Have you heard about the meeting in Orlando to revitalize the US Church?
The US Catholic Bishops have organized a convocation of about 3000 diocesan leaders, July 1-4, to talk about revitalizing the Catholic Church in the US. St. Paul and Minneapolis will be represented by Archbishop Hebda and Bishop Cozzens, leading a delegation of 20 local leaders. The Archbishop has called it a diverse group in age, gender, and ethnicity. We have the name of one delegate, Carolyn Puccio, CSJ, who responded to our questions, see below.
CCCR-Council of the Baptized is praying for the delegation, and we hope that Archbishop Hebda's expectations expressed in the
Catholic Spirit
of May 17 actually happen: "an honest dialogue between people who see things differently. "
As you know, we are advocating for an Archdiocesan Synod, and Archbishop Hebda says in the interview, quoted below, that this convocation is a trial run at that kind of dialogue.
Read on,
check out the program online,
and then email Archbishop Hebda about your hopes for the Catholic
Church in the US and in our own Archdiocese.
[email protected]
Following are quotations from Archbishop Hebda's interview and messages to us from Tom Halden, Archdiocesan Communications Officer, and Carolyn Puccio, CSJ, delegate to the Convocation:
From Archbishop Hebda's interview with the Catholic Spirit about his first year in office:
Do you have a particular prayer intention for the archdiocese in general?
It would be for unity. We pride ourselves on the diversity in our archdiocese. My prayer would be that in the midst of that diversity and celebrating that diversity, that we might be able to keep our eyes in a unified way fixed on Jesus, and in that way, move forward as a unified Church. That really offers credibility to the world when they see that we, in spite of our diversity, are unified in our faith and in our outlook, even in those objectives that we think are important for moving the Church forward. I'd be looking for opportunities to have greater dialogue between Catholics who see things in different ways.
What would that look like?
The synod could be one of those instances that would be very helpful. We have a trial this summer because 20 folks from the archdiocese are going to be participating in a national convocation in Orlando, where we're bring together people from various points of view, different experiences of the Church, that really represent the diversity of not only our local Church but the Church throughout the United States, and to see what kind of fruit comes from an honest dialogue between people who see things differently.
Email from Tom Halden to CCCR-Council of the Baptized:
Thanks for the email regarding the Convocation of Catholic Leaders coming up in July. While the delegation is set, the Convocation itself will be live streamed on the USCCB site (
www.usccb.org
) and broadcast on EWTN and its website (
www.ewtn.com
).
From Carolyn Puccio, CSJ, a delegate:
I am honored to join others from the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in Orlando, Florida at the upcoming Convocation of Catholic Leaders. Archbishop Hebda and Bishop Cozzens have invited a diverse group of mostly lay men and women to participate in this historic gathering. It is estimated that 3,000 people will attend in person with hundreds of others accessing live streaming and other digital media opportunities. The plenary presentations, as well as the breakout sessions, will offer opportunities to address current concerns related to the Church in the United States. I am committed to surfacing and emphasizing many of the issues which CCCR members have identified in their efforts for Church Reform. Archbishop Hebda has indicated that the delegates will be asked to participate with others in direction-setting conversations for the Archdiocese going forward.
Carolyn Puccio, CSJ
Delegate for Consecrated Life
Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Carolyn also sent this summary from the Convocation website for our information:
Convocation of Catholic Leaders
There are two key outcomes
for the Convocation of Catholic Leaders: First, that leaders will be equipped and re-energized to share the Gospel as missionary disciples, and, second, that they will take away fresh insights from participation in a strategic conversation about current challenges and opportunities informed by new research, communications strategies, and successful models.
Who's Who at the Convocation:
It is important to understand who is attending the Convocation and why. Because of the nature of the Convocation as bishop-led and delegation-structured, it is an invitational event. Particular leaders have been invited to participate in order to bring back tools, strategies, and resources for the Church in her dioceses, parishes, movements, and organizations to implement. Meanwhile, even more Catholic leaders across the United States may be following the Convocation through streaming and engaging in conversation digitally via social media.
_______________________________________-
After you email Archbishop Hebda with your input for the convocation, email us with your thoughts.
Join us in asking the Holy Spirit to make this a momentous meeting of revitalization.
