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From the Director's Desk
"The joy of the Gospel is something to be experienced, something to be known and lived only through giving it away, through giving ourselves away.
The spirit of the world tells us to be like everyone else, to settle for what comes easy. Faced with this human way of thinking, 'we must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and for the world' ( Laudato Si', 229). It is the responsibility to proclaim the message of Jesus. For the source of our joy is 'an endless desire to show mercy, the fruit of our own experience of the power of the Father's infinite mercy' ( Evangelii Gaudium, 24). Go out to all, proclaim by anointing and anoint by proclaiming. This is what the Lord tells us today. He tells us: A Christian finds joy in mission: Go out to people of every nation! A Christian experiences joy in following a command: Go forth and proclaim the good news! A Christian finds ever new joy in answering a call: Go forth and anoint! Over the course of six short days, the people of the United States of America experienced the Gospel witness of Pope Francis. These words above, spoken from the steps of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to an assembly gathered for Mass on the campus of The Catholic University of America, challenged all to live as the apostles did, to live as missionary disciples, to proclaim the Gospel of Christ who is love and bring merciful healing to all. As part of the USCCB Livestream team for this Apostolic Visit of Pope Francis, I was able to view his entire journey. The images and words were powerful and moving. With congresspeople or homeless people, the President or prisoners, world leaders or school children, Pope Francis offered a message of dialogue and unity that is borne out of a mission of sharing the love of Christ - by witnessing in ways great and small. Witness, dialogue, and unity are three themes that were present throughout the words and deeds of the Holy Father during his time in the United States. Witness is found in the saints and holy people from the United States that he invoked, in the tenderness lived in a family - the domestic church, in collaboration and shared responsibility among all in the Church, and lived missionary discipleship as part of the personal responsibility of all of the baptized. Dialogue grows from acts of love and mercy by Christians who go forth to proclaim. Dialogue not simply with those who agree with us, but with all. Such dialogue builds trust and draws together a polarized world. Unity is built not only with neighbor, but with all, including creation. All are stewards of our interconnected world where human dignity and our common home need not only be preserved, but protected and built up. All people of faith are especially called to commit to this unity and assist others in doing so, even when it is challenging. In another moment of simplicity, Pope Francis summarized his visit in one tweet as he returned to the Vatican: We offer thanks to Pope Francis for his visit to the United States and may we go forth in the love of Christ! May we also do as he asked us at the end of most of his homilies, addresses, and encounters - "Please pray for me." In God, the Infinite Love, |
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Pope Francis' Apostolic Journey to the United States
After six full days in the United States, the Holy Father has returned to the Vatican. Pope Francis' visit was historic in many ways: it marked the first time a pontiff addressed a Joint Meeting of Congress, the first time a pope opened a General Assembly at the United Nations, included the first canonization of a saint on U.S. soil and was the first time the World Meeting of Families was in the United States. During his visit, the Holy Father also met with President Obama, stopped by Catholic Charities, attended an interreligious ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial, celebrated Mass at the World Meeting of Families and much more. This was a time of joy, blessing and grace in which the Holy Father called all Christians and people of good will to action towards promoting the common good.
Click here to visit our Papal Visit Portal, which includes the Holy Father's addresses and homilies. If you happened to have missed any coverage or would like to re-watch parts of Pope Francis' Apostolic Journey, you can watch the archived videos from the USCCB here. |
Upcoming Speaking Events
Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C., Director,
Catholic Apostolate Center
Houston, Texas
October 1-4
The Catholic Apostolate Center is pleased to be a part of Mission Congress 2015. We are also pleased to have Center Director, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C., presenting at Mission Congress this year. His talk is titled " Unity is Greater than Conflict"- Relationships, Resolution, Community and will explore ways toward greater unity in diversity through collaboration, co-responsibility, and mercy. Center staff, Monica Thom Konschnik and Jonathan Sitko, will help exhibit at the conference this year. Click here to learn more about Mission Congress 2015.
If you are interested in having the advisors or staff of the Catholic Apostolate Center present, discuss, and speak on many topics with relevance to the Church and the world today, we encourage you to contact the Center to learn more about how we can collaborate with you by clicking here.
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Videos on Marriage, Family and more with the
Archdiocese of Washington
The videos have presenters from throughout the Archdiocese that have experience in topics such as Marriage & Family, Ecology, Immigration, and Poverty. These videos will help continue the conversation after the departure of Pope Francis' visit to the United States.
These videos are available to share and use in your ministry. For more information about the papal visit and where to find updated videos, please click here. |
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Upcoming Webinar
Pope Francis seems to embody two attributes associated with St. Francis of Assisi: care for the poor and love of creation. The earth is our common home. We are just beginning to awaken to this truth. Will we see creation as a precious gift that has been entrusted to us or will we see it as a "resource" to be used and exploited?
In this webinar, Dr. Don McCrabb will explore Care for our Common Home and its implications for our lives as Catholic Christians living in the United States of America.
For more information on caring for our common home, please visit our Laudato Si' Resources Page here.
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Marriage and Family Resources
Click here for our Marriage and Family Resources, which inc ludes resources on the upcoming Synod.
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From the Ad Infinitum Blog
Our Emotional Response
"Everywhere that our Holy Father went, he was greeted with tremendous emotion from those he encountered. Whether it was the faithful at the Canonization Mass of Junipero Serra, members of Congress, the families at the 9/11 memorial, immigrant families at Independence Mall, the prisoners of the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, the World Meeting of Families attendees, schoolchildren at the airports, or dozens of Bishops, Priests, and consecrated men and women religious, everyone seemed to have a powerful experience."
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Support the Catholic Apostolate Center
Recently, we launched a campaign to seek financial support in support of our ministry. With your contributions, we can continue to provide resources and partnerships to Catholics and Church ministers worldwide. By supporting us, you can help revive faith, rekindle charity and form apostles - not in the United States, but around the world. Click the button below to contribute today.
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Feast Day: St. Jerome
Feast Day: September 30
St. Jerome was a Scripture scholar who translated most of the Old Testament from the Hebrew. He also wrote commentaries which are a great source of scriptural inspiration for us today. He was an avid student, a thorough scholar, a prodigious letter-writer and a consultant to monks, bishops and a pope. -American Catholic
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Catholic Apostolate Center
A Ministry of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottines) Copyright © 2015. All Rights Reserved.
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