It was recently my great privilege to represent the Catholic
Church of the United States at CAM4 – the Congresso
Americano Misionero in Maracaibo, Venezuela. This Congress, held every five years, brings
together Catholics from every country in the Americas, from Canada to
Chile. It is hosted by the Pontifical
Mission Societies, which is present in every country and diocese in the world.
Our theme this year was “American Missionaries, Share Your Faith!” During the
week long Congress, we were called on to shout it out over and over. “América
Misionera: comparte tu fe!” became our greeting, our cheer and our prayer.
As you can imagine, the logistics of bringing together over
3000 delegates, housing them, feeding them and translating talks into multiple
languages are immense. It began at the tiny Maracaibo airport, making sure that
everyone’s name was on their delegation’s list.
As luck would have it (or not have it!) mine was left off. As a
non-Spanish speaker, I did my best to convince the CAM4 representative that I
was indeed a delegate needing a ride, not just an accidental tourist in
Maracaibo. He kept pointing to the list, however. My name was not there. It was
then that I realized I had the perfect calling card – I took out my World
Mission Rosary and held it up as proof of my Mission Societies identity. His
eyes lit up! My ride to the credential site was secured.
We arrived at the Collegio Santa Rita, a local high school,
where scores of volunteers in bright green shirts descended on us, took my bags
and escorted me to an English speaker who would issue my Congress credentials
and make sure I had a bottle of water and a snack. I would soon see this army of young
volunteers everywhere I went! Eager to help with anything at a moment’s notice
they showed the vibrancy of the mission Church, young and full of life. One in
particular that day stood out to me because of her story.
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RoseAngel (right) with her fellow Voluntarios |
RoseAngel is attending college and studying French and
English. She hopes to be a translator, perhaps working her country’s diplomatic
corps so she can see the world. I asked her why she would take a week out of
her life to volunteer for the Mission Congress, thinking perhaps it was to
practice her language skills. Her answer thrilled me.
“I’m a missionary,” said RoseAngel. “I’ve always been taught that my baptism
makes me a missionary. How could I miss this opportunity to share my faith?”
How indeed!
-Maureen Crowley Heil
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