Mission Congress 2010 will Paint Broad Portrait of U.S. Catholics in Mission

WASHINGTON (October 1, 2010)—God’s Mission, Many Faces: A Portrait of U.S. Catholics in Mission is the theme of Mission Congress 2010, which will meet October 28-31, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Using the image of a portrait, Father Michael Montoya, executive director of the United States Catholic Mission Association (USCMA), said the 2010 Mission Congress “will bring together dedicated men and women from across the nation and around the world into a faith-filled environment to discern the movement of the spirit within the U.S. Church in mission; discover the varied colors and brushstrokes of U.S. Catholics in mission; invigorate mission identity and leadership in the U.S. Church, and celebrate the faces and creativity of U.S. Catholics in mission.”

The congress will include panel discussions, group dialogue and workshops on topics ranging from mission work in the U.S. to global trends, mission in other traditions, ecumenical perspectives on mission, international missionaries serving in the United States and other issues.

This year’s congress will feature keynote addresses by Father Gary Riebe-Estrella, SVD, associated professor of practical theology and Hispanic ministry at the Catholic Theological Union and president of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians (ACHTUS); Sister Janice McLaughlin, MM, president of the Maryknoll Sisters; and Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, president of Caritas International and past president of CELAM (Council of Latin American Bishops’ Conferences).
In line with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) pastoral priorities, the Mission Congress will stress the cultural diversity of today’s Church and how Catholic missionaries can best fulfill their mission of evangelization.

“The 2010 Mission Congress comes at a time when world-wide mission is the focus of many Catholic initiatives in the recent years,” Father Montoya said. “The Bishop’s Synod on the Word in the Life and Mission of the Church emphasized the need for mission ad gentes; Pope Benedict in his 2008 visit to the United States stressed the need for global solidarity; the bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean proclaimed at their meeting in Aparecida, Brazil, the great “continental mission” which was launched during the Congreso Americano Misionero in Quito, Ecuador. This great continental mission challenges all of us to put our Church in a constant state of mission.”

Cardinal Rodriguez will speak on the continental mission in light of the Aparecida document. A take-home, bilingual manual will be distributed to participants “as a charge to go forth and continue promoting mission and global solidarity,” Father Montoya said. The manual was written by Sister Madge Karecki, SSJ-TOSF, mission director of the Archdiocese of Chicago, and translated into Spanish by UDECA (Union Dominicana de Emisoras Católicas)

At least 16 U.S. bishops are scheduled to attend the meeting. Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, USCCB vice-president will open the 2010 Congress with a liturgy. He, along with Bishop Michel J. Warfel, of Great Falls-Billings will also lead a workshop on Catholic Home Missions (mission dioceses in the USA).

The Mission Congress meets every five years and this is its third edition. It is sponsored by the Catholic Mission Forum, an umbrella organization of leading national Catholic mission organizations. They include the Bureau of Black and Indian Missions; the Catholic Church Extension Society; the Catholic Volunteer Network; USCCB Offices of Cultural Diversity in the Church, Home Missions, Evangelization and Catechesis, and Latin America; the Leadership Conference of Women Religious; the Conference of Major Superiors of Men; the Pontifical Mission Society; and United States Catholic Mission Association.

For information, or to register, go to www.missioncongress.org or contact USCMA by calling 202-832-3112.
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Keywords: Mission Congress, God’s Mission, Many Faces: A Portrait of U.S. Catholics in Mission, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, Father Michael Montoya