followed by ImportantPolicy Goals and Questions for candidates. From the Maryknoll Of-
Page 3
Mission Update
As you know, one of the Resolutions passed at the Annual Meeting in October 2007 focused on global climate change. One of theways that USCMA can do its part in protecting the environment is to cut back on the amount of paper that we use. This includes our newsletter Mission Update. We would like to cut back on the number of hard copies of the Mission Update that we print and mail.While helping the environment it will also shift some of our cost back into mission. We would send an email informing peoplewhen the next issue of Mission Update is available and include a link to the newsletter online. If you are interested in receiving your Mission Update electronically please let us know.
3. The Center of Concern has produced materials meant to help people participate actively in the current political campaigns as informed andfaithful Christians. The materials posted on their website can help
people deepen their own analysis, make their own evaluation of the programs and candidates, and engage their local communities. FromCenter of Concern (www.coc.org/Election2008 )
4. Sisters of Mercy have produced, “Election 2008, A Practical Re-source,” that focuses on six issues of importance in this election. Thisguide provides non-partisan educational materials for reflection as
5. Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good promotes awarenessof the Catholic Social Tradition and its core values of justice, humandignity and the common good to Catholics, the media and Americans
of all faiths. (http://catholicsinalliance.org/ )
6. NETWORK is a Catholic leader in the global movement for justiceand peace —it educates, organizes and lobbies for economic and so-cial transformation. (http://networklobby.org/)
7. Convention for Common Good (http://networklobby.org/ConventionMainPage.htm) will take place in Philadelphia July 11-13,2008 for people who want to do their part to move political rhetoricfrom “up close and personal” candidate cameos and interest group-tested sound bites to a substantive discussion of government for thecommon good. This Convention is sponsored by NETWORK andThe Catholic Alliance for Common Good, including USCMA.
bal-voting0212-pg,0,3649582.photogallery Vote here #2: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wlscience/2198278207/ Vote here #3: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/in_pictures_super_tuesday_2008/html/9.stm
Page 3
A newly-formed non-profit organization, Clean Water for the World, wants "to provide simple, adaptable water purification units, at nocharge, to communities around the world, without access to potable water.” Paul Flickinger, the Executive Director, is interested in talkingwith missioners who might be interested in their water systems. He invites people to check their website: www.cleanwaterfortheworld.orgor to contact him by phone 269-342-1354, mail P.O. Box 51334, Kalamazoo, MI 49005 or email [email protected].
Clean Water for the World
RECEIVE “ MISSION UPDATE” ELECTRONICALLY
Vote here #3
8/9/2019 Spring 2008 Mission Update Newsletter - Catholic Mission Association
As the ecumenical professional association for mission studies in NorthAmerica, the American Society of Missiology includes more than 600academicians, mission agency executives and missionaries in a unique
fellowship of scholarship and mission. It seeks to: Promote the scholarly study of theological, historical, social and practi-
cal questions relating to the missionary dimension of the Christian church.
· Relate studies in Missiology to the other scholarly disciplines.
Promote fellowship and cooperation among individuals and institutions
engaged in activities and studies related to Missiology.
Facilitate mutual assistance and exchange of information among thosethus engaged.
Encourage research and publication in the study of Christian missions.
The ASM publishes the quarterly journal Missiology: An International Review which has a worldwide circulation of approximately 1,500 sub-scribers. The Editor of the journal is J. Nelson Jennings, Associate Editors
are Angelyn Dries, OSF and Jay Moon.
In cooperation with Orbis Books, the society publishes the ASM Series, inwhich more than 30 monographs have been published since 1980. Ange-line Dries, OSF chair of the editorial committee for the series.
The ASM Dissertation Series was begun in 1993 and in June 2006 thename was changed to the ASM Scholarly Monograph Series. MichaelRynkiewich is chair of the editorial committee for that series which has
published six volumes thus far in cooperation with University Press of
America.
US Catholic Mission Association
Spring 2008Mission Update
In all of its publications, it is the concern of the ASM to incorporate theknowledge, understanding, skills, and techniques provided by the socialand behavioral sciences, by regional area studies, by a wide range of pro-fessional experience (in fields such as agriculture, education, medicine,and public health), and by biblical, theological and historical studies.
The ASM Annual Meeting will be held June 19-21, 2008 at the DivineWord Center (Techny Towers) near O’Hare Airport. Its theme is
“Envisioning Apostolic Theology: As the Father Sends…”
The Annual Meeting of the Association of Professors of Mission (APM)always precedes the ASM meeting. APM will gather June 18-19, 2008 atTechny for its meeting, “The Gospel Beyond Mere Words” Issues in Con-textualizing Liturgy, Music and the Arts.”
Both ASM and APM make a concerted effort to rotate their leadershipamong Roman Catholics, Conciliar Protestants and evangelical Protes-tants. It is important that Catholics interested and involved in mission
become involved in these organizations, especially ASM. The meetings ofthese groups are the only gatherings where missionaries from all traditions
join together. The Board of Directors of ASM is made up of equal num- bers from the three traditions. Fr. Michael Montoya, MJ, Charlotte Cookand Robert Hurteau currently serve on the Board. William Burrows, pub-lisher of Orbis Books is Second Vice-President. Catholics serving on theBoard of Publications are: Steve Bevans, SVD, of Catholic TheologicalUnion, Janet Carroll, MM, of the Catholic China Bureau, Mike Gable,Mission Office Director in Cincinnati, Paul Kollman, SCS of Notre DameUniversity, and Roger Schroeder, SVD of CTU.
For more information about both meetings check the website
www.asmweb.org
An excellent resource.
Other Resources
Valuable ResourceA valuable resource for Missiology libraries is, “International Mission Bibliography1960-2000.” This bibliography is edited by Norman E. Thomas and is available atThe Scarecrow Press, Inc: http://www.scarecrowpress.com/Catalog/SingleBook.shtml?command=Search&db=^DB/CATALOG.db&eqSKUdata=081084785X
Save The Date
Mission Congress 2010
“God’s Mission, Many Faces:
A Portrait of US Catholics in Mission ” Dates: October 14-17, 2010
Building Bridges of Faith Building a Relationship with a Sister Parish byDennis P. O’Connor, is a good “source and guidebook for members of churches, schools and other faith communities who would like to establisha faith-based partnership with a ‘twin’ parish in another region or coun-try.” Twinning has become an increasingly popular practice in the US.This book and the accompanying workbook Bridges of Faith Personal
Journal give the history of this phenomenon as well as best practices ingetting started planning and developing a partnering relationship. Severalappendices provide helpful resources and bibliography. The journal al-lows participants to record thoughts, reflections and experiences of their
journeys. The book and journal are available from St. Anthony MessengerPress, www.SAMPBooks.org or 1-800-488-0488.
New Resource for Twinning Projects
8/9/2019 Spring 2008 Mission Update Newsletter - Catholic Mission Association
2008 is a significant year in the mission journey of the US. It marks 100 years since Pius X issued Sapienti consilio (June 29, 1908) recognizing thematurity of the US Catholic Church that has been up till then primarily “mission territory.” While there may have been initiatives from among thereligious communities at that time to send missioners, the issuance of the decree made it official that, as a whole, the US Catholic Church was nowcalled to send out of its own, missionaries to the world! Thousands of women and men since then have continued to inspire the US Church to liveout its passion for its baptismal call to mission.
At this historic moment, we at United States Catholic Mission Association (USCMA) are happy to share with you the compilation of the missionarysurvey results we received in response to a questionnaire and a request to update the 2004-2005 statistics. The survey was originally mailed to 689mission-sending organizations in March, 2007. Acknowledging that our mission outreach is to the global community, the tabulation is inclusive of U.S. citizens, Catholic missioners – laity, religious and clergy – serving in mission both within and outside the United States borders.Included in this edition of the U. S. Catholic Mission Handbook 2008 is a section with charts and tables of the new data received in relation to pre-
vious data. These numbers and figures give us only a glimpse to the commitment of U.S. Catholic missioners serving all over the world.
As you go through this inventory, it is our hope that the stories of those missioners that have touched our lives come to life and enkindle in our
hearts the passion for God’s mission.
The following 2006 – 2007 tabulation of United States Catholic Missioners serving both within the U.S. and abroad has been compiled by theUSCMA from data gathered from many sources. USCMA has compiled the lists of missioners from data received from mission-sending organiza-tions and home dioceses (with additional reference to The Official Catholic Directory). The data, therefore, is as reliable as the most diligent effortcan make it and as the constant changes in personnel will allow. Some comments on several items in this handbook follow.
The lists of data include only U.S. missioners, meaning those who are or have been United States citizens by birth or naturalization. Those whohave taken out citizenship in their country of mission service are still listed here as missioners from the United States. On the other hand, citizensof other countries serving as members of mission-sending organizations headquartered in the U.S. are not listed. As an example, there are numer-ous Maryknoll sisters serving abroad, often in countries other than their homeland, who are not U.S. citizens and therefore are not listed here amongthe Maryknoll sisters serving abroad as U.S. Catholic missioners. This policy helps to prevent overlapping when the various national mission coun-cils publish their tabulations. It must be remembered, however, that mission-sending organizations which appear to have only very few members ina given mission field may have many more who are not U.S. citizens.
The lists bear the heading U.S. Catholic missioners. This includes all those Catholics who are sponsored by Catholic mission-sending organiza-tions, even if they work for projects not sponsored by the Catholic Church.The term missioner is used in its generally accepted sense. It includes not only those engaged in the primary and subsequent stages of evangeliza-tion but also those ministering in closely related areas of community service and development.
The term serving stands for service over a period of time. While some organizations provide opportunities for short-term service, only those indi-viduals are included in these statistics who serve for a minimum of one year.
The term abroad means “outside” of the 50 states of the United States. Those working in Alaska and Hawaii are included in the data as missionersserving within the U.S. As Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are U.S. territories and not U.S. states, their data lies in the category of “abroad” for the statistical purposes of this inventory.
As with the 2004 - 2005 tabulation, the many missioners ministering in cross-cultural situations in the United States are included. The continuing political and socio-economic changes, trends and circumstances – both in the U.S. and abroad – have enabled a renewed understanding of missionuniversally.
[Note: The following guidelines were included with the request to mission-sending organizationsthat they name constituencies involved in cross-cultural mission in the U.S.]
The following guidelines are intended to be descriptive, not theological or sociological definitions. We offer them as guidelines for pastoral/missional judgment and not as definitive statements or categories. A cross-cultural missioner may fall into one or many of these descriptions. Weat the U.S. Catholic Mission Association realize that these “guidelines” are not exhaustive, but they will help you in “self-defining” those mission-
ary activities in which your organization is engaged.The ministry is with people who have either never heard the Word or have never had it effectively proclaimed to them or their community i.e., gen-
erally not reachable by the common methods or means of ministry in the U.S.
The missioner is working in an area where the local church is easily understood as institutionally underdeveloped i.e., it lacks indigenous eccle-sial leadership, personnel, and financial resources for effective ministry beyond the pastoral nurture of its own membership.
The ministry is genuinely with those on the margins i.e., among people linguistically, culturally, and/or economically outside the stream of thedominant culture.
The people with whom this ministry is exercised would see themselves as significantly distinct from the mainline culture i.e., their distinct iden-
tity is clearly perceived by themselves when in the larger cultural context of the United States.
It is a ministry of dialogue by which the Christian churches or community is engaged with a community of values different from its own in
some core religious or moral manner.
GUIDELINES FOR SURVEY OF U.S. CATHOLIC (CROSS-CULTURAL) MISSIONERS SERVING IN THE U.S.
GUIDELINES TO THE PRESENTATION
8/9/2019 Spring 2008 Mission Update Newsletter - Catholic Mission Association