Next week, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are convening an unprecedented gathering of key leaders from dioceses and Catholic organizations from all across the country in order to assess the evangelization challenges and opportunities of our time, particularly in the context of the Church in the United States.
The goal of the gathering is to assemble Catholic leaders for a strategic conversation, under the leadership of the bishops, on forming missionary disciples to animate the Church and to engage the culture.
Called by the bishops, the historic convocation will find more than 3,000 Catholic leaders — bishops, clergy, religious and laypeople — meeting July 1-4 in Orlando, Florida, to focus on how the pope’s 2013 apostolic exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”), applies in the United States.
Burning Hearts Disciples is honored to have accepted an invitation from the USCCB to participate in this conversation. We will be one of approx 160 collaborating organizations who see evangelization as integral to our mission. We will be among more than 3,000 Catholic leaders from other evangelizing organizations as well as delegations invited from each diocese.
“This group of people would never be in the same strategic conversations together if it weren’t for the bishops calling them together. They are in all kinds of ministries throughout the church. They are professionals in all the different fields, education, business, teachers. We have people from all socioeconomic groups.”
Jonathan Reyes (executive director of the U.S. bishops’ Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development and convocation planner)
The public sessions and keynote addresses of the Convocation will be live streamed on EWTN and the USCCB website. A schedule of these addresses can be found here.
Please join us in praying for this historic and unprecendented gathering:
Prayer for the 2017 Convocation of Catholic Leaders
(July 1 – 4, 2017)
O Holy Spirit, you who first enkindled in our hearts the
joy of the Gospel, renew that same joy in those who are
preparing for the Convocation of Catholic Leaders.
Enflame the hearts of our bishops and their diocesan
delegations; leaders of national organizations and
movements; clergy, religious and laity; all who make
this event possible; and Catholic leaders across the
United States.
Move us to welcome the word of life in the
depths of our hearts and respond to the call of
missionary discipleship.
O Holy Spirit, transform our hearts and enable us to
enter into the perfect communion that you share with
the Father and the Son.*
Mary, Star of the New Evangelization, pray for us.
Amen.
*cf. EG 117.
Our Lady, Star of the New Evangelization, pray for us!
Our Lady, First Disciple of Jesus Christ, pray for us!
Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of our country, pray for us!
Prayer copyright © 2017, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved. Used with permission.