Mission Conference 2011

Contact: Rev. Michael Montoya, MJ

United States Catholic Mission Association, Executive Director

mmontoya@uscatholicmission.org

202-832-3112 (office)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 23, 2011

The United States Catholic Mission Association Celebrates 30 Years

This year, the United States Catholic Mission Association (USCMA) celebrates its 30 years of promoting mission and global solidarity. “The 30 years anniversary of USCMA is a celebration of all US Catholic missionaries in their faithfulness and radical commitment to God’s mission. We thank God for the invitation to participate in his mission and we pray that we may continue to be open to the Holy Spirit promptings as we respond to the ever changing realities of mission.” says Fr. Michael Montoya, MJ, Executive Director of USCMA.

“We invite everyone to come and join us at our annual mission conference in Miami on October 28-30 to celebrate the 30 years of God’s blessings to the association,” invites Fr. Montoya.  For the past 30 years, the Annual Mission Conferences have been venues for missionaries to gather, share and deepen their mission perspectives, as well as, strengthen collaboration and partnership in the mission world. 

The theme for this year’s mission conference is  “Push out into the deep… Communion and Missionary Discipleship.” Speakers include Ambassador Miguel Diaz (US Ambassador to the Holy See); Rev. Steve Bevans, SVD, Sr. Madge Karecki, SSJ-TOSF, Rev. Allan Figueroa Deck, SJ, Dr. Alicia Marill, Sr. Fran Cunningham, Vic Doucette, Rev. Robert Mosher, SSC, Sr. Jane Ann Slater, CDP, Anthony Vinciguerra, Alphonse Quesnel, SMM (from Haiti), Alisa Macksey, and Dr. Andy Thompson. For more information and to register online, go to www.uscatholicmission.org  or call 202-832-3112.

“We cannot emphasize enough the relevance and urgency of the message of USCMA” says Teresita Gonzalez de la Maza, the first Hispanic woman President of the Board of USCMA. She reminds us that in his historic visit to the US, Pope Benedict XVI challenged the US Church saying, “The need for global solidarity is as urgent as ever, if all people are to live in a way worthy of their dignity – as brothers and sisters dwelling in the same house and around that table which God’s bounty has set for all his children.”

“When it started in 1981, the membership of the new mission association was composed of the mission committees of both the Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM) and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). We have come a long way since that initial beginning as an association. And now, we even have a lay missionary as President of the Board. And as I move around the country and meet with other mission-oriented groups, it is amazing to realize all the wonderful initiatives in mission coming out of conversations initiated by the USCMA.” says Fr. Montoya.

USCMA stands in a direct line to two national mission agencies – the Mission Secretariat (1949-1969) and the U.S. Catholic Mission Council (1969-1980).