May 18, 2020

Our next Accompaniment and Solidarity gathering is Thursday, May 21, 2020 at noon Eastern Time, 11 am Central Time, 10 am Mountain Time, and 9 am Pacific Coast Time. REGISTER, please for the meeting.
 
The agenda follows:

1. Opening Prayer
2. Agenda Building – What do you want to talk about?
   1. What are you seeing or hearing that concerns you?
   2. What is helping you, in these days, understand who you are and what you are about?
   3. What are you doing? What are you planning to do?
3. Global Solidarity – How do we cultivate a concern, and then a commitment, to global solidarity?  
4. Digital Mission Appeal Update

 
Conversation – 21 mission folks came together for last week’s meeting.
 
The group shared a Prayer for Humanity inspired by Pope Francis and his efforts with leaders of other faith traditions to come together to pray, fast, and do acts of charity so humanity can find a vaccine to prevent Covid-19. A copy of that prayer is HERE.
 
There was an update on the Digital Mission Appeal for this summer.
 
USCMA sponsored a conversation about how to continue engaging groups who had prepared to go on a mission trip that was cancelled due to Covid-19. A lot of good ideas surfaced. A general concern about how we promote global solidarity drew some attention and a small working group is beginning to form.
 
USCMA raised the question – if anyone is doing anything special for Pentecost. Don reminded the group that Pentecost also has a vigil, just like Easter. In some way, if Lent is a preparation for Easter, then Easter is a preparation for Pentecost and the “season” of Pentecost is Ordinary Time – when the Church is on mission. Anyone interested in working with USCMA on a special Pentecost video cast should contact Don McCrabb (dmccrabb@uscatholicmission.org).
 
Don continued to raise the relationship between evangelization and mission, noting that Bishop Barron has, again, issued a significant challenge to all believers in his homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter - Give a Reason for the Hope that is in You. You can find it HERE. How is mission a reason for the hope that is in us?
 
There was considerable conversation about what reopening will look like across the country. Some dioceses are reopening the parishes with considerable “rules.”
 
Another question that surfaced was when to schedule another mission trip. The wisdom of the group was to 1) be sure it is safe to travel from your location, 2) be sure it is safe to travel to your destination, and 3) be sure your destination hosts have the capacity to welcome you. These same guidelines apply for visitation – when representatives of a mission site come to visit the United States of America.
 
Some struggle with staying connected. In some situations, the normal avenues of communication are not available or are not reliable. We will have to come to terms that some relationships – either those who were enthusiastic about going, the host communities, or both – may end.
 
Several religious communities are hosting Adoration or novenas for an end to the pandemic. These are reminders to us all that we need to pray with and for each other and cry out to the Lord for mercy from this pandemic.