‘United as one in the love of God’: USCCB event brings together cultural families of the Church for dialogue, prayer
From Thursday, June 23 to Sunday, June 26, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) hosted an event entitled “Alive in Christ: Young, Diverse, Prophetic Voices Journeying Together” at the Marriott Chicago O’Hare in Chicago, Ill. This gathering was the culmination of a USCCB-led, two-year process called Journeying Together – A National Catholic Intercultural Encounter For Ministries With Youth and Young Adults, involving bishops, young adults, ministry leaders, and other participants from across all cultural families in the Church who come together to heal division through intercultural dialogue.
Sister Dong Hong Marie Zhang, liaison to the Chinese Community of the Archdiocese of Newark, has been extensively involved in this process and was invited to the first in-person gathering as a member of the Liturgical Committee of the Asian Pacific Island (API) Family.
The goals of this seminal meeting were outlined by the USCCB:
Each cultural family will gather together to formulate action steps, strategic collaborations, and charting a path forward together in the Church’s ministry with and engagement of young people in this country. It will also be a celebration of each cultural community’s gifts and contributions and of our “journey together.”
The Journeying Together opening mass was presided by Most Rev. José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles and president of USCCB. Most Rev. Robert Casey, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, gave welcoming remarks and Most Rev. Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, was one of the two opening keynote speakers.
This four-day program included prayers, dialogue, prophetic witnesses by young adults, panel discussions by youth, action planning sessions and workshops. More than 300 people from six cultural families of the Church attended – Asian/Pacific Islander, Black/African American, European-American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American and Alaska Natives, and PCMRT: Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees, and Travelers. Each morning prayer and daily Mass was led by a different cultural family, and each day had a different theme. The first day’s theme was Diversity and Giftedness, the next day was Rooted in Jesus Christ and Embracing Historical Memory, the third was Accompanied by Mary and Practicing Accompaniment / Active Inclusion, and the final day was Going Forth in the Spirit.
The Most Reverend Larry Silva, Bishop of Honolulu and the Chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Island Affairs, celebrated the third day’s Mass, which was organized by the API Family. As a member of the Liturgical Committee of the Asian group, Sr. Dong Hong participated in the liturgical planning meetings for the Mass, wrote the general intercessions in English that were translated into six Asian languages, and, right before the Mass, led the ceremony “Call to Worship” by hitting a gong.
For the past two years, Sr. Dong Hong has participated in the virtual Journeying Together process, and reflected on being able to meet together for this four-day meeting: “Now comes the in-person gathering. It is a very inspiring and hopeful experience when I saw so many young adults across cultures participating in this event.”
Journeying Together aims to build bridges, promote appreciation, welcome strangers, value diversity and inclusion, and provide support. Through this gathering, the hope is to come together, united as one in the love of God.
The sixth and final step in the process takes the conclusions drawn from this meeting (along with notes from the earlier steps) and collates and publishes them for use in dioceses, schools, Catholic organizations, and apostolic movements.
Featured image: Sister Dong Hong Marie Zhang (front row, left, in a dark blue shirt) and members of the Liturgical Committee of the Asian/Pacific Islander Family at the USCCB event, “Alive in Christ: Young, Diverse, Prophetic Voices Journeying Together”, in Chicago, Ill.
