Meet Our Next Executive Director!

US Catholic Mission Association
Welcomes New Executive Director

Dr. Antoinette Mensah, president of the United States Catholic Mission Association (USCMA), is pleased to announce that Kevin Foy will be the organization’s next executive director, effective August 1, 2024. “Kevin’s extensive experience and dedication align perfectly with our vision for this role,” she said. “We are a vibrant community of faith leaders engaged in networking, formation, and advocacy for God’s mission. Kevin’s leadership and expertise will greatly benefit USCMA and advance our mission.”

“USCMA plays a vital role in inspiring and forming all of God’s people to seek, recognize and respond to Christ’s presence in our world,” said Kevin Foy. “I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to support and collaborate with USCMA members, our partners and the entire Church to witness and proclaim the loving, compassionate and just Reign of God.” Foy comes to USCMA from the Archdiocese of Chicago, where he served most recently as director of the office of lifelong formation. He also served the archdiocese as director of the global mission office and the Maryknoll Society as a national team leader and regional director for mission education and promotion. Foy earned his master’s degree in education from the University of Notre Dame and his bachelor of arts in liberal studies from Seattle University.

One of Foy’s first major endeavors with USCMA will be oversight of the upcoming 2024 USCMA Conference, slated for October 29-31 at the Pallottine Retreat Center near St. Louis, Mo. The conference theme of “The Eucharist and Mission — Gather. Unite. Send.” builds on the current Eucharistic revival. Robert Ellsberg, the noted author and publisher of Orbis Books, will be a keynote speaker on the topic “Dorothy Day and the Eucharist.” Additional keynotes will be given on “Eucharistic Adoration and Mission,” by Diane Duggins, president of Parish Twinning Programs of America and “Eucharist, Mission and Reconciliation,” by Fr. Abdon Rwandekwe, SJ, a Jesuit priest from the Rwanda-Burundi region. Foy will also guide Go Forth…, a weekly missionary commentary and podcast series designed to animate the universal call to mission through the Sunday readings. Other responsibilities will include cultivating relationships with mission-related organizations, nurturing membership engagement and growth, and supporting programs and services for members, including the Mission Consult series.

Foy replaces Dr. Donald McCrabb, who is retiring. “I am thrilled Kevin will be our new executive director. His personal experience of mission, his ministry with the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, and his work in the mission office for the Archdiocese of Chicago makes him ideal for this position,” said McCrabb. “I am so grateful to God for my nine years with USCMA.”

During his tenure, McCrabb designed and facilitated a variety of programs and services grounded in missiology and the missionary perspective of Pope Francis. He was a founding member of the Catholic Cares Coalition, a life-saving vaccine equity and acceptance effort that offered online workshops and resources and provided $200,000 in micro-grants for local efforts. Don provided the vision and leadership for The Appeal of Mission – a formation program for new “mission appeal speakers” and Go Forth.... “As president during these past six years, I can witness to Don’s many accomplishments: he has been instrumental in creating new venues to enhance our mission and building many new relationships,” said USCMA past president Sister Nancy Schramm, OSF.

In 2024, USCMA began engaging members and other Catholic organizations in substantial conversations about the future of mission in the United States of America. These efforts started earlier this year with a six-week study session to craft a missionary response to A Synodal Church in Mission: A Synthesis Report and continued with the spring webinar series Missionary Promise in an Uncertain Age led by Fr. Aaron Wessman, GHS. Other opportunities to explore mission in the U.S. context include regular programs like Go Forth… and Mission Consult as well as the upcoming conference Mission and the Eucharist — Gather. Unite. Send.

About the US Catholic Mission Association (USCMA)

Founded as the Mission Secretariat in 1949 by the bishops of the United States and 32 mission sending religious communities, the organization became the United States Mission Council after Vatican II. In 1980, the bishops reorganized and withdrew from the council, which transitioned into an association in 1981. Today, USCMA is a community of faith leaders engaged in networking, formation, and advocacy for God’s mission.

The current board of USCMA includes Dr. Antoinette Mensah of the Office for World Mission/ Society for the Propagation of the Faith, Archdiocese of Milwaukee, president; Dr. John Hansen of the Spiritans, treasurer and vice president; Dr. Doshie Piper of the University of the Incarnate Word, secretary; and Maryknoll Father James H. Kroeger. Schramm served as co-chair of the search committee with Christopher Anderson, Mensah and Piper. Bishop James T. Schuerman, auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, serves as episcopal advisor. The executive director and Ms. Marilyn Santos of the USCCB Office for Evangelization and Catechesis serve as ex-officio members.

USCMA members include lay men and women, sisters, brothers, and priests serving in mission throughout the United States and around the world. The organization provides webinars, leadership training, resources, and conferences for those considering or preparing for mission, people on mission in the United States or another country, and all the faithful who share a global vision of God’s mission.