For Volunteer Programs : National Conference

2000 CNVS National Conference

Mission Congress 2000

THE MISSION OF CHRIST IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM

On September 28 - October 1, 2000, CNVS held its annual National Conference as part of Mission Congress 2000. Ninety-four CNVS Program Directors, staff, alumni and supporters were among the 750 participants who gathered in the Windy City to reflect on the different roles of Mission in the Church in the new Millennium. Although most of the activity took place in the Holiday Inn Mart Plaza, participants also had the opportunity to visit the nearby Cathedral for a liturgy and see the sights of the city in four surprisingly beautiful days.

CNVS was one of the co-sponsors of the Congress, along with the United States Catholic Mission Association, The Conference of Major Superiors of Men, The Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the Bishops’ Committee on World Mission.

Francis Cardinal George of Chicago gave a welcoming address to participants, at which he reiterated the importance of Chicago to the history of Mission and the American Church, as it was the site of the first Mission Congress in 1908. The next day, he celebrated at a multi-cultural Eucharistic Liturgy at Holy Name Cathedral for Congress participants, who were joined by schoolchildren from the Archdioceses of Chicago and Milwaukee.

The keynote address was given by Archbishop Marcelo Zago, O.M.I., Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of the Peoples. He reviewed the Church’s mission efforts since Vatican II and described his vision of the future of mission activity.

Presentations covered a range of topics that approached the issues of Mission from different perspectives and were given both by individuals and in a group setting. The first day saw participants reflecting on encounters with Jesus and missionary spirituality. On the second they reflected on the idea of proclamation and education as well as the communion with other Churches. On the third participants took a ground-level view of mission, as returned missioners shared their experiences of life in Africa, Asia, South America as well as rural America, focusing on their sharing the spirituality of those with whom they worked. The presentations were framed by video presentations of mission activity worldwide.

The Congress finished on Sunday with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Curtis Guillory of Beaumont, Texas, Chair of the Bishops’ Committee on World Mission.

The activity for CNVS members began with a pre-Congress meeting of programs participating in the CNVS AmeriCorps Education Awards Program. Carolyn Shields and Mieke Walsh oriented members with Program developments as well as the technical procedures involved in membership.

On Saturday, CNVS members gathered for their annual membership meeting and discussed the activities of the past year and visions for the coming year, as well as the organization’s financial outlook. The members were also treated to a St. Louis-themed trivia challenge and sing-along sponsored by the planning committee for the 2001 National Conference.

On that same day, CNVS members took part in discussions designed along the innovative Open Space format. Participants proposed their own agenda items and invited others to join them. In this way, issues such as the role of prayer in community, diversity in our programs and recruitment for international service were raised and discussed