By Tom Tracy - Florida Catholic
MIAMI | A delegation of some 35 Catholic leaders representing the Church in South Florida will board a bus to Orlando in early July to attend what is being called “The Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the Gospel in America.”
The Florida Province will play host to this national gathering of up to 3,000 U.S. Catholic lay leaders and clergy, who are coming together at the behest of the U.S. bishops for a historic conversation on the current state of Church evangelization efforts in America.
The convocation events are set for July 1-4 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando and Orange County Convention Center in Central Florida.
According to a published agenda, the convocation will include breakout sessions on a sweeping array of topics including the current political climate, intercultural awareness, social media, social violence and unrest, the state of Catholic education, vocations, parish life, family life and much more.
Organized by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the historic convocation is an invitation-only gathering of church and ministry leaders looking at contemporary Church challenges in light of Pope Francis’ 2013 apostolic exhortation, "Evangelii Gaudium" ("The Joy of the Gospel"), and how that document on applies in the United States.
Jonathan Reyes, executive director of the U.S. bishops' Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development and a key convocation planner, recently indicated that dioceses across the U.S. are sending delegations of 10 to 50 persons to the event.
The convocation has been in the planning for several years. Each day has its own theme for participants to consider in light of changing Church and social structures:
• July 1: National Unity
• July 2: Landscape and Renewal
• July 3: Work and Witness
• July 4: A Spirit of Mission
Locally, Archbishop Thomas Wenski has assembled a delegation of 35 archdiocesan leadership, clergy and ministry representatives to join him in Orlando.
According to Stephen Colella, who serves the archdiocese’s Cabinet Secretary of Parish Life, the Miami delegation will include people who played a key role in organizing the recent archdiocesan synod and strategic planning efforts, as well as other staff involved with areas such as married life, youth and young adults, seminary life, respect life and immigration and refugee services.
“We are fortunate to be close to Orlando and (the archbishop) really wants to support this event,” Colella said, noting that the convocation will be unique for pulling together diocesan staff and ministry leaders who don't normally meet together nationally.
“Only our bishops can pull that together,” he said, adding “that by coming together and appreciating our different ministries we can identify areas for a game plan for evangelization to make stronger disciples, and also look at who we aren't reaching and then get into those corners of Catholic life. It is very exciting and historic initiative.”
Close proximity to Orlando means the Miami delegation not only hopes to give a strong representation to the convocation, but also be able to implement the ideas and recommendations that are discussed.
In 2012, the archdiocese launched its Second General Synod which featured a period of local listening sessions followed by the creation of a strategic pastoral plan. That whole process means the Miami archdiocese is in touch with the issues, strengths and challenges of the Church and the process for evaluating those findings, Colella said.
“Miami not only has a great historic faith to share but some recent experiences and effective practices in terms of evangelizing and spreading the joy of the Gospel,” he noted. “I am curious to go and listen to what is presented and shared, and I am confident that we will be implementing at a pretty good rate the suggestions that come out of this convocation that will be a good fit for us.”
“This is not a vacation. This is quite historic,” he added. “There have been only a few other times the U.S. bishops have gathered as a convocation.”
Michael Sheedy, the Tallahassee-based executive director of the Florida Catholic Conference, indicated that he and several of his staff are planning to attend as part of a group of state Catholic conference personnel.
“I think it is an exciting opportunity for the U.S. Church,” Sheedy said. “Holding it in Florida makes wider participation of Floridians easier, and more affordable from a very practical perspective.”
Rosemarie Banich, director of the archdiocesan Office of Youth and Young Adults who played a leadership role in the archdiocesan synod, said she expects the convocation will be a time for absorbing ideas from other dioceses. She noted that she expects to hear conversations on the challenges of retaining lifelong parish members, among Catholic youths in particular.
Another area that will be a topic of interest: “Hispanic ministry as it relates to youth but also the Church as a whole,” Banich said.
She also co-chairs the archdiocesan effort to provide input for the fifth national Encuentro, an effort of the U.S. bishops.
“Nationwide, we know the majority of actively practicing Catholic youth are now largely Hispanic. But if you poll all Hispanic youth, Catholics are only a minority,” Banich said. “We need to look at that and not just be reactive. Broward County, for example, is becoming more and more Hispanic, and parishes are constantly changing their demographics.”
Key presenters and facilitators at the convocation will include New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan; Galveston-Houston Cardinal Daniel DiNardo; Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley; Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez and many other lay and religious leaders from Catholic organizations and ministries.
FYI
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