Father Andrew Small, O.M.I. Named USCCB Director Of The Collection For The Church In Latin America
WASHINGTON—Father Andrew Small, an Oblate of Mary Immaculate priest, has been named associate director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Office of National Collections and director of the Collection for the Church in Latin America. Since 2004, Father Small has worked for the USCCB as a policy advisor for Latin America. He assumes his new duties on May 8.
"Father Small will be an excellent addition to the Office of National Collections staff," said Patrick Markey, executive director of the USCCB Office of National Collections. "Replacing Monsignor Carlos Quintana Puente will be no easy feat, but Father Small has tirelessly served the bishops for the past five years representing them before Congress, the current and previous Administrations, and throughout Latin America. He measures up to the challenge."
In his new capacity, Father Small will be responsible for the bishops' grant initiative for the Church in Latin America and the Caribbean, including supervising the grant making process, assessing the needs of the grantees, and maintaining effective relationships with the appropriate Church leadership in those countries.
Father Small succeeds Msgr. Quintana who in four years of service has helped to increase the quantity and quality of the grants awarded by the bishops' Subcommittee on the Collection for Latin America. Having finished his term at the U.S. bishops' conference, he will be return to the Archdiocese of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Father Small previously was with the Office of International Justice and Peace in the USCCB Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development. He has helped develop policy for the bishops on a range of issues including the overall U.S. trade and foreign aid policies and human rights issues, with a special emphasis on Latin America and Africa. He also met with Congress on policy positions on proposed legislation important to private and public sector interests. Additionally, in 2005 he was appointed by the Vatican to represent the Holy See before the World Trade Organization.
Father Small is fluent in several languages—including Spanish, French and Portuguese. He also has extensive pastoral experience. As a pastor in Brazil he coordinated 26 ecclesial communities and led team-building efforts for pastoral leadership and pastoral councils. He was an associate pastor in Houston, Texas, where he established and coordinated a continuing education program for Mexican immigrants in association with a local community college.
Father Small currently is completing his doctorate in sacred theology at The Catholic University of America. He also holds a Masters of Law degree in International Legal Studies from Georgetown University, where he is an adjunct professor of law.
The USCCB Office of National Collections manages eight of the national collections held in Catholic parishes throughout the year. The Collection for the Church in Latin America received over $7 million in donations from 195 U.S. dioceses in 2008. In the past year, the bishops' Subcommittee on Latin America approved 535 pastoral projects, totaling $8 million which were distributed among 350 dioceses and 22 episcopal conferences in 24 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
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Keywords: Church in Latin America, Father Andrew Small, Monsignor Carlos Quintana, USCCB, U.S. Catholic Bishops, National Collections, policy, Justice Peace and Human Development, International Justice and Peace.