United States Catholic 

USCMA has a growing list of resources on how to address racism as an expression of the mission and ministry of reconciliation.

Two webinars on the Bishops’ pastoral on racism – Open Wide Our Hearts – are recorded and available for viewing. The first looks at the pastoral letter from several perspectives. The second continues the conversation, clarifies terms, and proposes strategies.

Visit the RACISM & MISSION resource page.

There will be an open conversation on July 31^st at 2 pm EDT with Don McCrabb for any missionary or mission leader who would like to talk about ways to implement the pastoral letter on racism.

Registration is required.
REGISTER HERE. 

Support the mission of USCMA by visiting smile.amazon.com and search for United States Catholic Mission Association. 

By: Julie Bourbon

Africa may be on the other side of the world from Minnesota, but the St. Cloud Mission Office is making it seem much closer through its solidarity partnership with the Diocese of Homa Bay Kenya. Through relationship building and faith sharing, parishioners from two dioceses separated by multiple time zones and thousands of miles are getting to know each other as brothers and sisters in faith, and partners in mission.
 
Their goal is not merely to enter into partnership, but to create “a family in Christ,” inspired by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 1997 statement, Called to Global Solidarity: International Challenges for U.S. Parishes.
 
“It’s about us walking together, physically and spiritually,” said Elizabeth Neville, who has served as director of the St. Cloud Mission Office for the last nine years. “It is about how we can learn from them and they from us, as we are journeying together as church.”

The partnership goes back 20 years, to when Catholic Relief Services (CRS) was looking for dioceses in the United States that wanted to invest in building a solidarity relationship with another diocese oversees. There was precedent for Saint Cloud to answer the call, as they have been sending missionaries throughout the world for more than 80 years, and have another diocesan partnership in Maracay, Venezuela, that has existed for more than 50 years.
 
But this would not be a traditional missionary relationship, as is more commonly understood, with well-intentioned North Americans going to the developing world to dig wells or teach communities how to become more modern. Certainly, there have been opportunities for sharing of material goods. But this partnership emphasizes growing together spiritually, faithfully, and in love.
   
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