Priceless Souvenirs

On trips we make, we inevitably return with a remembrance of our experiences. Well the souvenirs I'll bring back from Ecuador, after this week there of participating in the third Missionary Congress for the Americas (CAM), won't take up any room in my suitcase, but they have increased to overflowing my continued enthusiasm for the Lord's urgent mission in our world.

You may remember two weeks ago when I wrote about this weeklong gathering in Quito, Ecuador. This missionary congress continues to reflect the late Pope John Paul's vision of "one America." CAM represents an invitation by the Universal Church to come together as a continental church to focus on our mission history, as well as our mission awareness and mission needs.

The opening Mass -- attended by some 16,000 people -- was truly an emotional experience. The remains of St. Therese of Lisieux, co-patron with St. Francis Xavier, of the Church's worldwide missionary work, were part of the procession. They were raised with reverence at several points. I remember thinking of what a blessed example of missionary zeal we have in St. Therese. Daily, she offered her prayers and her sufferings for the work of missionaries. She herself wanted to be a missionary, but her frail health -- she died at the age of 24 -- forced her to stay at home, in the carmel of Lisieux, and be a missionary through her prayers and sacrifices. There's something to bring back, an increased emphasis on the model for all of us found in St. Therese. We can be missionaries not in spite of our challenges but sometimes through them, because of them.



A missionary witness

of prayer

and sacrifice.


Faith and love.


Hope.


Priceless souvenirs,

indeed.



A number of the delegation representing the United States at CAM are directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies in their home dioceses. Two who shared their thoughts with me were Father Bill Holoubek of Lincoln, Nebraska, and Father Patrick Posey of Arlington, Virginia.

For Father Holoubek, his "souvenir" is the witness to our faith he saw in the words and actions of the family he has been living with during the meeting. (Delegates may choose to lodge at a hotel, or they may opt to live with families who open up their homes to meeting participants.) "Their love for Jesus is so simply put into action in their lives," Father Holoubek told me. "It's reflected in their prayers, and in the tender way they speak of Him. To see the power of the Lord's love in the life of this family is a profound gift."

Father Posey can't wait to bring back something from his Ecuador experience to Arlington, he told me -- and that "something" is hope. "The young people here have been amazing," he said. "They've been directing us to the right places, always ready to answer a question. Pope Benedict XVI talked about hope on his journey to the United States. I've seen that hope here, among the youth in Latin America."

A missionary witness of prayer and sacrifice. Faith and love. Hope. Priceless souvenirs, indeed.

Four Million Listeners -- and Counting!

I'm going back to the beginning -- to the first blog published on themissionreport.org, that is.

In that commentary, I mentioned that we had just launched during the May meeting of the Catholic Press Association and Catholic Academy of Communications Arts Professionals our new series of audio messages, Mission Lessons, for use on radio (including Internet and satellite), as well as for podcasting. These "moments from the Missions that teach and inspire" are reflections on my own pastoral visits to the Missions -- on the life-giving service of priests, Religious Sisters and Brothers, and lay catechists -- and on what I've heard and learned from missionaries throughout the years. These 60-second spots then relate those experiences to the "lessons" they hold for our everyday lives.

These spots continue the legacy of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, one of the four Pontifical Mission Societies, from 1950 to 1966. Archbishop Sheen masterfully used the media to proclaim the "Good News" of Jesus and the teachings of the Church. It is most fitting that we return to our roots here, while utilizing the technology in this area available to us today. In 1930, Archbishop Sheen started a weekly national radio broadcast, The Catholic Hour. Two decades later that program had an estimated audience in the millions.

Media professionals who were present at that spring meeting were supportive and affirming of our efforts in this area, and we were then most excited about the possibilities.

Well, the results are in -- and they have surpassed our expectations. The report on the release of the first 10 Mission Lessons indicates that 85% of Catholic stations are airing them, reaching a potential Catholic audience of four million! We're on the air from KBLE station in Seattle, Washington to WISP in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and countless others in between. We're in cities, big and small. We're being broadcast in four of the five top radio markets -- New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Dallas / Fort Worth. All the major national Catholic radio networks -- EWTN, Ave Maria, Relevant and The Catholic Channel -- have been broadcasting these radio messages. And regional networks, like Guadalupe Radio, Immaculate Heart Radio, and Radio Maria have also provided their listeners with the opportunity to learn more about the Missions and the Pontifical Mission Societies -- not to mention to discover the lessons life in the Missions holds for our everyday lives.

A big "thank you" is sent to Sherry Kennedy Brownrigg of the Kennedy Brownrigg Group is the producer / distributor of our spots. A true professional who brings the best to the project, she also draws the best out of all involved. Her guiding hand and sound advice, supported by her years of experience in the audiovisual media, made our venture into radio a most successful one, and one that helped us live up to the legacy of a master communicator in our history, Archbishop Sheen. Our gratitude as well to our friends at Instructional Television of the Archdiocese of New York, where we have recorded the first three sets of these radio messages, 30 in all. And above all our profound appreciation to radio stations and networks who embraced our message and, in so doing, embraced the world's Missions as well.

The second set of 10 Mission Lessons will be distributed in September, and the final group of 10 for the year will be released this December. And this fall, around mid-September, we'll be publishing bookmark versions of these "moments from the Missions that teach and inspire" that you can download free on our web site at www.iamamissionary.org. All our audio messages are there for free download as well. Keep "tuning in" -- online and on the air!