April 20, 2020
 

Our next Accompaniment and Solidarity conversation will be Thursday, April 23, 2020 at noon ET, 11 CT, 10 MT, and 9 PT. You need to REGISTER. Our video vendor is Zoom and they have increased security. You will enter a waiting room. It just delays us a minute or two, so be sure to join the call a few minutes early.

On April 16^th, twenty-four missionary-disciples gathered for prayer, accompaniment, and solidarity. We talked about mission appeals, solidarity, and recovery.

• Mission Appeals –
  1. The Archdiocese of New York announced that it was going to use the Pontifical Mission Society’s Missio service for mission appeals this year.
  2. There was some question about pushing mission appeals into the Fall. One suggestion was to create a partnership with PMS-USA: help us with our Digital Mission Appeal for the summer of 2020 and we will help you mobilize missionaries to address parishes on World Mission Sunday. Several dioceses in California already engage missionaries for World Mission Sunday.
  3. A question was raised about the history of the mission appeal; when did it begin, how did it begin, and who “owes” it?
  4. Others pondered our role now; Jose offered that, in the aftermath of a tornado, his community cancelled the mission appeals they were scheduled to give and donated to the relief efforts in that community.
  5. Patteye shared their experience of promoting fair trade in a simple way to engage the faithful in mission. Her organization’s story is on the USCMA Resource Page on Fair Trade.
  6. Ben stressed the need to advertise mission and to help the faithful see mission “in our backyards.”
• Solidarity
  1. Sister Nancy reminded us of Pope Francis description of solidarity in Joy of the Gospel - Solidarity is a spontaneous reaction by those who recognize that the social function of property and the universal destination of goods are realities which come before private property. The private ownership of goods is justified by the need to protect and increase them, so that they can better serve the common good; for this reason, solidarity must be lived as the decision to restore to the poor what belongs to them. These convictions and habits of solidarity, when they are put into practice, open the way to other structural transformations and make them possible. (189).
  2. Mike Gable referenced a Catholic Update he used that he thought was the best introduction to solidarity. It is available as a pdf HERE.
  3. Joan, whose organization has the word solidarity in it, emphasized the long-term commitment to be with and for a people in their context.
  4. Peter Ssekajugo shared about their water projects in Uganda.
  5. Nancy stressed that we must help people understand what solidarity is.
• Recovery
  1. Don introduced the question about recovery. Conversations are beginning about “opening up” the country.
  2. Mike Mele stressed that we really need to think about “what groups” we need – as our organizations – to focus on.

Prayer

• Andrea Bocelli, the Italian tenor, has created a wonderful 20-minute music video called Music for Hope. It was recorded in the Cathedral in Milan, Italy with him and an organist. In addition to wonderful renditions of traditional Catholic songs, such as the Ave Maria, he also does a beautiful performance of Amazing Grace.
• Michael Joncas has written a new song for our experience of the pandemic. Our friends at Catholic News Service have a wonderful ARTICLE with links to a Catholic Parish that recorded it in their church.

Solidarity

• We must remember – and seek ways to be in solidarity with – our migrant brothers and sisters. We know how hard it has been for us as we deal with this pandemic. Just think about the struggles of the migrants all over the world and especially those coming up from South and Central America. READ about the statement issued by three episcopal conferences.
• Our good friends at Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers are sponsoring a webinar on a global perspective on the pandemic. They will focus on East Africa. The webinar is Friday, April 24, 2020 at 2 pm ET, 1 pm CT, noon MT, and 11 PT. Maryknoll missioners and members of local Small Christian Communities in Kenya and the Malakal UN Protection of Civilians Refugee Camp in South Sudan and Uganda will share their realities and enrich our reflection on where we are finding God in these difficult times. REGISTER. If you have any questions, please contact Kris East at (510)276-5021 or [email protected]

Resources

• Save the Date! Bishop James Schuerman, the USCMA Episcopal Advisor, will do a webinar on April 30, 2020 at noon ET on Spirituality and Mission. Flyer attached.
• Luke Institute has a short video on how to keep psychological balance during the pandemic when so many of us are grieving, suffering isolation, and facing an uncertain future. You can view it on their website HERE.
• Our good friends at From Mission to Mission offered a webinar on accompanying volunteers and missionaries who have had to “cut short” their service due to the pandemic. Some because of poor health care system in their host country, others due to personal health issues, and still others due to the needs of others (family, community, etc.). You can access the webinar HERE which takes you to From Mission to Mission website.