ENCOUNTER is for everyone who believes. Pass it on!   Encounter is the basis of mission. Without encounter, witness becomes phony, social justice partisan politics, and liturgical prayer lifeless rubrics. With encounter, witness becomes a heartfelt connection, justice the work of right relationships, and liturgy a joyous celebration of Emmanuel – God among us.   ENCOUNTER will bring you feature stories of lay women and men living mission. It aspires to inspire you to take your own “next step” in mission by engaging our tradition through mission. It will keep you in the know about USCMA happenings.

A reflection on the charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph and the Mission of the Church by Sr. Eleanor Ortega, CSJ.

On October 1 – 4, 2015, at the Houston Hotel North in Houston, Texas, fourteen Catholic mission organizations that form a collaborative effort known as the Catholic Mission Forum, convened by the United States Catholic Mission Association (USCMA) will host Mission Congress 2015, a series of events featuring keynote speakers, workshops, breakout sessions, Mass at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, and local immersions trips, in order to help every baptized Christian discover their baptismal call to be what Pope Francis has called “missionary disciples.”

Any baptized who has experienced the call to be of service in mission will long remember their joys, difficulties, challenges, and yet-to-be-fulfilled dreams. Mission is the work of God’s Spirit alive in all who profess that Jesus is Lord (Phil 2:11); as such mission is not restricted to a time or a place. However, our experience of mission – whether it be short term or long term, in Africa, Asia, Latin America, or in our own zip codes – is usually clearly defined by the elements of time and space.

March has certainly flown by. The weather here in Washington, DC has been rather unpredictable, but we hope that soon spring will arrive in all its beauty. We have been busy preparing for this year’s Mission Congress, Witnessing Mission: Called to be Missionary Disciples, which will take place October 1 – 4, 2015 in Houston Texas. As we prepare to celebrate the feast of Easter, we invite you to read Fr. Aniedi’s reflection for the Mission Congress and reflect on our own call to be missionary disciples in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Africa. May this Easter season be full of blessings for you and all your loved ones.

Sister Mary Louise Lynch, MMS, second president of the United States Catholic Mission Association, was called to eternal rest on February 7, 2015.

We hope that the New Year has been treating you well. Here at the USCMA office we are glad to welcome our new interns, Chris and Rhiannon, who will be working with us this semester. Barbara Wheeler, USCMA’s Development Coordinator, is on her first short-term mission trip to Honduras led by Dr. Mike Gable, Director of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s Mission Office and USCMA Board member.

In this edition of USCMA's Mission Monthly we share news of USCMA's new Reflection Guide for the 2014 Annual Conference, the Executive Director Search, news and events from USCMA's members, and news from around the mission world.

The United States Catholic Mission Association (USCMA) Board of Directors Announces the search for a new Executive Director following Fr. Nuelle's announcement that he will retire at the end of 2015.

In this season of giving thanks we remember all of you, our friends sharing in the mission of Christ. Most of all we thank you for your prayers and support as we continue to carry out the mission to unite and support our brothers and sisters committed to the cross-cultural and global mission of Jesus Christ in service to the Church and the world. May the Lord continue to bless you and all your families with his many gifts.

It has been an exciting month here at the USCMA offices. Last weekend we hosted our annual USCMA Conference, Gospel Justice: A Living Challenge for the Church in Mission. It was a fantastic success! We would like to congratulate Sr. Eleanor Ortega, CSJ, and Fr. Brian Quigley, MCCJ, for their election to serve on the USCMA Board of Directors beginning in the spring next year. In the coming weeks we will be sharing more about what took place during the conference and the USCMA Members' Business Meeting, so keep an eye on your inbox in the coming weeks. We pray that you have a blessed weekend.

USCMA's monthly online newsletter filled with mission news, stories and upcoming events.

USCMA's monthly online newsletter filled with mission news, stories and upcoming events.

USCMA's own Associate Director, Stephen Scott, reflected on his recent short-term mission trip to Bolivia with Franciscan Mission Service.

USCMA shares important news pieces from around the world and stories from our members.