On July 1, a delegation of 23 leaders from the Archdiocese of Washington will be traveling to Orlando, Florida for the first-ever Convocation of Catholic Leaders held by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Three thousand Catholic leaders from across the country will be gathering at this event from July 1-4 to talk about how “the Church in the U.S. can respond to Pope Francis’s call in Evangelii Gaudium to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by the joy of the Gospel” and examine “today’s concerns, challenges and opportunities in light of the call to evangelization,” according to the event’s participant guidebook.
To attend, the delegates are invited by their diocese’s bishop or archbishop. The group attending from the archdiocese represents the youthfulness and diversity of the Church in Washington, said Susan Timoney, the secretary of pastoral ministry and social concerns for the archdiocese, and each delegate has dedicated themselves in service to various areas of the local Church.
Some, like Melissa Overmyer, a parishioner of Epiphany in Washington, are passionate about evangelization. Overmyer founded Light the City Georgetown, an event where houses of worship in Georgetown open their doors and invite people off the streets to come inside to pray, and also serves as the director of ALPHA USA in the D.C. Region, which welcomes fallen away Catholics back to the Church.
Other delegates, like Xiomy Esteban, Isaiah Burroughs, and Monica and Milton Ulloa, are young adult leaders in the Church, and some, like Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, a parishioner at St. Peter’s in Washington, are strong advocates for social justice. Vaillancourt Murphy worked for many years in a senior leadership position for Bread in the City, an organization that provides residents of Washington with food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services.
And many, like Deacon Al and Jane Turner, parishioners of St. Joseph’s Parish in Largo, and Linda Simpson, a parishioner of Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian Parish in Washington, are dedicated members of their parish. At St. Joseph’s, Deacon Turner coordinates the altar server ministry and RCIA, trains lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, and also helps out with marriage preparation and Project Rachel, which provides healing to women who have had abortions. His wife, Jane Turner, is a catechist and serves as a lector and Eucharistic minister.
At Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian Parish, Simpson is involved in RCIA, lectoring, the women’s ministry, sodality, and the pro-life ministry. She converted to Catholicism about 40 years ago, after her aunt brought her to Mass as a child.
“We went to Mass every day and I thought, ‘this seemed to fill a void that I had,’” she said.
After she had gotten married and had her first child, she decided that she wanted to join the Catholic Church. She went to Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian and has been there ever since.
Simpson said her first reaction after being invited to attend the convocation was, “You mean me?” And while she doesn’t entirely know why she was chosen to go, she is excited for the theme of the Joy of the Gospel, because “I have that joy. I do know that.”
“[God] has always had a plan for me. I still don’t know the whole impact or what it is He has for me to do, but when things like this happen, I know it is only Him,” said Simpson. “It is by the grace of God that I get to go.”
In addition to Cardinal Donald Wuerl, three staff members of the archdiocese of Washington - Susan Timoney; Jonathan Lewis, director of young adult ministry and evangelization; and Sarah Yaklic, the former director of digital media – will be giving presentations at the event.
Other archdiocesan staff attending are: Sara Blauvelt, director of catechesis; Mary O’Meara, director of the Department of Special Needs Ministry; Sandra Coles-Bell, program director of the Office of Cultural Diversity; Ed McFadden, secretary for communications; Tex Phelps, director of youth ministry; Leonard Wathen, president of the association of catechetical leaders of the archdiocese and coordinator of marriage preparation in Southern Maryland; and Father Rick Kramer, director of the Office of Family Life.
Delegates from several organizations based in the archdiocese, such as the National Catholic Partnership on Disabilities and the Saint Luke Institute, will also be attending. The Catholic Apostolate Center is a co-sponsor of the event.
Through the convocation, Timoney said the archdiocese has the opportunity to share some of what it has learned during the past 10 years of thinking about the New Evangelization under Cardinal Wuerl’s leadership. She also expects to learn from dioceses across the country that have focused on other areas of evangelization, and to be able to discuss shared concerns. In addition, Timoney said she is looking forward to praying with all of the leaders.
“Discernment is so important to the fruitfulness of the New Evangelization and so just being together to pray and ask the Lord’s guidance for the Church in the U.S. will be a powerful experience,” she said.
Simpson said she is expecting “nothing but good things” from the convocation, and that she plans to bring whatever she learns back to help improve the Church and her community.
“Whatever I get down in Florida, it is my hope I will be able to bring it back and share with everyone in my faith community and even in the community where I live,” she said. “I hope I will be able to refresh souls and revive spirits in this joy that I have and I know I am only going to get more of.”
