Mission Update

United States Vol. 115, Issue 2

Catholic Mission Association Summer 2006

The Interna tional Year of Deser ts We Pray

and Deser tifica tion
The UN General Assembly de-
clared 2006 the International
Year of Deserts and Desertifica-
tion. According to the UNs web
site, Desertification is about
land degradation: the loss of the
lands biological productivity,
caused by human-induced factors
and climate change. It affects
one third of the earths surface
and over a billion people. More-
over, it has potentially devastat-
ing consequences in terms of
social and economic costs.
Drylands are home to some of
the most magnificent ecosystems
of this world: the desertstheir
incredibly diverse fauna have
been home to some of the
worlds oldest civilizations.
Deserts are arid regions, gener-
ally receiving less than ten inches
of precipitation a year, or regions
where the potential evaporation
rate is twice as great as the pre-
cipitation.
Deserts are not only the hot, dry
areas most people associate with
the term. Deserts also include
cool coastal deserts such as the
Atacama in northern Chile and
the Namib which covers areas in
Angola, Namibia and South Af-
rica; cold winter deserts such as
the Gobi desert in China and
Mongolia and Patagonian desert
in Argentina; and polar deserts
such as the Antarctic.
We will look at three desert areas
and some of the work being done
there by missioners: Mali, Chile
4.
and the Sonoran Desert in south-
west United States.
Sahara Desert courtesy of Digital West Media,
Inc.
MALI
Fr. Anselm Mahwera is a Mis-
sionary of Africa working in
Gao, Mali, part of the arid Saha-
ran desert. Desertification is a
phenomenon which affects the
whole of Mali, of which 65% of
the land is desert or semi-desert.
According to statistics, the desert
is advancing 5 km in a year.
Wherever you go, you can see
the disappearance of vegetation
and the evidences of desertifica-
tion, says Fr. Anselm. In his
view, the reasons for this deserti-
fication are:
1. Climate change There is
less and less rain in the re-
gion.
2. Loss of trees New farms
need firewood and carpentry
for buildings and furniture.
3. Cash crop cultivation
People cultivate larger areas
that in the
since more cultivation mission territories,
means more money earned. different ethnic
Population increase More
people means more need for
and
land and cut trees for con- religious groups
struction .
may live
5. Free grazing Traditional
animal raising requires free in peace
movement for pasture and and together
results in the area being
changed afterwards. build a society
6. Clear cutting Burning the inspired
growth on an area of land
for crops interferes with the
by human
growth of trees. and
7. Plastic trash Plastic trash spiritual
found thrown everywhere
(especially in Mali) does values.
not decompose, and thus, July 2006 Missionary Intention of Pope Benedict XVI
destroys the fertility of the
land, preventing water from In This Issue
being absorbed into the soil
during the rainy season.
International Year of Deserts 1
Fr. Anselm continues: and Desertification
With more than 90% of the
population depending on agricul- From the Director 2
ture and animal raising, desertifi- USCMA Annual Conference 2
cation is the biggest danger for a
country like Mali. The whole
Religious Orders Partnership/ 4
traditional way of living was
Partnership for Global Jus-
affected when there was drought tice
in the past. People from the rural
areas started migrating to towns, Mission Inventory 2004-2005 5
which created problems there: Executive Summary
unemployment, begging, prosti-
tution, theft and an increase in The Church as Creation of Center
the price of goods. Nomads are the Spirit
forced to change their ways of
living as they can no longer de- Orbis Books 10
pend on animals for living. The
rivers which are drying slowly Resources & Upcoming 11
are no longer giving enough fish Events
contd on p. 3

U.S. Catholic Mission Association

Mission Update
From the Director:
Rev. Michael Montoya, MJ
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all
my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy
because of your partnership in the gospel from the
first day until now, being confident of this, that he
who began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ Je-
sus (Philippians 1: 3-6, NIV).
As we enter into the 25th year of USCMA, I cannot
help but think of all the challenges and blessings
received. And with each challenge and blessing is a
God that continues to call us to faithfulness. It is a
privilege to be part of USCMA on its 25th year of
celebrating passion for Gods mission. Everyday I
thank God for the people that continue to inspire
all of us in our response to Gods call to mission.
The Periodic Paper written by Steve Bevans, SVD
included in this Mission Update reminds us that the
Spirit calls, equips, and challenges the Church to
be a missionary Church, and that we are not cre-
ated for ourselves; we are created for mission.
Bold statements considering the consequences and
challenges of such affirmation! But is this not what
we claim when we profess that the Church is
missionary by its very nature (AG2)? Mission
defines the Church. It permeates its very being. It
forms, informs, and reforms its very actions. In the
words of the US Bishops, To say Church is to
say Mission (Pastoral Statement on World Mis-
sion, To the Ends of the Earth #16).
This Periodic Paper is very timely as we also cele-
brate in this Mission Update the thousands of US
missioners working all over the world. The Execu-
tive Summary of the Mission Inventory 2005-2006
you see here highlights even more the ever active
presence of the Spirit in the US Church as she
calls, equips, and challenges us to be a missionary
Church. The data we read give us a glimpse of the
commitment of US missioners to Gods mission.
They have been and continue to inspire millions of
people in the mission territories by living up to
their mission identity. A complete copy of the
Mission Inventory can be accessed through our
website www.uscatholicmission.org. We encour-
age you to mine the treasures contained in this
survey and join us in thanking God for the gift of
mission.
The Deserts and Desertification article also cele-
brates the efforts of missioners working in desert
contexts. The Spirit indeed calls, equips and chal-
lenges us in our response to Gods mission.
Through the experiences of the missioners working
in the deserts, we see the problems of deforestation
and land degradation to which the UN has right-
fully called our attention. But we are also led to see
the concern regarding preservation of desert cul-
tures and raise awareness of the faith-filled actions
of missioners in those deserts as they try to respond
to the human needs presented to them. Hosea 2:16
comes to mind: I will now allure her and bring her
into the desert and speak tenderly to her - words
of encouragement, affection, pardon, and grace to a
people disheartened, contd in col. 2
Page 2
USCMA 25th Anniversary
Annual Mission Conference
Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of US Catholic
Mission Association will be an important part of
our annual Conference to be held at Notre Dame
University, October 1-3. 2006. The theme of the
conference is: CELEBRATING AND INTE-
GRATING OUR MISSION PERSPECTIVES:
Short Term, Long Term, On Whose Terms?
Rev. Robert Schreiter will open the Conference
with a keynote reflecting on short term mission
and its place in the whole dynamics of mission-
sending and mission-receiving during the past 25
years.
A panel of four speakers will look at short term
mission from the perspectives of mission-
sending. The panel represents a broad section of
groups that are actually doing short term mission.
Rosanne Fischer, Director of the Diocese of St.
Cloud Mission Office will talk about Parish and
Diocesan Twinning. Rachel Tomas-Morgan,
Director of International Service Learning and
Justice Education at the Center for Social Con-
cerns of the University of Notre Dame will speak
from the perspectives of campus-based and cam-
pus-sponsored programs. Teresita Gonzalez de la
Maza, Executive Director of Amor en Accion
from the Archdiocese of Miami will talk about
short-term mission from the perspectives of
groups connected to a Diocese. Finally, Sr. Mary
Medved, SNJM, Executive Director of Jesuit
Volunteers International, will speak from the
perspectives of groups connected to a religious
congregation.
wounded, and crushed (How Can We Make Signs
of Vitality Our Points of Departure for Religious
Life? Br. Alvaro Rodriguez Echeverria, FSC,
UISG #130, 2006, p. 11).
And what better way and better time to celebrate
the Spirits action in our times as we commemorate
a jubilee year for us, USCMA! We do hope that
you have made plans to join us on October 1-3,
2006 at the University of Notre Dame for the
USCMA 25th Anniversary Annual Mission Confer-
ence. By now, you have already received the bro-
chures and hopefully have started registering. If
not, then please visit our website and click on
USCMA Annual Conference to print the bro-
chure and to register online. Your presence will
USCMA Staff
Rev. Michael Montoya, MJ, Executive Director
Ms. Charlotte Cook, Associate Director
Sr. Anne Louise Von Hoene, MMS, Accountant
Sr. Michael Theresa Brauer, SND de N, Administrative Assistant
Questions/Comments re: Meetings & Conferences
Questions/Comments re: Mission Update / Current Topics
E-Mail: uscma@catholicmission.org
Mission Update: ISSN 15426130
U.S. Catholic Mission Association
Summer 2006
A second keynote by Bishop Edmond Carmody of
the Diocese of Corpus Christi, will address the issue
from the perspectives of mission-receiving commu-
nities. He will reflect from the experiences of re-
ceiving missionaries in the United States.
Use of the home community format, which proved
so popular at the Mission Congress 2005, will pro-
vide opportunities for participants to share their own
stories and experiences in small groups.
Participants will also be able to choose two
Dialogue Sessions from a selection of ten focus
topics. Through the Dialogue Sessions, we hope to
integrate and deepen our mission perspectives. All
Dialogue Session speakers come with both rich
experiences and expertise in the topic that they will
facilitate.
Following the Banquet Monday evening will be
music and dancing.
Registration is available on our website
www.uscatholicmission.org. Click on USCMA
Annual Conference. Or go directly to https://
marketplace.nd.edu/cce/. You may direct questions
to 574-631-6691 or CCE@nd.edu
We hope to see you at the USCMA 25th Anniversary
Annual Mission Conference as we celebrate our
passion for Gods mission, integrate and deepen our
mission perspectives, dialogue our stories of mis-
sion, and renew our commitment to Gods mission!
definitely add flavor to the celebration and deepen
our dialogue of faith and life. Your stories affirm our
commitment to Gods mission and enrich our mis-
sion perspectives.
We are very excited about this Conference and we
believe that the topic is both current and relevant to
the growing number of US missioners both on
short-term and long-term. There is a lot to learn
from each others stories and the perspectives that
our experiences allow us to see. And in a very spe-
cial way, as we celebrate 25 years, it is a time to
gather, to pray, to celebrate, and to renew our com-
mitment to Gods mission. This is a celebration of
Gods mission! This OUR celebration! USCMA is
us! All of us missioners!
meetings@uscatholicmission.org
news@uscatholicmission.org
Web Site: uscma.catholicmission.org
Mission Update
Deserts and Desertification
nor are they able to provide enough water for
irrigation or for transportation.
The desert is advancing at the rate of 5 km a
year. This can be seen clearly, as in almost all
the villages around Gao, the walls are half-
covered by sand. Also in the south, it is amaz-
ing to see the number of trees which are being
cut and how the areas which used to be full of
forest are becoming bare and unproductive
land.
Historically, two groups of nomadic people
lived in the desert - the Tuareg and the Fulani.
Their main activities had been keeping ani-
mals and trade. With the problem of drought
and the general desertification of the country,
it is becoming more and more difficult for
them to keep the numbers of animals they used
to have. Many of them are now living in
towns, abandoning their traditional way of
living. Most of the noble clans, which once
kept slaves, are no longer able to keep and
feed them. As result one can now see the
noble person doing the work he would never
have done in the past.
Impact of the missionaries
The first thing which will strike you when you
arrive in Mali is the fact that most of the time
you find trees only around church compounds,
evidence that since their arrival, missionaries
have always been trying to protect nature.
Secondly, for a long time the Church through
missionaries has been doing the work of
NGOs and/or the government - the work of
introduction of new technology to the popula-
tion and raising the awareness of the problem
of mismanagement of nature.
There is some education being done on deser-
tification in the country. We see some adver-
tisements on television concerning the prob-
lem. Recently I was told that there is a new
program to teach school children to respect
and protect nature, especially the land. Unfor-
tunately, seeing what is really going on, I ask
myself if some other tough measures like in-
terdiction of cutting trees and selling firewood
or charcoal made out of trees should not be
introduced.
We do see some new technology like solar-
powered cooking systems and cooking stoves
which consume very little firewood to reduce
the consumption of fire wood. The price of
cooking gas is subsidized by government.
Research is being done to find and distribute
trees which need less water and which can
endure our hot season.
CHILE
The Atacama Desert in northern Chile has
been called the driest place on Earth. Ac-
cording to Columban priest Sean OConnor
who ministers there, Parts of the desert have-
nt seen rain since record-keeping began.
In spite of its dryness, 1 million people live in
this desert that runs 600 miles south from the
border with Peru. A few cities and towns sur-
vive with water pumped 80 miles from the
Andes or from underground reservoirs near the
Andes. In the north, determined farmers grow
olives, tomatoes, lemons, and cucumbers with
drip irrigation systems where the local fog,
The Atacama Desert courtesy of
Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia
called camanchaca, blows through fine nets,
and water distills into troughs from which
runoff is used for washing, cooking and gar-
dening.
The Feast of Our Lady of Carmen on July 16
brings thousands of visitors not only from
Chile but also Bolivia, Argentina and Peru.
Through the efforts of the Columbans,
churches have been built to replace makeshift
chapels.
SOUTHWEST UNITED STATES
There is another aspect of the desert with
which Americans are familiar. Hundreds of
immigrants crossing the border from Mexico
into the United States try to come through the
Sonoran Desert in Arizona. And many die
there.
Migrant Warning Posters: Don't Do It!
It's Hard! There's Not Enough Water!
These posters are distributed widely in
churches, shelters, shops and other locations
on the south side of
the U.S.-Mexican
border. They warn
migrants in stark
terms about the
dangers they face
trying to cross into
the United States
U.S. Catholic Mission Association
Summer 2006
contd from p. 1
illegally, on foot through the desert, despite
what human smugglers tell them. The esti-
mated walking times from entry points are
highlighted, as are the sites of migrant deaths
and the location of water stations. (Humane
Borders web site)
In spite of the warnings, migrants still try to
cross. Sr. Paschal Maria Fernicola, SCN has
worked with Mexican immigrant families at
the border for some time. The people tell her,
When your belly is crying for food, you do
anything. According to Sr. Paschal Maria,
Although their faith, culture, traditions and
family values are most important to each of
them, they realize that just staying alive takes
priority.
But there is a cost. Our beloved Sonoran
Desert has been turned into a literal valley of
the shadow of death in the canyons and ar-
royos of the borderlands. The stories of an-
guish and death haunt all of us who hike the
arroyos trying to save lives, wrote John Fife
of Humane Borders, in the Tucson Citizen
July 25, 2005.
Sasabe
Water
Station
Map
More than 1000 migrants are known to have
died in southern California and southern Ari-
zona from October 1, 1999 August 11, 2005.
The majority died of dehydration or heat re-
lated causes.
Humane Borders, through its network of vol-
unteers, maintains over 70 water stations in the
Sonoran Desert. Some consist of a single 65-
gallon barrel of water, while others may have
up to half a dozen barrels, along with emer-
gency rations, first aid kits and, in winter, a
stash of warm clothes. All the barrels are plas-
tic, painted blue, fitted with spigots, and
placed on steel stands above the desert floor.
All the water stations are marked by a blue
flag atop a flag-
contd on page 4
Page 3
Mission Update Summer 2006

pole 30 feet high. The barrels all have
Humane Borders bumper stickers and are
painted with the word "Agua" on the side.
Local soft drink companies who support
our cause donate the 55-gallon drums. All
the water barrels are purified with chlorine,
preventing organic growth and keeping the
life-saving water safe for drinking.
Other aspects of the desert
While to the migrants the desert is an ob-
stacle to be overcome, to the indigenous
people there is beauty in the desert. Their
culture is rooted there. For the Tohono
Oodham of the Sonora, Iitoi, Elder
Brother and Creator, lives on the sacred
Baboquivari mountain.
Religious Orders Partnership/
Partnership for Global Justice
Religious Orders Partnership/Partnership for
Global Justice offers four workshops that pro-
vide participants with a rich experience in
issues that are currently emerging on the inter-
national horizon.
1) UN Orientation Days
This gathering is designed to provide basic
information regarding the United Nations sys-
tem including the participation of Secretariat,
the Nation States, and the Non-Government
Organizations (NGOs) and other groups that
form the UN community. It includes an over-
view of the current UN agenda and a reflection
of how your congregation or organization
might be able to participate in UN activities.
ples.
As a result of this program, the participants will
have a firm grasp of the economic principles as
they intersect with issues of Human Rights,
Development and Sustainability. As NGOs,
leadership and justice promoters work intensely
on specific issues directed by their organization,
having a greater overview of the economic con-
cerns filtered by a justice viewpoint will
sharpen their understanding and perception of
the world issues in which they participate.
3) Poverty: Impasse of Dollars and Sense
Who? What? Why? and How? of Poverty.

The Navajo, a short distance north and
east, see beauty in the fruit of Mother
Earth as expressed in this poem:
OHKWAHO AKARA
Dine (Navajo) Wind Prayer
by Wolfeyes
Oh, Great Spirit,
Oh Grandfathers,
How lucky can one be to know such
beauty?
One can search the world over
and not find this much loveliness.
Her heart is pure,
and radiates love and warmth.
Oh, Mother Earth,
It is from your womb that she does come.
It has to be,
for she reflects your beauty that I see
all around me.
Oh, Navajo Wind,
blow softly upon this desert rose.
Embrace her always with your warm gen-
tle breezes.
Fill her heart with the pride and happi-
ness
From a proud and noble people
that she does come.
Whisper soft reminders in her ear,
"Never forget...
Never forget."
http://www.indians.org/welkers/navajo.htm
These sessions are designed for those who are All - rich and poor, busy and retired, illiterate
involved in justice and peace ministry who are and educated, North and South, employed and
interested in learning more about the workings jobless - All are entrapped by the effects of
of the UN. It is for those in leadership posi- absolute poverty. And, each one can do some-
tions who would like to thing about opening an escape.
Often, what we do can take
include the UN agenda in The poverty trap place within our current occu-
their worldview. It is for
those involved in communi- pation, in our present situa-
confines us all tion.
cations work for congrega-
tions and groups who have victims of poverty,
responsibility to provide An overview of the current
information to people that victims of property, global situation reveals the
includes a broad perspec- interconnectedness of major
tive. It is for individuals the guilt-ridden, issues conflict, disease, hun-
who are interested in broad- ger, illiteracy, unemployment,
ening their understanding of the busy, the ignorant, trafficking, child abuse, pow-
the United Nations system erlessness are all aspects of
so that they can integrate it the informed. poverty.
within their understanding
of the world.
This program provides a basic understanding of
2) Global Economics Workshop. national and global poverty and of simple ac-
This is a three day meeting held near the tions which can engage already busy people in
United Nations Headquarters in New York the work of eliminating absolute poverty.
City but it can also be held in other locations
chosen by a host community. The program
The poverty trap confines us all victims of
provides an overview of principles in econom-
poverty, victims of property, the guilt-ridden,
ics with a backdrop of Catholic Social Teach-
the busy, the ignorant, the informed.
ing. These principles are then applied to is-
sues that are currently discussed as part of the
UN economic agenda including trade, debt, This program provides a basic understanding of
multinational corporations, development and the roots of economic poverty and of the condi-
subsidies. tions which perpetuate poverty as it impacts
every aspect of social development: health,
education, human rights, employment, sustain-
Every issue at the UN has an economic com- able environments. As we labor in direct ser-
ponent. Therefore it is important for us to vice, it is imperative that we understand and
understand economic principles as we enter include in our viewpoint those underlying
into dialogue as NGOs with the Nation-States causes which create new victims daily. The
and the UN Secretariat. Our need as NGOs, workshop includes simple actions that will
Religious Leaders and Justice Promoters is to move our direct services of charity to include
have a better understanding of economics as it work for justice.
interconnects with our basic Christian princi-
contd on page 15

Page 4 U.S. Catholic Mission Association

Mission Update
Mission Inventor y 2005-2006
Executive Summar y
This year as we celebrate 25 years of passion for Gods mission, we at
the U.S. Catholic Mission Association are happy to share with you the
compilation of the missionary survey results received in response to a
questionnaire and a request to update the 2002-2003 statistics. The
survey was originally mailed to 786 mission-sending organizations in
January, 2005. A follow-up mailing was sent in May, 2005. Acknowl-
edging that our mission outreach is to the global community, the tabula-
tion is inclusive of U.S. citizens, Catholic missioners laity, religious
and clergy serving in mission both within and outside the United
States borders.
Included in this edition of the USCMA Mission Update 2006 is a sec-
tion with charts and tables of the new data received in relation to previ-
ous data.
GUIDELINES TO THE PRESENTATION
The following 2005 2006 tabulation of United States Catholic mis-
sioners serving both within the U.S. and abroad has been compiled by
the U.S. Catholic Mission Association from data gathered from many
sources. USCMA has compiled the lists of missioners from data re-
ceived from mission-sending organizations and home dioceses (with
additional reference to The Official Catholic Directory). The data,
therefore, is as reliable as the most diligent effort can make it and as the
constant changes in personnel will allow. Some comments on several
items in this handbook follow.
The lists of data include only U.S. missioners, meaning those who are
or have been United States citizens by birth or naturalization. Those
who have taken out citizenship in their country of mission service are
still listed here as missioners from the United States. On the other
hand, citizens of other countries serving as members of mission-
sending organizations headquartered in the U.S. are not listed. As an
example, there are numerous Maryknoll sisters serving abroad, often in
countries other than their homeland, who are not U.S. citizens and
therefore are not listed here among the Maryknoll sisters serving abroad
as U.S. Catholic Missioners. This policy helps to prevent overlapping
when the various national mission councils publish their tabulations. It
must be remembered, however, that mission-sending organizations
which appear to have only very few members in a given mission field
may have many more who are not U.S. citizens.
The lists bear the heading U.S. Catholic Missioners. This includes all
those Catholics who are sponsored by Catholic mission-sending organi-
zations, even if they work for projects not sponsored by the Catholic
Church.
The term missioner is used in its generally accepted sense. It includes
not only those engaged in the primary and subsequent stages of evange-
lization but also those ministering in closely related areas of community
service and development.
The term serving stands for service over a period of time. While some
organizations provide opportunities for short-term service, only those
individuals are included in these statistics who serve for a minimum of
one year.
U.S. Catholic Mission Association
Summer 2006
The term abroad means outside of the 50 contiguous United
States. Those working in Alaska and Hawaii are included in the data
as missioners serving within the U.S. As Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands are U.S. territories and not U.S. states, their data lies in the
category of abroad for the statistical purposes of this inventory.
As with the 2002 - 2003 tabulation, the many missioners ministering
in cross-cultural situations in the United States are included. The
continuing political and socio-economic changes, trends and circum-
stances both in the U.S. and abroad have enabled a renewed un-
derstanding of mission universally.
GUIDELINES FOR SURVEY OF
U.S. CATHOLIC
(CROSS-CULTURAL) MISSIONERS
SERVING IN THE U.S.
[Note: The following guidelines were included with the request to
mission-sending organizations that they name constituen-
cies involved in cross-cultural mission in the U.S.]
The following guidelines are intended to be descriptive, not theologi-
cal or sociological definitions. We offer them as guidelines for pas-
toral/missional judgment and not as definitive statements or catego-
ries. A cross-cultural missioner may fall into one or many of these
descriptions. We at the U.S. Catholic Mission Association realize
that these guidelines are not exhaustive, but they will help you in
self-defining those missionary activities in which your organiza-
tion is engaged.
The ministry is with people who have either never heard the Word or
have never had it effectively proclaimed to them or their community
i.e., generally not reachable by the common methods or means of
ministry in the U.S.
The missioner is working in an area where the local church is easily
understood as institutionally underdeveloped i.e., it lacks indige-
nous ecclesial leadership, personnel, and financial resources for ef-
fective ministry beyond the pastoral nurture of its own membership.
The ministry is genuinely with those on the margins i.e., among
people linguistically, culturally, and/or economically outside the
stream of the dominant culture.
The people with whom this ministry is exercised would see them-
selves as significantly distinct from the mainline culture i.e., their
distinct identity is clearly perceived by themselves when in the
larger cultural context of the United States.
It is a ministry of dialogue by which the Christian churches or com-
munity are engaged with a community of values different from its
own in some core religious or moral manner.
Page 5
Mission Update Summer 2006

U. S. Missioners by Regions 2004-2005

Africa Near East Far East Oceania Europe N. Amer. Caribbean C. Amer. S. Amer Totals
1960 781 111 1959 986 203 337 991 433 981 6782
1964 1025 122 2332 846 69 220 1056 660 1796 8126
1970 1141 39 2137 900 38 233 1067 738 2080 8373
1975 1065 71 1814 808 37 252 698 734 1669 7148
1980 909 65 1576 711 35 294 548 699 1556 6393
1985 986 78 1366 650 31 312 500 692 1441 6056
1990 945 64 1253 560 264 449 796 1413 5744
1991 933 65 1198 546 265 453 789 1350 5599
1992 949 59 1163 512 105 431 810 1286 5315
1996 799 965 213 172 82 360 1573 4164
1998 714 909 202 158 2109 368 1423 5883
2001 704 35 734 175 181 2682 342 506 741 6100
2003 693 740 13 160 180 3122 348 1241 39 6536
2005 636 46 675 150 165 3165 353 527 678 6395

U.S. Missioners by Region:1960-2005 Africa

3500 Near East

3000
Far East

2500
Oceania
Number of Missioners

Europe
2000

N.Amer.
1500
Caribbean
1000
C. Amer.
500
S. Amer
0
1960 1964 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1991 1992 1996 1998 2001 2003 2005
Years

contd on page 7

Page 6 U.S. Catholic Mission Association

 Summer 2006

Periodic Paper #2
THE CHURCH AS CREATION OF THE SPIRIT:
Unpacking a Missionary Image

Stephen Bevans, SVD

This is brief synopsis of Steve Bevans Presidential Address at the 2006 meeting of the American Society of Missiology in June.
The complete version will be published in Missiology, January, 2007.

It is the proper work of the Holy Spirit, wrote Martin Luther in 1523, to make the church. My hope
here is to contribute a little bit to a theology of the church that is led into mission by the power of the Spirit, and so
created by that power.
Of course, the church is not just the work of the Spirit. It is the work of the entire Trinity, a people made
one with the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (see LG 4). Nevertheless, as Luther rightly intuited, it
is the Holy Spiritwhispering gently in history, blowing where she wills, anointing Jesus with power for his minis-
try, stirring up the flames of faith in Jesus Lordship and crying out Gods intimate love in our heartswho has a
special, proper role in calling the church to be, equipping it for its mission, and leading it to ever new understand-
ings of Gods wonderful works (Acts 2:11) in Jesus Christ. If the church is founded by Jesus Christ, it is built up
and shaped by the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit CALLS the Church To Be a Missionary Church

The story of the Spirit, writes Denis Edwards, begins a long time before Pentecost and the consequent
emergence of the church. If the history of the universe were imagined as a single year, the foundation and creation
of the church would happen only in the years final seconds. In contrast, the history of the Spirit would encompass
every second of that imagined year, for the Spirit has been present in the universe from the first nanosecond of its
existence.
We Christians know of this Spirit, of course, only through the biblical witness, and that witness is vague
and undifferentiated in the Old Testament. There the word ruach wind, breath, spirit is used to express the way
God accomplishes Gods work of salvation as a missionary God. Wherever Gods Spirit blows, something new be-
gins to stir in creation, in human history, or in womens and mens lives.
We see this already in the first lines of Genesis where the Spirit of God hovers over the primeval waters like
a mother bird covering eggs with her body. In Genesis 2 God gives the newly-formed human creature life by
breathing into the creatures nostrils the breath of life, and it becomes a living being (Gen 2:7). The Spirit, says
Basil of Caesarea, is no stranger to the action of creation. Israels heroes, kings and prophets are endowed with
Gods spirit for their mission. Israels judges are all gifted with Yahwehs spirit (Ju 3:10, 5:1-31, 6:34, 11:29,
13:25, 14:6, 14:19). When Samuel anoints David king, the spirit descends on him permanently (1Sam 16:13). Spirit
entered into Ezekiel at the beginning of his career (Ez 2:2), and Micah too is filled with the spirit (Mic 3:8) as he
begins to prophesy. The spirit of the Lord anoints Third Isaiah for the gift of prophecy in the passage that Luke uses
to describe the prophetic program of Jesus. Finally, Gods spirit is portrayed in Israels scriptures as the eschato-
logical gift for the revivification and reconstitution of Israel, as we see in the passages about the dry bones (Ez
37:1-14) and the new covenant (Ez 36:27). Second Isaiah, Zechariah and Joel all speak of God lavishing Gods
spirit upon all Israel, and even upon the whole of humanity (Is 42:1; Zech 6:1-8; Joel 2:28). This is the final pur-
pose of Gods mission to gather all peoples into one family; and this will be the purpose of the church as well.
In the fullness of time (Gal 4:4), this spirit of life, prophecy and renewal found concrete expression in the
life of one man, Jesus of Nazareth. As theologians in Asia have expressed it, Jesus entire ministry was carried out
U.S. Catholic Mission Association Page 1
Periodic Paper #2
under the sway of the Spirit of God. His ministry be-
gan like the heroes and prophets of Israel with his
anointing of the Spirit at his baptism in the Jordan (Mk
1:9-12; Matt 3:13-4:1; Lk 3:21-22, 4:1; Jn 1:33), and his
message of the imminent Reign of God was inspired by
the same Spirit who spoke through the prophets. In the
gospel of Luke, Jesus sums up his entire ministry in
Isaiahs words: that the Spirit has anointed him to bring
the good news to the poor and liberty to captives.
It was because of his fidelity to this mission that
Jesus ran into opposition from Israels leadership, and
for this that, ultimately, he was brought to trial and exe-
cuted as a common criminal. The cross happened,
writes evangelical theologian Clark Pinnock, because
of the Sons fidelity to Gods call by the power of the
Spirit. But, as we Christians know so well, Jesus
death was not the end.
Soon after his death, Jesus disciples experi-
enced him as alive, and at the feast of Pentecost the
feast of the harvest, the feast of fullness the commu-
nity experienced the power and presence of the Spirit in
a way gave the community new insight and new cour-
age. . . . they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and
began to speak in different tongues . . . . . . . of the
mighty acts of God (Acts 2: 4, 11). Just as Jesus had
been anointed by the Spirit at his baptism, so now Je-
sus disciples are anointed to carry on Jesus Spirit-
inspired mission. This is why in Acts the main charac-
ter is the Holy Spirit as such. Indeed, as many com-
mentators suggest, Acts might better be named the
Gospel of the Holy Spirit.
But the Holy Spirit did not act all at once to cre-
ate the church. Indeed, it seems to us that it is not quite
exact to speak of the Spirit as creating the church imme-
diately, or to speak of Pentecost as the birthday of the
church. Rather, the entire first half of Acts chronicles
how only gradually, even painfully the community
comes to understand its real mission, and thus under-
stand its identity as a discrete reality from Israel, as a
church. The people gathered at Pentecost were all
Jews, but gradually the Spirit led the community to
half-Jews (Samaritans), to wannabe Jews (the Ethio-
pian Eunuch), to good Gentiles (Cornelius and his
household), and then to Gentiles in general, without in-
sisting that they become Jews through circumcision and
Jewish dietary laws (the Greeks at Antioch).
The text of Acts is much richer than what I have
had time to rehearse in these few lines, but my point is
to show how the Spirit worked to create the church. I
Page 2 U.S. Catholic Mission Association
Summer 2006
believe that it is only really at Antioch when the
Spirit has led the community, in mission, to the Gen-
tiles, can we speak about the community as a
church that is, as a discrete community from Juda-
ism, or a new religion. Of course, this emerging iden-
tity of the church did not yet involve the tragic break
with Judaism altogether, as Pauls agonizing reflec-
tions in Romans evidence. In fact the connection with
Judaism perdured for several centuries. But what Acts
is witness to is the ineluctable movement of the Holy
Spirit calling as she called life, prophecy and renewal
into being in the worlds and in Israels history a new
reality into being: the church, Gods new People, a
community which is to be Christs presence, Christs
body, in the world. The Spirit creates the church, calls
the church into being through mission.
The Spirit EQUIPS the Church to Be a Missionary
Church
The Creator Spirit calls the church to be a mis-
sionary church, but the gentle yet powerful work of the
Spirit does not leave it at that. From the beginning the
Spirit has been present within the church, enabling it to
be both sign and instrument of the Reign of God that
Jesus preached, served and embodied. The church cre-
ated by the Spirit never exists for itself; it exists en-
tirely for the coming Reign of God. And yet, by the
power of the Spirit, the church is already, in some im-
perfect way, a foretaste of the fullness for which it has
been created. It is that partial yet authentic reality that
the church is called to witness forth to the world; and it
is the hope of complete fullness that the Spirit empow-
ers the church to proclaim and work for in the world.
In other words, the Spirit equips the church to be a
missionary church.
Vatican II has taught us that the church is first
and foremost a community of fundamentally equal per-
sons through baptism (LG 32). Such fundamental
equality, however, is only one part of the churchs real-
ity. The other part, equally important, is that within
this reality there is an amazing diversity and this is
the work of the Spirit. The church is one People, one
community; but the church, created by the Spirit, is a
community of varied gifts gifts that need not com-
pete with one another, but gifts that blend with and into
one another in ministry and mission. These gifts are
what we mean by charisms; the Holy Spirit creates a
charismatic community, with a basic charismatic struc-
Periodic Paper #2
ture.
The Spirit equips the church to be a missionary
church by giving each baptized person gifts that are
for some benefit (1Cor 12:7) to the church as a
whole. The image one gets is a community in which
each can recognize her or his own dignity, in which
each can offer her or his gift to others, and in which
everyone ministers to everyone else. The Spirits crea-
tive activity of bestowing charisms on baptized men
and women, therefore, makes of the church simply
by the way it lives a missionary church. This is
where, like in the temple in Jerusalem, Gods presence
is palpable in the world. This is where Gods saving
presence is seen and felt. This is where the wholeness
and fullness of the Reign of God is experienced.
But not only does the churchs inner vitality,
equipped by the Creator Spirit, give witness to the
power of the gospel. The charismatic gifts with which
the Spirit equips the church moves the church beyond
itself into the world in mission. Those who are gifted
with apostleship are not just preachers of the word to
the church; they witness with their lives and announce
with their words the meaning of the gospel to all peo-
ples and cultures. Those who are gifted with a passion
for justice not only inflame believers to live lives of
justice, peacemaking and the care of creation; they
confront and persuade the powers of this world, they
march together on the day without immigrants, they
demonstrate outside the School of the Americas. Those
with the gift of the ability to bring about reconciliation
are not only concerned with reconciliation between and
among Christians in the church although God knows
we need plenty of that! The Spirit leads them outside
the Christian community toward places of genocide in
Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. Those whom the
Spirit has given the gift of compassion are moved to
console and grieve with people with AIDS or victims
of cancer. Robert Jensen writes, the church is to stand
in the street or the temple or the palace, like Amos or
Isaiah or Jeremiah, and state the truth of the present
situation by speaking the Word that evokes the future:
The one who inhabits and sends the future is this Je-
sus whom you crucified. . . . .
As the Spirit moves her charismatic commu-
nity beyond itself, she creates, again and again, the
church. This is not only a community concerned for
itself, but a community missionary by its very nature
(AG 2).
U.S. Catholic Mission Association
Summer 2006
The Spirit CHALLENGES the Church To Be a Mis-
sionary Church
Just as the Spirit equipped the early community
to do and think what was for them and perhaps even
for Jesus the unthinkable, so today the Spirit contin-
ues to create us as the church by calling us beyond our
comfort zones, into unknown territories, turning us and
our certainties inside out. Being church is never fol-
lowing a script; it is rather following the unpredictable,
sometimes wild, always wonderful paths of the Spirit.
Our first task as a missionary church, says Clark Pin-
nock, is to ride the wind of Gods Spirit like a hawk
endlessly and effortlessly circling and gliding in the
summer sky. After all, it is the Spirit, not we ourselves,
who creates the church.
There are, to my mind, at least six challenges
with which the Spirit confronts the church today as she
creates the church through mission. Each of these chal-
lenges take us into dangerous areas, but they seem to be
areas into which the Spirit is leading the church today,
and by challenging us to engage with them in mission
the Spirit is continuing to create the church.
Pentecostalism is the fastest growing Christian
church in the world today, and trails only Roman Ca-
tholicism in terms of the number of members. And yet,
in the missionary practice of the church, very little of
the power of Pentecostalism has been recognized. This
needs to change. The Spirit, it would seem, is calling
the church today to be more experiential and exuberant
in its worship, to trust her power of healing and her
strength in dealing with the demons that enslave women
and men, to develop the potential of women, and to cul-
tivate real communities of mutual support and forgive-
ness. For many of us this is a dangerous, scary agenda.
Nevertheless, I think that a real dialogue and study of
Pentecostalism is a major area of priority for the prac-
tice of mission today. This challenge of the Spirit can
and will continue to create us as the church.
Second, the Spirit is creating the church as he
reveals to us the truth present in the worlds religions.
The Spirit, says Vatican IIs document on missionary
activity, was already at work in the world before Christ
was glorified (AG 4). What this means for mission is
that it can only be carried out today in a truly mutual
dialogue; the church will be created as church only as
it learns from that same Spirit in other religions. This is
admittedly a very dangerous stance, but only through
Page 3
Periodic Paper #2 Summer 2006

dialogue will we be able to be created by the Spirit to be
the Spirits temple where the goodness and love of the
God of Jesus Christ will shine forth.
Third, often because of the inequities brought
on by certain aspects of contemporary globalization, or
often because of the opportunities for economic ad-
vancement that globalization makes possible, migrants
from Africa, Asia and Latin America are literally
changing the face of the population of the countries in
Europe, Canada and the United States, and Australia
and New Zealand. In addition, depending on how you
count them, there are some fifty million refugees and
displaced persons in our world. There is no doubt in my
mind that it is among these peoplemany of whom are
the poorest of the poorthat the Spirit is present, beck-
oning the church to be the church by its presence and
advocacy, by its practice of hospitality, and by its rec-
ognition of itself as a pilgrim people.
A fourth challenge from the Spirit is the chal-
lenge of her presence in all human experience. Because
the Spirit is present in every aspect of human life and
indeed all of creation, the church can only be a church
of these particular people in this particular culture in
this particular time. This is the way the Spirit is moving
to create the church today: not some abstract universal
institution with a universal, pre-packaged message, but
a church in touch with the Spirit as she moves in the
warp and woof of life. There is no such thing as the
church. There are only local churches, created by the
Spirit as the community engages with the Spirits pres-
ence in peoples lives. Dangerous? Of course. There is
also the possibility of selling out the gospel. But the
other, perhaps even more imminent danger, is to miss
the Spirits power to create the church in all its particu-
lar vitality.
A fifth area of challenge by the Spirit is even
more dangerous, and it is an issue over which the
church is deeply and emotionally divided. The past cen-
tury has opened up in an unprecedented way the beau-
ties and the pitfalls of human sexuality. How is the
church to deal with all of this? How can it respond to
the challenges of the Spirit? Does it need to stand with
the Spirit in a prophetic stance against sexual deprav-
ity? Should it welcome things hitherto unimagined
like same sex marriage? Whatever the answers might
be, there is no doubt that the Spirit is creating the
church anew as it wrestles with these questions that are
so dangerous, and yet so central to the churchs mis-
sion today.
Finally, the Spirit is creating the church today
as she raises up a greater consciousness of the role of
women in the church. At least two-thirds of Christians
in the church today are women. In the Roman Catholic
Church today, we are witnessing an explosion of lay
ecclesial ministers, and of the 30,000 or so of them,
fully eighty percent are women! We have seen church
after church admit women to full ministerial participa-
tion, much to the chagrin of some members, and to the
frustration of many Roman Catholic women. Again,
we are at a dangerous crossroads, but one where the
Spirit hovers with her huge covering wings, beckoning
the church to new life and new birth. What are the an-
swers? We probably should ask and listen to women.
But it is engaging in these questions, perhaps going
where we are not comfortable in going, that the Spirit
will once again create our church.
The amazing thing about the church as creation
of the Spirit is that, although the Spirit pervades the
universe and is always and everywhere present in the
processes of creation, we have been chosen to repre-
sent that life-giving, healing, renewing, challenging
presence in our own particular world, at this particular
time. In other words, we are not created for ourselves;
we are created for mission. Veni, Creator Spiritus!
Come, Creator Spirit!

Periodic Papers are published by USCMA. They feature short reflections on issues pertaining to mission.
Additional copies may be purchased from: USCMA
3029 Fourth Street, NE
Washington, DC 20017-1102
Phone: 202-884-9764
Fax: 202-884-9776
E-Mail: uscma@uscatholicmission.org
Web site: www.uscatholicmission.org

Page 4 U.S. Catholic Mission Association

Mission Update Summer 2006

contd from page 6

3
Totals estimated due to inconclusive
U.S. Missioners by Church Role: 2004-
survey results. 2005
4
Alaska and Hawaii are no longer in the 4000

category of overseas missioners. 3500

3000
2500
N u m b e rs 2000
5
This includes Bishops and Deacons. 1500
1000
500

6 0
This includes missioners serving within 1 96 0 19 70 1 98 0 1 99 0 19 91 19 92 1 99 4 19 96 1 99 8 20 01 20 03 2 00 5

and outside the U.S. Borders in Cross- Ye a rs

Cultural Mission.
Dioc e sa n P r ie st s Re ligious P r ie st s Re ligious Br ot he r s Re ligious S ist e rs S e mina r ia ns La y P e r sons

Diocesan Religious Religious Religious

Seminarians Lay Persons TOTALS
Priests Priests Brothers Sisters
1960 14 3018 578 2827 170 178 6785
1970 373 3117 666 3824 90 303 8373
1980 188 2750 592 2592 50 221 6393
1990 200 2257 477 2347 42 421 5744
1991 187 2200 468 2264 30 446 5595
1992 181 2183 449 2222 26 406 5467
3
1994 177 2007 408 1887 22 374 4875
4
1996 173 1770 347 1513 18 343 4164
5 5 6
1998 167 1903 370 2693 11 739 5883
6
2001 180 1784 349 2589 15 1191 6108
2003 147 1840 361 2812 8 1368 6536
5
2005 136 1663 366 2819 9 1402 6395

Missioners by Region and Gender

2004-2005
2400
2300
2200
2 10 0
2000
19 0 0
18 0 0 Men
170 0
16 0 0
150 0 Women
Number of
Missioners

14 0 0
13 0 0
12 0 0
110 0
10 0 0
900
800
70 0
600
50 0
400
300
200
10 0
0
si a

ia
C. er
an

O a
Ca si a

S. a
ca

tin ope

dl r
t
ic

N Eas

ic
an
Am

m
be
fri

ra

er
A

er
r

ce
A
ri b

Eu

Eu
A

m
e
.A
A

id
M
La

Region

U.S. Catholic Mission Association Page 7

Mission Update Summer 2006

U.S. Missioners by Region 2001-2003-2005

7000 Africa
Number of Missioners 6000 Near East
5000 Far East
4000 Oceania
3000 Europe
2000 N.Amer.
1000 Caribbean
0 C. Amer.
2001 2003 2005 S. Amer
Years Totals

U. S. Missioners by Regions 2004-2005

Near Carib- C.
Africa East Far East Oceania Europe N.Amer. bean Amer. S. Amer Totals
2001 704 35 734 175 181 2682 342 506 741 6100
2003 693 740 13 160 180 3122 348 1241 39 6536
2005 636 46 675 150 165 3165 353 527 678 6395

U.S. Catholic Missioners Age Distribution by Church

Role 2004-2005

1800

1600

1400

1200

(Arch) Bishop
1000 Diocesan Priest
Number of Lay Person
Missioners
Religious Brother
800
Religious Priest
Religious Sister
600 Seminarian
Total

400

200

0
<21 21-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80+ No
Answer
Ages

Page 8 U.S. Catholic Mission Association

Mission Update Summer 2006

Prim ary Work - Within US

Vo l u nt e e r Yo ut h M i ni st r y
C a t e c he t i c s
Tr a nsl a t i on ( Of f i c i a l ) 0 . 0 0 % 1. 19 % A d m i ni st r a t i on
1. 7 0 %
0 . 10 % 8.00% Cha pl a i nc y
0.87%
S o c i a l Wo r k
C o nt e m p l a t i v e
10 . 6 3 %
0.77%
S oc i a l T r a n sf or m a t i on C ou nse l o r
4.08% 0 . 10 %
S oc i a l J ust i c e
D a y C a r e / C hi l d C a r e
5 . 0 1%
0 . 19 %
Ret r eat
D e v e l op m e nt
0.42%
0.74%
R e l i g i o us Edu c a t i o n
Ed uc a t i on
0.48%
23.35%
Relief S er vices
1. 8 6 % El d e r l y C a r e

P r i son 0.22%
Fo r m a t i o n -
0 . 13 %
P a st or a l P r i e st l y / R e l i g i o us
16 . 6 1% 1. 0 3 %
P a r i sh
Healt h Car e
3.37%
6 . 14 %
Ot he r
I m m i gr a t i o n/ R e f ug e e s
7.65%
Le ga l 4.43%
M a ss C o m m un i c a t i on
0 . 10 % Or ph a n a g e M a i nt e na nc e 0 . 13 %
0 . 13 % 0.58%

Primary Ministry Outside US 2004-2005

Translation (Official) Volunteer Youth MinistryAdministration

Social Transformation 0% 0% 0% 7%
Social Work Catechetics
Social Justice 2% 1%
0% 2%
Retreat
Chaplaincy
Relief Services 0%
0%
0% Contemplative
Religious Education 1%
0%
Prison Counselor
0% 0%
Day Care/Child Care
0%
Development
2%

Pastoral Education
30% 20%

Elderly Care
0%

Formation -
Priestly/Religious
Parish Health Care 6%
2% 8%
Immigration/Refugees
Other
0%
14% Orphanage Maintenance
1% Mass Communication Legal 0%
0% 0% Ministry - All Missioners 2004-2005 Administration
Catechetics
Social Work Translation (Official) Volunteer 2.02%
Youth Ministry 7.74%
5.83% 0.09% 0.02%
Social Transformation 0.72% Chaplaincy
2.86% 0.53%
Social Justice Contemplative
2.49% 0.81%

Retreat
Counselor
0.42%
0.09%
Religious Education
0.44%
Day Care/Child Care
Relief Services 0.13%
1.08%

Prison
Development
0.08%
1.16%

Education
Pastoral 21.81%
23.74%

Elderly Care
0.14%

Formation - Priestly/Religious
Parish
3.69%
2.44%

Health Care
Other
7.11%
11.09%
Immigrations/Refugees
Orphanage Legal 2.31%
0.53% 0.06%
Mass Communication Maintenance
0.28% 0.28%

U.S. Catholic Mission Association Page 9

Mission Update Summer 2006

Comparison of Average Age to Total Missioners*

2004-2005
Arch Bish- Diocesan Lay Rel. Broth-
Rel. Priests Rel. Sisters Seminarians
ops Priests Persons ers
Grand Totals 22 48 1299 356 1551 3734 9
Average Age 70.8 58 34.4 65.3 68.2 69.1 37.7
* Data for Age Distribution by Church Role

Comparison 2000-01,2002-03,2004-05
Missionary Activities - All Missioners
Percentages
Category 2000-01 2002-03 2004-05 Category 2000-01 2002-03 2004-05

Administration 7.83 7.71 7.74

Catechetics 3.75 3.58 2.02 Orphanage 0.53

Chaplaincy 0.53 Parish 2.44

Contemplative 0.81 Pastoral 28.31 28.27 23.74

Counselor 0.09 Prison 0.08

Day Care/Child Care 0.59 0.46 0.13 Relief Services 1.2 1.21 1.08

Development 1.29 1.27 1.16 Religious Education 0.44

Education 20.55 21.1 21.81 Retreat 0.42

Elderly Care 0.14 Social Justice 2.49

Formation - Social Transforma-
Priestly/Rel. 3.9 3.69 3.69 tion 10.13 10.74 2.86

Health Care 6.45 6.93 7.11 Social Work 5.83

Immigra-
tions/Refugees 1.98 2.14 2.31 Translation (Official) 0.09

Legal 0.06 Volunteer 0.02

Maintenance 0.28 Youth Ministry 0.72

Mass Communication 0.28 Other 13.18 12.13 11.09

ORBIS BOOKS RECEIVED AT USCMA

A Brief History of Vatican II, Giuseppe Alberigo, Paperback, 2006
A Sacred Voice is Calling, John Neafsey, A Personal Vocation and Social Conscience, Paperback, 2006
African Women, Religion, and Health, Isabel A. Phiri & Sarojini Nadar, editors, Paperback, 2006
Brother Roger of Taiz, Essential Writings, Bro. Roger of Taiz, Paperback, 2006
Christian Spirituality, Gods Presence through the Ages, Richard J. Woods, Paperback, 2006
The Convict Christ, What the Gospel Says About Criminal Justice, Jens Soering, Paperback 2006
Cross & Flag in Africa, The White Fathers during the Colonial Scramble (1892-1914), Aylward Shorter, Paperback 2006
The Cosmic Mystique, Henry A. Garon, Paperback, 2006
Dorothee Soelle Essential Writings, Dorothee Slle, Paperback, 2006
Eschatology and Hope, Anthony Kelly, C.Ss.R., Paperback, 2006
Ecofeminism in Latin America, Mary Judith Ress, Paperback, 2006
Isreal and the Nations, A Mission Theology of the Old Testament, James Chukwuma Okoye, Paperback, 2006
Orders and Ministry, Kenan B. Osborne, Paperback, 2006
Once Upon a Time in Asia, Stories of Harmony and Peace, compiled by James H. Kroeger & Eugene F. Thalman, Paperback, 2006
Pauli Murray Selected Sermons and Writings, Introduction by Anthony Pinn, Paperback, 2006
Spirituality and Mysticism, James A. Wiseman, Paperback, 2006
The Lord Is My Shepherd, Divine Consolation in Times of Abandonment, Leonardo Boff, Paperback, 2006
There is a Season, Joan Chittister, Art by John A. Swanson, Paperback,1995
The Thomas Merton Encyclopedia, Wm. H. Shannon, et al., Paperback, 2002
Vatican II Forty Years Later, William Madges, Editor, Paperback, 2006
You Will Be My Witnesses, John Dear, Paperback, 2006

Page 10 U.S. Catholic Mission Association

Mission Update Summer 2006

Resources and Up-Coming Events

Maryknoll Mission Institute Indianapolis, IN

July 9-14 The Four Seasons of Grace Telephone: 720-494-7211

July 16-21 Comedy, Tragedy & the Cross Email: missiontomission@quest.net

July 23-28 Nature and God USCMA 25th Anniversary Annual Mission Conference
July 30-August 4 Leading From Inside Out October 1-3, 2006 University of Notre Dame, Indiana
Maryknoll Sisters Center Ossining, NY Registration: www.uscatholicmission.org
Telephone: 914-941-7575 Global Economics Workshop
September 27-30 Beatitudes and Discipleship Oct 16-18, 2006 Church Center, 777 UN Plaza, NY City
Los Altos, CA Contact: Lucianne Siers, OP
October 1-6 Beatitudes and Discipleship Telephone: 201-333-2454
Monrovia, CA Email: LSiers6720@aol.com
Telephone: 914-941-7575 Maryknoll Mission Institute & Overseas Ministries Study Center
Email: missinst@mksisters.org Oct. 16-20, 2006 Theology for Mission in Asia in Local Contexts
Maryknoll International Service Orientation New Haven, CT
July 6-21, 2006 A residential, holistic, preparation program for cross- Telephone: 203-624-6672, ext 315
cultural service volunteers.
Email: study@onms.org
Ossining, NY
Pax Christi USAs Annual Conference
Telephone: 914-762-6364 ext 123
July 28-30, 2006 Gods People Can Wait No Longer: Twenty Years
www.members.mklm.org/miso Since Economic Justice For All
Retreat/Workshop Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA
July 23-30, 2006 From Mission To Mission Oblate Ecological Initiative Program
St. Louis, MO August 3-10, 2006 Exploring the Sacred Universe
Telephone: 520-744-3400 Godfrey, IL
Email: office@desertrenewal.org Telephone: 618-466-5004
Workshop for Returned Missioners www.lavistacsa.org
Sept. 19-29, 2006 From Mission to Mission Come and Drink from the Well of Gods Grace Retreat
San Antonio, TX August 20-25, 2006 For persons living with or affected by HIV and AIDS
October 27-30, 2006 From Mission To Mission and those who minister to them. Redemptorist Renewal Center Tucson, AZ

contd from page 4

This basic program is designed for religious leaders, parish workers, youth leaders, educators, anyone interested in understanding the poverty trap.
We use exercises, video, discussion, instruction.
Workshop will take place at your venue. The host community will be responsible for inviting participants and for providing adequate meeting
space for the group.

4) Spirituality in the Global Village: In a time of Paradox, a Spirituality of Paradox

As the strange becomes familiar and the known surprising, we are rapidly creating a new world. Distance and limitations are fast disappearing.
* What are the challenges and possibilities offered by the current process of globalization a process which is progressively eroding bounda-
ries, differences and traditions?
* What response does this new world call for and what form of spirituality can motivate, sustain, and refresh global citizens as they labor for
global justice?
This program will involve presenter and participants in listening and dialogue, attempting to respond to such significant questions for our world
today.
Workshop will take place at your venue. The host community will be responsible for inviting participants and for providing adequate meeting
space for the group.
Time Frame: 1 to 5 days workshop or retreat format negotiable More information about these workshops is available at: ww.religiousorderspartnership.org

U.S. Catholic Mission Association Page 11

Mission Update Summer 2006

Come Celebrate With Us!

Celebrating and Integrating Our Mission Perspectives:

Short Term, Long Term, On Whose Terms?

USCMA ANNUAL MISSION CONFERENCE

OCTOBER 1-3, 2006
UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA

Us Catholic Mission Association

NON-PROFIT
3029 Fourth Street, NW
U.S. POSTAGE
Washington, DC 20017-1102
PAID
Woodbridge, VA
PERMIT NO. 70

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED