Approximately 3,000 Catholic leaders from the vast majority of dioceses in the United States gathered in Orlando for the past few days to explore ways in which the Holy Spirit is calling the faithful in the USA to be missionary disciples. The theme of the gathering, The Joy of the Gospel in America, was inspired by the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis The Joy of the Gospel.
Among the speakers were some of the most prominent figures in the contemporary Catholic world, including both clergy and lay people. Overall the convention was encouraging. I enjoyed running into many people I knew and made new friends.
I will need several days to unpack and process the many talks I attended during the convention, but I wish to share some key quotes I wrote down from a variety of speakers. Some of these quotes below are encouraging, others point to the challenges ahead when it comes to proclaiming the Gospel in today’s society. Beside the three plenary sessions, I attended these three breakout sessions: The Rise of the “Nones” and Understanding Inactive and Disconnected Catholics, Reaching the Margins in Rural America, and Vocations, Formation, and Seminaries in the Work of Missionary Discipleship.
“We must present the Gospel in a position of confidence and joy” – Archbishop Thomas Wenski, Miami
“In 1991, 3% of the US population declared no religious affiliation, today that number is up to 25% ” – Dr. Hoffman Ospino, Boston College
“The Gospel is not an ideology to advance – it is a message of life and community” – Dr. Hoffman Ospino
“Of 75 million Catholics, 25 million never attend Church yet still identify as Catholic” – Fr Thomas Gaunt, SJ, Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, Georgetown University
“Every 30 seconds, another latino in the USA turns 18” – Fr Agustino Torres, CFR
“Latinos want to be included in the Church, but often do not know how” – Fr Agustino Torres, CFR
“Fifty percent of millenials baptized Catholic no longer identify as Catholics. For every person welcomed into the Catholic Church, 6.45 leave it” – Brandon Vogt, Word on Fire
“The NONES (those religiously unaffiliated) are a group but need to be addressed as individuals” Amy McEntee, Cincinnati
“We are not asking enough of our young people” – Curtis Martin, Fellowship of Catholic University Students
“Encounter cannot be theoretical, but intimate and personal” – Sister Miriam James Heidland, SOLT
“There is someone out there waiting for what you have to give” – Sherry Weddell, Forming Intentional Disciples
“Being with the poor will give credibility to the Church” – Sister Constance Veit, Little Sisters of the Poor
“The five characteristics of an evangelizing disciple are: boldness, connectedness to the Church, a sense of urgency, compassion, and joy” Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Washington DC
“Our joy is rooted in that God has looked upon us and looked at us with mercy” Cardinal Wuerl
“Mercy is the medicine that cures the sadness in the heart of the one who practices it, and the one who receives it” Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Boston
“The works of mercy are not an extra, but an essential part of Christ’s mission” Cardinal O’Malley
“We must stop fighting over the first place at the table and start fighting over the towel” Cardinal O’Malley
“Where there is suffering, Jesus is there; and where Jesus is, I must be also. Jesus is already in the margins, will his disciples also be there? If Christ is already there, can it truly be a periphery? It is our own shortsightedness that keeps us away” Supreme Knight Sir Carl Anderson, Knights of Columbus
“The existential peripheries are new mission territory and places where we often as a Church do not like to go” Archbishop Jose Gomez, Los Angeles
“Sixty million people in the US live in rural areas and 12% of them are Catholic. Of 244 Catholic universities in the US, none has a school of agriculture” – Jim Ennis, Catholic Rural Life
“Young adults perceive the Church as distant and exclusive (judgemental). The presence of the NONES is the most pressing issue in the Church today”
“We need to pay attention to why people leave – research shows most leave because their spiritual needs are not met in the Church – due to issues of lack of access and alienation” – Jonathan Lewis, Washington DC
“Sixty percent of US Catholics under age 18 are Hispanic and the fastest growing group are Asians” – Dr. Hoffman Ospino
“Immigrants are neither the enemy nor a threat. Immigrants are the face of Christ and we are called to embrace them with Christian hospitality” – Dr. Hoffman Ospino
“To evangelize is to say your life is not about you, but about Jesus Christ. It is a theodrama not an egodrama” – Bishop Robert Barron, Los Angeles
“We are a smart religion; dumbed-down Catholicism is superficial and unintelligent so people fall away” – Bishop Barron
“We need to recover the radical form of Christian life” – Bishop Barron
“In evangelizing, it is often best to show people the beauty of Catholicism first and not how to act or what to believe. There is nothing more beautiful than the dying and rising of Jesus Christ” – Bishop Barron
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