We are a global family of faith - we are all called to relationship with GOD and one another! Our St. Cloud Diocese and the Mission Office believe strongly in our Baptismal call to global solidarity and mission! We have joined in a mutual partnership of faith with the Diocese of Maracay, Venezuela to strive towards living out this call. What is our Global Solidarity Partnership with Maracay, Venezuela all about? Background on the Partnership:The relationship between the Dioceses of Maracay, Venezuela and St. Cloud, Minnesota began in 1964 when Bishop Bartholome of St. Cloud responded to an appeal by Pope John XXIII to assist the Church of Latin America with human and economic resources. At the same time, Bishop Feliciano Gonzalez of Maracay asked the American Bishops for personnel for his young diocese that had just a few native clergy.
At that time two priests, including Fr. James Minette, from the St. Cloud Diocese went to Maracay to live and serve. Over the years, many priests, Sisters and lay volunteers from St. Cloud served their brothers and sisters in various parishes of the Diocese of Maracay. That assistance helped the diocese mature and strengthen. It has been blessed with an abundance of vocations to the priesthood and religious life, as well as with dedicated laity. In the year 2000, then Co-Adjutor and later Bishop of Maracay, Reinaldo Del Prette and St. Cloud Bishop John Kinney, redefined the mission relationship between the two dioceses as one of collaboration, in which each diocese would share of their faith, ideas, personnel and resources. A Liaison Committee made up of the Bishop, clergy, Religious and laity, was set up in each diocese to guide and direct the partnership, and to direct pastoral, educational and spiritual formation and exchange between them. Several Maracay priests have studied English in St. Cloud; youth from Maracay have evangelized in St. Cloud; and a Maracay priest is currently ministering in the Diocese of St. Cloud full-time as he serves and walks in faith with the people of our diocese. St. Cloud has collaborated with support for seminarians; small projects such as providing start-up funds for the Maracay Diocesan Communications Office; and short-term pastoral assistance. In addition, both dioceses have sent many short-term missioners through delegations to-and-from one another's dioceses. The people of the St. Cloud Diocese are becoming more engaged in this partnership by becoming delegates to Maracay and hosting delegates from Maracay in their homes and parishes. Every third year the partnership sponsors mission exchange delegations for Venezuelans and Minnesotans. The cultural and faith-sharing experiences have touched the lives of many persons. The partnership has fostered a deep bond of faith and friendship between the people of Maracay and St. Cloud, and has given them a stronger sense of the global dimensions of their faith and our oneness in Christ. And as the late Pope John Paul II stated in his encyclical The Church in America, "The awareness of communion with Christ and with our brothers and sisters, for its part the fruit of conversion, leads to the service of our neighbors in all their meeds, material and spiritual, since the face of Christ shines forth in every human being." This is what our Partnership is all about!
What is the Partnership's Mission Statement? "The foundation of the partnership between the local churches of Saint Cloud, Minnesota and Maracay, Venezuela, rests primarily on our unity in Christ as manifested in the Gospel, in the Eucharist and in our communion with the universal Church. We live and celebrate our communion and deepen our bonds of solidarity by sharing our gifts, both spiritual and material, and by promoting social justice among our peoples. This relationship commits us to transform our dioceses and our world into the Reign of love, justice and peace of Christ." En Español: Hermandad Saint Cloud, Minnesota - Maracay, Venezuela Propósito: "La hermandad entre las iglesias locales de Saint Cloud, Minnesota y Maracay, Venezuela, se basa fundamentalmente en nuestra unidad en Cristo manifestada en el Evangelio, en la Eucaristía y en nuestra comunión con la Iglesia universal. Vivimos y celebramos nuestra comunión y profundizamos nuestros lazos de solidaridad compartiendo nuestros dones, tanto materiales como espirituales y promoviendo la justicia social entre nuestros pueblos. Esta relación fraterna nos compromete a transformar nuestras diócesis y el mundo, en el Reino de amor, justicia y paz en Cristo."
How many people have traveled between our two dioceses, and when? About 45 delegates from St. Cloud have spent a 10-day period in Maracay, experiencing parish life and learning about life in Venezuela. About 35 Venezuelans have spent a similar period in St. Cloud, experiencing parish life and learning about life in Minnesota. In addition, two long-term missioners from Maracay have lived and served in our diocese over the last several years of our partnership. Our Partnership travel was recently re-structured, and is now set-up on a 3-year cycle: we travel there one year, they travel here the next, and we postpone travel the following for a year of implementation to work on mutually-defined goals and projects; and then we begin the cycle again. Here is a bit of history on the partnership's travels: Two delegations, of 3 people each, visited St. Cloud Diocese in the Fall of 2009 from Maracay, Venezuela. These delegations included Bishop Rafael Conde, two priests, a lay man and two lay women. A delegation of 12 youth and adults from our diocese returned from a 10 day pilgrimage to our partner diocese of Maracay, Venezuela in June 2008. Be sure to invite them to your parish, school or group to share about their experiences of mission in Maracay! A delegation from our partner Diocese of Maracay, Venezuela visited us here in the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minnesota in mid-October 2006. The delegation was comprised of 6 people from priests to laity, permanent deacon to journalist, teacher of children's catechism to teacher of teachers. This varied group brought MANY gifts to us! Summer of 2005 Fr. José Gregorio Bracamonte journeyed to the St. Cloud Diocese to be in mission to us. He will be living and ministering in the diocese for 5 years, and is currently serving as the Diocesan Hispanic Minister. In July of 2005 several members of the St. Cloud Diocese traveled to Maracay for 2 weeks to experience prayer and liturgy, family life and ministry in their diocese. Although other groups had traveled to Maracay, and previous delegations had come from Maracay to our diocese, this was the first "official" full St. Cloud diocesan delegation! There was a delegation of our brothers and sisters from Maracay to St. Cloud in October of 2004. A delegation also traveled to Maracay in summer of 2003. This delegation included Bishop Kinney, Mission Office staff member Rosanne Fischer, St. Cloud Visitor editor Joe Towalski, and founding member Fr. Jim Minette. In addition to these various diocesan delegations, specific Sister Parish delegations have also traveled from St. Ann's Parish in Brandon within the St. Cloud Diocese to Immaculate Conception Parish in Barbacoas within Maracay. These delegations have traveled in January 2004 & January 2005. Find out more information on the Sister Parish relationship between Brandon and Barbacoas. Be sure to click on the links for each of the delegation dates listed above to see highlights in pictures and/or writing!
Are there any projects we can be a part of or ways we can support Maracay? The Liaison Committees of St. Cloud and Maracay have together listed gifts and needs of both dioceses. Currently, based on those gifts and needs, a joint endeavor has been defined. Together we are participating in the *Friends of Seminarians Project* (Amigos de los Seminaristas). Vocations are flourishing in Maracay, but the Church does not have the resources to support them in their formation. Individuals and groups in both dioceses are invited to contribute to the building-up of the Church by sponsoring a seminarian. This is a great project for Knights of Columbus groups, DCCW, Mission Groups, etc. You can sponsor a seminarian at the various levels:
Please consider sharing your gifts to effect positive change in our Church through these young men's formation. There are multiple other ways in which you can be involved and support this special partnership - included, but not limited to:
If you wish to donate financially, please make checks payable to the "St. Cloud Mission Office " and write "Maracay" on the memo line, along with any special designations within the Maracay partnership (such as Friends of Seminarians Project). Then mail your donation to: St. Cloud Mission Office A receipt for your tax-deductible gift will be mailed to you. Be sure to attend our annual Diocesan Harvest for Hope event to celebrate this and all our other great mission connections! How can I get involved in delegations? Delegations travel to Maracay every-third year. If you are interested in being a part of one of these trips, contact Rosanne or Kateri at the Mission Office to put your name on a list of those interested. Information will be sent out to you about 9 months prior to the travel dates, and you will be asked to fill out a simple "application" before delegation selections occur. All delegates are required to attend 4 orientation sessions and 2 follow-up sessions in addition to the travel dates. We also have delegations visiting us in the St. Cloud Diocese every-third year (on oposite years as we travel to them). These groups are always in need of helpful energetic people from our Diocese to host delegates, to help with transportation and event facilitation and to interact with them during their time here. If any of this is of interest to you, please contact us at the mission office. There are also a variety of other delegation options available to you if you're looking to travel. Contact us if you are interested in interacting with future delegations or traveling on delegations to Venezuela.
How can I get involved in Mission Education? Mission Education is a great way to get your schools, parishes and families involved in our Diocesan partnership and mission in general! To invite a missioner or other speaker, to hear more about mission-curriculum or resources (books, magazines, videos, people, etc.) or to learn more about what Mission is and why we Catholics beleive everyone is called to do mission in some way, contact Kateri Mancini at the Mission Office or view our Mission Education page. Our partnership would not be possible without the support and involvement of the people of our Diocese. We thank you for your continued investment in our global faith!
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