Mission Congress

Mission Congress 2000 September 28 - October, 2000 Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza Chicago, IL 60654

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The U.S. Catholic Mission Association, the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service in collaboration with other Catholic groups convoked jointly a three year reflection process among U.S. Catholics called "A New Springtime For Mission."  
View more information about the New Springtime For Mission.



Mission Congress 2000  -- Agenda

Thursday, September 28, 2000

1:00 pm -- OPENING RITUAL
         A multimedia prayer experience will set a festive and spiritual tone for
         the Congress.

1:45 pm -- WELCOME ADDRESS
         Cardinal Francis George, OMI, Archbishop of Chicago, will welcome
         participants to Chicago and begin the reflection on the history and
         facets of mission.

2:15 pm -- OVERVIEW OF THE CONGRESS
         Congress facilitator, George Wilson, SJ.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS:
Global Integration of the Elements of the Mission of Christ Today
Archbishop Marcello Zago, OMI

Mission is a single but complex and articulated reality.  The term connotes a variety of images in the minds of Christians today.  A better understanding of important elements of mission is essential to the life of the church, a pilgrim people.  This keynote address begins the conversation about five major elements of mission as they interconnect and engage people of faith, calling the people of God to participate in the mission of  Christ in a holistic, mutual and inclusive manner in the new millennium.

Archbishop Marcello Zago, OMI, Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples at the Vatican, he was a missionary in Laos for 16 years, Secretary of the Secretariat for Non-Christians (now the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue), and Superior General of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (1986-1998).  He is author of The Church and Other Religions, Reflections and Orientations on Dialogue and Missions (1984).

Liturgical life, prayer, and contemplation are eloquent testimonies to a living and liberating relationship with the active and true God who calls us to the Kingdom.
-- Rev. Brian Walker, OP is a pastor at St. Basil-Visitation parish
    in Chicago. He has served as a missionary in Mexico and Los
    Angeles.
-- Rev. Richard Fragomeni, a Diocesan priest of Albany, NY, is
   Professor of Liturgy and Preaching at Catholic Theological
   Union in Chicago, IL
-- Ms. Vie Thorgren is a counselor, educator and retreat director
   at the Vincentian Center for Spirituality in Denver, Colorado.

Friday, September 29, 2000  

8:00 am --  MORNING  PRAYER  WITH  SCRIPTURE  REFLECTION
              Reflection led by Sr. Dianne Bergant, CSA, Professor of Old Testament at Catholic
              Theological Union

8:45 am  -- TOPIC #2:-- PROCLAMATION CATECHESIS AS CONVERSION

There is announcement and catechesis in which the good news of the Gospel is proclaimed and its consequences for life and culture are analyzed.
-- Rev. Raymond Finch, MM is the General Superior of the
    Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers and he worked as a missionary 
    in Peru.
-- Tom Scheuring, PhD. and Lyn Scheuring, PhD. are the 
   directors of LAMP Ministries, a pioneer venture in Catholic
   evangelization which serves in materially poor parishes and
   other outreach facilities.

Every local Church is responsible for the totality of mission.
Presentation: Communio and World Church
-- Rev. Robert Schreiter, CPPS is Professor of Systematic
    Theology at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.  He is a
    General Council member of the Precious Blood Missionaries
    and an expert in the cross-cultural dimensions of  theology. He
    is also the author of several books on mission including:
    Reconciliation: Mission and Ministry in a Changing Social
    Order 
- Talk Show:  Mutuality in Mission
    Host:      George Wilson, SJ
    Guests:  Rev. Allen Figueroa Deck, SJ, Loyola Institute for  Spirituality.  
                     He has expertise in the area of mulitculturalism and developed a  
                     program for enculturating  the minister coming to a new culture.
-- Mr. Michael Guerra is the Director of Volunteers for Educational 
    and Social Services, which is affiliated with the Texas Catholic
    Conference, and he is President of the Catholic Network of Volunteer 
    Service Board.
-- Sr. Claire Napoleon, FMM is a member of the Provincial Council
    of the Franciscan Missionaries  of Mary.  She is on  the Board
    of the National Black Catholic Sisters Conference and ministers
    as Supervisor of Good Shepherd Service in New York.
-- Ms. Susan Thompson, Columban Peace and Justice Office in
    Washington, DC. She also works with parish relationships and
    partnerships in the diocese of Arlington, VA.
-- Mrs. Joan Houk, pastoral director of Holy Cross Parish in
   Jackson, KY.

4:30 P.M.  - WORKSHOP SESSIONS

1. Justice Towards Africa - Challenges to Church in the U.S.
   Lawrence Goodwin and Mr. Ezekiel Pajibo of the Africa Faith and Justice Network
2. Dialogue with Islam
   Joseph Donders, M.Afr., Professor of Mission Theology at Washington Theological Union.
3. Areas of Concern in Modern Day Asia
   Ms. Miriam Young Executive Director of the Asia Pacific Center For Peace and Justice.
4. The Church in China -  Contemporary Perspectives
   Sr. Janet Carroll, MM, Executive Director of the U.S. Catholic China Bureau.
5. Dialogue with Asian Traditions -  To Be Announced
6. Ecumenism in Latin America
   Mr. Tom Bamat, Director of the Maryknoll Center for Research and Study
7. Globalization and Economic Justice in Latin America
   Ms. Margaret Swedish, Executive Director of the Religious Task Force On Central America and Mexico.
8. Formation of Missioners: Changes and New Directions Sr. Katie Pierce, IHM, Director of Maryknoll Cross-Cultural Training Services in Maryknoll, NY.
9. Eucharist and Mission
   Rev. Richard Fragomeni, Professor of Liturgy and Homiletics at Catholic Theological Union.
10. Mission as Reconciliation
    Rev. Robert Schreiter, CPPS, Professor of Systematic Theology at Catholic Theological Union.
11. World Health Issues and Mission
    Sr. Janet Gottschalk, MMS, Teacher of Nursing and Community Health at Texas A&M International University in Laredo, TX.
12. Partnerships in Mission
    Ms. Jean Stokan, Director of the SHARE Foundation.
13. Laity in Mission
    James Lindsay, Executive Director of Catholic Network of Volunteer Service. Ms. Susan Thompson of the Columban Justice and Peace Office in Washington, DC.
14. Multiculturalism and Faith Formation
    Rev. Gary Riebe-Estrella, SVD, Academic Dean of Catholic Theological Union.
15. Violence and Trauma in Mission
    Ms. Maureen Connors, PhD, Executive Director of FROM Mission to Mission.
16. The Church in Eastern Europe -  To Be Announced
17. Mission and the Integrity of Creation -  To Be Announced
18. Uprooted People
    Rev. Richard Ryscavage, SJ, Director of Jesuit Refugee
    Service (JRS/USA) in Washington, D.C.
19. Efforts at Common Witness
    Rev. Francis Ruff, Glmy. and Rev. Lonnie Turnipseed, members of the Continuing Committee on Common Witness.
20. Preparing Ministers for Mission to the United States
    Rev. Allan Figueroa Deck, SJ, Loyola Institute for Spirituality
21. Media and Mission
    Dr. Roberto Gutierrez, Executive Director of Hispanic Telecommunications Network
22. Migrants Seek a Place in the US Church -  To Be Announced
23. Authentic Development for Mission -  To Be Announced
24. Sharing Christ through Ministry in the Home Missions
    Bishop Michael Warfel of the Diocese of Juneau, AK.

Saturday, September 30, 2000

8:00 A.M.   MORNING PRAYER AND SCRIPTURE REFLECTION                   
        Sr. Theresa Okure, SHCJ, Professor of Scripture at the Catholic Institute of West Africa.

8:45 A.M.   TOPIC #4 -- DIALOGUE IN MISSION

The dialogue in which Christians meet the followers of other religious traditions in order to walk together toward truth and to work together in projects of common concern.
--Dialogue in Asia
   Ms. Vicki Armour-Hileman, MMAF, served as a missioner in 
   Thailand and is on the Leadership Team of the Maryknoll
   Mission Association of the Faithful
   Sr. Marian Bohen, OSU, spent 24 years in three different areas
   of Indonesia. She is now ministering in human services at Sing
   Sing Prison in New York.
--Dialogue in Africa
   Sr. Claire Rheaume, SMSM, is a Marist Missionary Sister who
   has worked in Mauritania.
   Rev. Philip Pitya is a priest from the diocese of Juba, Sudan.
   He  is currently working in a parish in Bridgeport , CT.
--Dialogue in the Americas
   Rev. Francis Ruff, a Glenmary Home Missioner, is an
   ecumenist  noted for work with the Southern Baptist Convention.
   Rev. Ed Cleary, OP is Director of the Latin American Center at Providence
   College in Rhode Island.

The concrete commitment to the service of humanity and all forms of activity for social development and for the struggle against poverty and the structures which produce it. Most Rev. Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop of Newark, NJ and former Chair of the Bishops' of Catholic Bishops.

A.  Advocacy and Public Policy
      Ms. Marie Dennis, Executive Director of the Maryknoll Office of Social
      Concerns in Washington, D.C.
B.  Social Service and Social Transformation
       Sr. Fatima Santiago, ICM, a Missionhurst Sister from India is currently
       working on the US-Mexico Border in Brownsville, TX.
C.  Global Solidarity
       Sr. Helene O'Sullivan, MM, is President of the Maryknoll Sisters.
D.  Evangelization of Culture
       Rev. Anthony Gittins, CSSp, is a professor of anthropology, missiology,
       and cross-cultural studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.