Gathering for Mission

Pope Francis is providing an opportune moment for people across faith traditions to reflect on and deepen our commitment to those who are relegated to the margins in our churches and society. This is the moment. Catholic Committee of the South (CCS) is seizing the moment being given to us by this charismatic figure to invite a deeper transformation at all levels of church.

WHO WE ARE

The mission of CCS is to listen to the cry of struggling peoples, identify the injustice, bring the voice of the Gospel to the reflection, and encourage the faith community to take action. We are a network of Church leaders, bishops, field workers, and grassroots organizers across the South who are committed to solidarity with those who struggle to claim respect and human dignity.

CCS is incorporated independently of the Catholic Church in the State of Mississippi; but it is listed in the Official Catholic Directory, giving it 501(c)3 status. Founded in 1939, CCS addresses issues of land, labor, and race as it has done for almost 100 years. In recent times, we also have aided the southern bishops (48 dioceses in 13 states) in promulgating a pastoral letter on the poultry industry (http://www.americancatholic.org/News/PoultryPastoral/english.asp) and issuing eight statements on criminal justice.

WHAT WE ARE DOING

Gathering for Mission is a five-year process in which the words of Pope Francis to the US Catholic Bishops are put into practice: “The path ahead, then, is dialogue among yourselves, dialogue in your presbyterates, dialogue with lay persons, dialogue with families, dialogue with society. I cannot ever tire of encouraging you to dialogue fearlessly.” CCS will invite the bishops, clergy, and other church leaders into that dialogic process bringing to the conversation the vision and voice of Pope Francis.

In preparation, Maryknoll Media is producing a triptych video that will begin to engage several levels of church leadership in a dialogue with the voice and vision of Pope Francis. The triptych will feature the words/stories of Jesus of Nazareth, the dialogic mode of Pope Francis, and the work of the local church. The video will be used to provide common experience at retreat days for the various levels of church leadership. It will be a touch-point of missionary discipleship, tapping the power of story, bleeding into transformational leadership.

As chair of CCS’ Bishops Advisory Council, Bishop Robert Guglielmone of the Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina is the public face of this effort. For him, the challenge of Pope Francis to the Church of the United States and Canada requires all of us – bishops, clergy, religious, and laity – to enter into a process of transformation through which the Good News will be embodied in each local church. He sees this project as the Spirit moving each and all from fear and judgment to grace and mercy.

WHAT WE NEED 

Gathering for Mission is an opportunity for church leadership to deepen their commitment to the missionary impulse as articulated by Pope Francis. That deepening will enable the entire church community, in their turn, to move from fear and judgment to grace and mercy.

The total annual budget of this project is $375,000. This includes salaries, benefits, and program costs. In-kind projection, including salaries, office space and other volunteer services is projected at $155,000.

In CCS' 77 year history, this new effort is the first of its kind. We need funds immediately to cover startup costs so CCS can launch a top-quality Gathering for Mission in the fall of 2016.

This GoFundMe campaign is an acknowledgement of our financial needs. We invite you to give prayerful consideration to support Gathering for Mission with a financial donation.  Also, we ask you to share our campaign via your social media accounts, and join us in praying for Gathering for Mission to be an instrument of God's transformative mercy.

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