Missionary Alert

The TMC is happy to announce that it will celebrate its annual Mission Conference at the Austin Diocese Retreat Center – “Cedarbrake”– (outside of Belton, Texas) from the 16th to 18th of February, 2007.

The TMC represents actual missioners, including long-term missioners from religious orders and congregations, official diocesan representatives, and voluntary lay and religious missioners, as well as people who are simply interested in the work of the missions. Its goal is to engage and constantly revitalize the mission of the Church in the 21st Century in the state of Texas.

To fulfill our goal of support for the Missions of the Church for 2007, we have selected as our keynote speaker and discussion leader, Julie Lupien, a former missioner who now devotes her life to promoting the work of the missions to audiences here in the USA.

Julie has been a missioner in Zimbabwe, Africa, and St Kitts, West Indies, and is presently director of “Mission to Mission”, an organization that offer support to all cross-cultural missioners. She is also a member of “The Voluntary Mission Movement”.

We have selected Julie for this year’s TMC Conference because she speaks to all the different forms of 21st Century missioners, including both the traditional, long term missioners, as well as the increasingly new missionary projects of Lay Volunteers. Julie has worked extensively with both groups to help them understand the nuances of mission today

“Remaining Faithful”, Julie’s new book will help missioners to recognize their experiences as stepping stones to a greater commitment to Cross-Cultural Mission, Justice and Peace, and Parish Life, or even a lifetime commitment to religious life.

Keep checking Coming Activities for updated information on exact time and cost of the TMC’s annual conferences.

MISSION TALES AND INFORMATION
(This letter is from the Maryknoll Magazine, 09-06)

Through our diocesan Catholic Charities organization, our Lumen Christi Catholic Church in Mequon, Wis., paired with a predominantly Latino parish, St. Hyacinth’s in Milwaukee. The experience, not yet a year old, has already provided positive influences - from introducing our youth to work in the food pantry, to adult education on the plight of immigrants in the Milwaukee area. We have many more areas of solidarity that we want to pursue.
Our mentor from Catholic Charities has cautioned us to make this relationship a two-way street, allowing our partners to contribute to our parish as well as receive our help.
Chuck Schmidt, Mequon, Wisconsin

POPES AND PATATOES
(This story is from the same magazine)
When I went to my first mission in Cholchol in Southern Chile, I preached one of my first homilies in Spanish just after Pope John Paul II’s election. I described the Catholic Church as a big family, but built like a pyramid. At the top was our new pope, and he was helped by bishops, like the one we had here in the Temuco Diocese. The diocese was made up of parishes, headed by pastors like me, and pastors had catechists and other helpers who were part of this great work, right down to the faithful who prayed and sang at Mass. We are all, including the Pope, “the People of God”.

As I stood at the door greeting the people after Mass, one of them, Cesarina, told me, “Although I didn’t understand a lot of what you said, I was glad to hear that the new potatoes were ready in Rome because they make good soup. And I have some on the stove that I’m going to eat for lunch.

What? I certainly hadn’t said anything about potatoes!

Sister Louisa, one of the Chilean Franciscan Sisters, explained that I had used the feminine “la”, before “papa”, thus making it “potato”, not “pope”. That taught me an important lesson: all of us tend to hear and interpret things according to our experience and what we consider important in our lives. When you are very poor and concerned about your next meal, new potatoes are more important than the head of the Church who lives on the other side of the world. Fr. Paul Sykora, M.M.

News Items
--We wish to remind all our friends that October 22 is Mission Sunday. The collection on Mission Sunday supports the work of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith in the most disadvantaged areas around the world. Be generous.

--The National Meeting for the Catholic Network of Volunteer Services will be held in San Antonio, Texas, on November 9th to 11th of 2006. 1-800-543-5046, or www.cnvs.org

-The Texas Catholic Conference (TCC) held its annual meeting of Bishops and other leaders of the Catholic Church in Texas to say goodbye and thank you to Brother Richard Daly, TCC’s longtime Director, and George Solana, for their longtime service to the Church in TCC. The new director, Andrew Rivas led the proceedings.

Adele Gonzalez was the Keynote speaker and addressed issues that are critical to missioners and all Catholics around the world regarding war and immigration problems.
Representing TMC and the Mission Awareness Office of the Archdiocese of San Antonio at the TCC Conference, Mary Wisniewski brought together diocesan mission representatives from several other Texas Diocese at this Meeting and presented a request that all Texas Diocesan Mission Representatives be invited to participate in the TCC annual meetings. This proposal was presented through Archbishop Gomez of San Antonio, Texas.

A THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH

“The greatest day in the life of a pope is not the day of his election, but the day he was baptized” Cardinal Leon Suenens

Texas Mission Council
Chairperson: Rev. Gerry Kelly, M.M. Tel. 713-529-1912
Secretary: Awanda Whitworth Tel. 713-688-1060

TMC INVITES ALL WHO LOVE MISSIONS TO JOIN US
TO CELEBRATE OUR ANNUAL MISSION CONFERENCE

TEXAS MISSION CONFERENCE 2007

Short Term Mission ~ Life Long Conversion

WHERE: CEDARBRAKE (The Austin Diocese Retreat Center)
WHEN: FEBRUARY 16-18, 2007
SPEAKER: Julie Lupien - Director of From Mission to Mission,
an organization that offers support to cross-cultural missioners
when they return to their home culture

From Mission to Mission, established by re-entering missioners in 1980, is a Roman Catholic non-profit organization which provides a network for laity, religious, priests and ministers who have been involved in cross-cultural ministry, either overseas or domestically. From Mission to Mission members, in professionally facilitated environments, explore ways of rediscovering the gifts of their mission experience within their current reality.

For more information, contact:
Fr Jack Whitley, 281-242-3248
Awanda Whitworth 713-688-1060
Or texasmissioncouncil.org