Mission Congress 2000

New Springtime for Mission

Dialogue Among U.S. Catholics on Our Expanding Consciousness of Mission Today

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."

The results of this broad consultation reflect the many dimensions of an expanding consciousness regarding Mission today. The process has also engendered excitement for mission that leads to the Mission Congress 2000 taking place September 28 - October 1, 2000.

Responding to the invitation of Pope John Paul II, in his apostolic exhortation, Tertio Millenio Adveniente, U.S. Catholic missioners and volunteers welcomed the invitation of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops to prepare for the Third Millennium with three years of preparation.

Those convoked during 1997-1999 included active missioners, engaged in both global and home mission, returned missioners who are called to animate our Church so it can become more mission minded, persons involved in the works of the Pontifical Mission Societies, and the larger church with special awareness given to recent immigrants to and within the US Church. (Cf. To the Ends of the Earth, Par. 36).

The Reflection Process was developed by a committee of Washington-based missionary groups. The process was prepared to invited missionaries and those with a missionary heart into a process of pastoral reflection on their experience of faith development through missionary activity and volunteer service to the people of God.

The process was meant to reflect on the missionary vocation today from the viewpoint of experience and contemporary mission theology.

     Phase I  -   Designed for full-time missioners
                             For more information

     Phase 2  -  Designed for people involved in part-time mission projects, 
                             partnerships or relationships

Reflection

"We must look at the world and its situation courageously, with the eyes of Christ, acquiring, painfully perhaps, the faith-vision to discern the problems of the world and the role of Society in contributing to the solutions. We must pray for the freedom to do the truth in love which such discernment and vision discover.

This means that we must go directly and radically to the essential message of the Gospel. We must proclam the whole message of Christ, the whole truth that frees. And this means - and here is the rub - that we must live it fully, generously, in the historical moment, perhaps even heroically. There is simply no other way to comment about the message we are called to proclaim. The world is tired of words, statements. It demands deeds, the witness of life."        Pedro Arrupe, S.J.  (Original Source Unknown)




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