Catholic Extension: Stories of Faith

How do you find peace and confidence in today’s age of anxiety? Sister Marie-Paule Willem, Catholic Extension's 2018-19 Lumen Christi Award recipient, has spent a lifetime sharing the love of God in the most dire places, from living through Nazi occupation as a child to her current work serving women in detention in Las Cruces, New Mexico.  Joe Boland, Catholic Extension's vice president of mission, sat down with Sister Willem to collect some of her hard-won wisdom and fascinating stories.  Find our article on Sister Willem at catholicextension.org/sisterwillem.

Catholic Extension's vice president of mission Joe Boland recently appeared on Relevant Radio to discuss what he saw at the U.S.-Mexico border on a recent trip to El Paso, Texas. The Catholic Church is providing essential ministries to families--especially children--in need. You can learn more about these efforts by supporting our Family Reunification fund. Click here to learn more.

The United States has a distinct history of immigration, and the Catholic Church has a long history of lending support to immigrants. Dr. Tim Muldoon, director of mission education for Catholic Extension, offers a reflection on the historical role of the Church in helping these struggling communities as well as its current involvement in the issue. Learn more

Joe Boland, Catholic Extension's vice president of mission, recently appeared on the Catholic Chicago radio program to discuss Catholic Extension's new Family Reunification fund. The fund supports ministries that provide direct outreach and advocacy for immigrant families separated as a consequence of our broken immigration system. Learn More

This coming November, four dioceses in the United States will celebrate 175-year anniversaries: Chicago, Hartford, Milwaukee, and Little Rock. A closer look at the history and present realities of these dioceses offers us a glimpse of the ways that the Catholic Church in the United States is growing and changing--and gives us hope for the future. Read more

Our director of mission education, Dr. Tim Muldoon, has spent much of his career exploring the mission of the Church. Hear his thoughts.

Our vice president of mission, Joe Boland, recently appeared on Catholic TV to discuss our recent support of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. Learn more at catholicextension.org/impact

Our president Father Jack Wall recently appeared on Catholic.TV to reflect on Catholic Extension's mission to build up the Church in America's poorest places, especially our recent support of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. If you're unfamiliar with the work of Catholic Extension, this interview provides a perfect primer on our mission. Learn more at our website.

The publication of Pope Francis’ most recent apostolic exhortation, Gaudete et Exsultate (“Rejoice and be glad”) offers us an opportunity to reflect on how the gospel calls us to renew our efforts at growing as a holy people called to serve others. The document is subtitled “the call to holiness in today’s world,” and exhorts us to grow in faith both as individuals and as members of a church in service to the world. Listen to Dr. Tim Muldoon reflect on four lessons from the pope's new document and how these values are lived out in the mission dioceses served by Catholic Extension. Read more

In his address at World Youth Day in 2013, Pope Francis urged young people to go out to the streets and “make some noise.” By that, he called to mind his desire that they be agents of the Church’s mission in the world, and not merely passive recipients. Dr. Tim Muldoon, director of mission education for Catholic Extension, offers some thoughts on how the Church might look if young people emerged as leaders...through the story of a purple church. Read more

Joe Boland, our vice president of mission, appeared on Relevant Radio to discuss the current situation in Puerto Rico six months after Hurricane Maria as well as the role of Catholic parishes in providing essential physical and spiritual support to communities across the island. We have launched the Patrons of Puerto Rico initiative to raise funds for these parishes so that they can continue their vital ministry to the millions of Puerto Ricans who are still struggling to put their lives back together. Learn more

Rebecca Woods, a young adult pastoral associate at a small parish in the rural Diocese of Lexington, offers a brief reflection on the Gospel reading for the second week of Lent.  Afterward, listen to an interview with Rebecca on her experience working for the Catholic Church in Appalachia, where Catholics are a minority but the Church is a respected source of physical and pastoral care for the poor. Subscribe to our Lenten reflection email series.

Father Garrett Nelson, a missionary priest in the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings, Montana, offers a brief reflection on the Gospel reading for the first week of Lent.  Afterward, listen to an interview with Father Garrett on his ministry in the wide open spaces--driving almost 1,000 miles every week to deliver the sacraments to Catholics in the vast reaches of his diocese. Subscribe to our Lenten reflection email series. Watch a video featuring Father Garrett Nelson.

Instead of chocolate or soda, how about giving up pessimism, anger, or gossiping? This episode offers some quick tips on making this your best Lent yet. If you would like to receive weekly Lenten meditations via email, sign up at www.catholicextension.org/reflect If you would like to make a Lenten offering to Catholic Extension, please visit www.catholicextension.org/give Thanks for listening and subscribing! Please leave us a rating wherever you found our podcast!

If you look beyond the island paradise inhabited by tourists, the U.S. Virgin Islands is the poorest area of the United States. Tim Muldoon, our director of mission education, reflects on a recent trip to survey the damage to the islands after Hurricane Maria. Read more and consider making a gift to support the rebuilding effort.

At a time when many Catholic schools are struggling with enrollment, fighting to survive, and at times shutting their doors, an innovative program is strengthening Catholic schools and educational outcomes in some of the nation’s most impoverished communities. The Catholic School Leadership Development Initiative, a partnership between Loyola Marymount University and Catholic Extension, seeks to develop a pipeline of educated Catholic school leaders in dioceses with limited resources and staff. Learn more about this program and hear some of the inspiring success stories of leaders who participated. If you would like to support the initiative, make a gift in honor of your favorite teacher at www.catholicextension.org/teacher.

As we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King this week, we remember Florence Kaster, our first Lumen Christi Award recipient, who supported poor African-American communities in Kingstree, South Carolina and fought against prejudice and injustice for more than 30 years. Learn more about the Lumen Christi Award and read the story of the 2017-2018 recipient.

In 1865 the English hymn writer William Chatterton Dix published “What Child Is This?" Dix paints for us a picture of the birth of Jesus in a town on the margins of ancient Rome, wondering at the mystery of why God would enter into human history in such an obscure place--"Why lies he in such mean estate?" Dix’s question gets right at the heart of Christian meditation on the nativity of Christ: the mystery of why the Incarnation happened not in a center of power or wealth, but rather amidst poverty, forced migration, and uncertainty. Listen to this reflection from Dr. Tim Muldoon to learn more about the transformative ways that God uses the least among us. Learn more

Pope Francis recently sent Cardinal Blase Cupich to the hurricane-battered island of Puerto Rico to express his deep concern for the people and reach out in solidarity on his behalf to those who are suffering. Read more and see photos

Dr. Tim Muldoon, Catholic Extension's director of mission education, recently joined more than 4,000 people on a 32-mile procession to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Coachella Valley of California. Hear his reflections on the history, meaning and devotion to this Marian apparition. Click here to see photos and videos from the procession.

In this episode, Dr. Tim Muldoon shares reflections from a recent trip to the Diocese of El Paso, including stories of immigrants fleeing violence in their home countries and finding refuge and peace in the Catholic Church. He also talks about a moving border Mass held on the Rio Grande canal on the U.S.-Mexico border. Learn more

For many areas ravaged by the recent hurricanes, daily life is still far from being back to normal. Listen to this update from Bishop Curtis J. Guillory, Bishop Herbert A Bevard and Archbishop Roberto González Nieves from the dioceses of Beaumont, St. Thomas and San Juan to hear about the efforts of the Catholic Church to help suffering communities in these areas. There are also some inspiring stories and glimpses of hope rising from the rubble. Click here to make a gift in support of Catholic Extension's ongoing hurricane relief efforts.

Dr. Tim Muldoon reflects on the response of the Catholic Church to recent natural disasters across the United States. The Church is the first place many go in the face of emergency, and Catholic Extension’s emergency $350,000 grant has helped dioceses in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Texas to provide necessities to those in need. Learn more here. 

Joe Boland, Catholic Extension's vice president for mission, recently appeared on Relevant Radio's Morning Air Show to discuss the needs of the Church and its people in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the wake of the devastating Hurricane Maria. Click here to make a gift and help these communities to begin putting their lives back together. Thank you for your generosity and support!

Dr. Tim Muldoon, Catholic Extension's director of mission education reflects on his time visiting with members of the newly dedicated Blessed Father Stanley Rother Catholic Church mission in Decatur, Arkansas. In very many cases, members of this church community were drawn to the United States to escape violence in places like El Salvador, Guatemala, or southern Mexico. The promise of work and a safe place to raise a family stands in stark difference to the reality from which many fled. For them, the fact that a man from the United States spent his priestly ministry in the kind of danger from which they themselves escaped is enough to persuade them of his heroic virtue.  Read more and see photos: http://cathext.in/2fRWjye

We are proud to announce Father Enrique Herrera of Greenfield, California as the recipient of the 2017-2018 Lumen Christi Award. Now in its 40th year, this prestigious award celebrates Catholic heroes who are shining the light of Christ through their ministry to poor Catholic communities. As pastor of a poor immigrant parish, Father Enrique has a dream that all the children in his community will one day attend college. Through early involvement in Bible studies and other programs, the kids receive a firm foundation in faith--usually remaining at the parish and taking on leadership roles in the youth programming after Confirmation. In this way, Father Enrique is building up a new generation of faithful, responsible leaders who are having a positive impact on their community. Listen to this segment from Relevant Radio to hear vice president of mission Joe Boland discuss Father Enrique's transformative work. Click here to watch a video of Father Enrique and learn more.

Catholic school leaders from the dioceses of Gallup, Juneau and Reno share their experiences participating in the Catholic School Leadership initiative sponsored by Catholic Extension and Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. The program allows them to further their own education while also forming a community with other teachers, principals and administrators who lead Catholic schools in some of the poorest, most remote areas of the United States. The program builds up these leaders to make an incredible impact on their schools and transform the lives of their students. Learn more about the program.  

Catholic Extension traveled to McAllen, Texas in the Diocese of Brownsville this week to present a $100,000 grant to the Humanitarian Respite Center, created to provide a way-station for asylum seekers from Central American countries. For the past three years, the center has been generously housed in the parish hall of Sacred Heart Church in McAllen. With this grant, a new facility will be built to continue the work of the respite center, which has assisted more than 74,000 people since its creation in June 2014. Listen to our vice president of mission Joe Boland discuss the work of the center and its inspirational leader Sister Norma Pimentel in this interview on Morning Air from Relevant Radio. Click here to read more about the center and its important work and see photos from our visit.

We are proud to support lay leaders like Casey Bustamante, who works to enrich the faith lives of Catholics served by the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA. Listen to this podcast to learn more about her important ministry and consider making a gift to support the work of missionary disciples across the country: http://cathext.in/1nt3ZFC

Today our country is deeply fractured along political lines. In this episode, Father Jack Wall discusses how the Catholic Church has successfully brought together people of differing cultures and viewpoints to create a culture of encounter. Hear about a diverse Catholic community in Georgia that recently came together to form a united parish and raised funds to build a new church with Catholic Extension support. Read more here. You can join our mission to build churches and the Church in America's poorest places.

Meet some of the seminarians studying to be priests at Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon. These missionary disciples are answering God's call to serve as priests in some of the poorest dioceses in the United States. Learn more about our support of seminarian education. Each year, Catholic Extension supports more than 550 seminarians from an average of 47 mission dioceses around the country. Click here to help us support the next generation of Catholic priests.

Have you ever thought about the labor behind the fresh fruit you buy all summer long at your local grocery store? If the fruit came from Washington, chances are that the person doing the picking was a fellow Catholic. Joe Boland, Catholic Extension's vice president of mission, recently visited the Diocese of Yakima, Washington, where Catholic Extension has long supported the faith of migrant farm workers who provide seasonal labor picking cherries, pears and apples in this beautiful area of the United States. Partnering with a Catholic Church in Chicago, we just created a new literacy wagon that will provide educational resources to the workers' children who are living in the migrant camps while their parents work throughout the summer. Listen to this episode to hear Joe discuss the new program on Relevant Radio and click here to read more about the Catholic faith in migrant worker camps in Washington.

In this monthly series, Father Jack Wall offers a unique perspective on Catholicism in America. Recently a group of young Native Americans on Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota did the improbable: They made the world stop and listen. Hear more about what the young Lakota can teach us about the power of faith in seemingly hopeless circumstances.

Father Ryan McCandless was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Salina, Kansas on June 3, along with two other seminarians--the first time in 55 years that the diocese ordained three new priests on the same day. In this interview from 2016, Father Ryan tells his vocation story, discusses his experience studying at Saint Meinrad Seminary and talks about what he is looking forward to about becoming a priest and the growth of the Catholic Church in his diocese. Click here to help Catholic Extension continue to support seminarian education in poor dioceses to create the next generation of Catholic priests.

The population of Puerto Rico is predominantly Catholic, and now that the island is facing a financial crisis, the presence of the Catholic Church is more important than ever. Joe Boland, Catholic Extension's vice president of mission, appeared on Relevant Radio to discuss Catholic Extension's involvement in Puerto Rico and its efforts to move the Church forward as several Protestant denominations are on the rise. Catholic Extension currently supports seminarian education, the deaconate and lay leaders to continue to build up the Catholic Church and provide a spiritual home for residents of the island where Catholicism first came to this part of the world in the days of Christopher Columbus.

50 Catholic sisters from Latin America came to Chicago last week to participate in various activities sponsored by Catholic Extension, including a vocations retreat for 20 young women interested in religious life. The sisters are part of Catholic Extension's U.S.-Latin American Sisters Exchange program, which allows them to serve Latino communities in poor parishes in 12 dioceses across the country. In this episode, hear more about their ministry and their adventures in the Windy City. Click here to see photos and video from their visit.

As the school year comes to a close at New Mexico State University, we caught up with Associate Campus Minister Mona Alvarez Chip and Director of Campus Ministry Sal Melendrez at St. Albert the Great Newman Center. Watch to hear about all of the great campus ministry activities happening in the Diocese of Las Cruces thanks to the support of our generous donors. Read more about our funding of campus ministry across the country: http://cathext.in/2qIH5OX

This episode shows how three great faith leaders named Francis — St. Francis, Pope Francis, and Father Francis Clement Kelley —are inviting us to “recognize the face of Christ in the poor.” Stories highlight a Catholic community in rural Arkansas and Pope Francis at the U.S.-Mexico border. Learn more: https://www.catholicextension.org/stories/catholic-extension-episodic-series

In this monthly podcast series, join host Father Jack Wall, president of Catholic Extension, in a journey across the country to discover all the good that is happening in our country’s poorest regions because of the presence of the Catholic Church. Learn more at www.catholicextension.org.

Sharing thoughts from parish priests and Bishop Gerald Barnes, Catholic Extension's vice president of mission Joe Boland offers a reflection on the harsh reality facing immigrant Catholics in the Diocese of San Bernardino, California and the Catholic leaders seeking to minister to them.

Laura and Kenn Cramer, a young adult couple from Denver, left their comfortable lives to follow God's call and become missionaries to Catholic Native Americans in rural Montana. Listen to this interview with Laura to hear about the challenges and spiritual fruits of their ministry on the reservation.

Catholic Extension has a long history of supporting the Catholic Church in Texas. See how our work has allowed the Church to strengthen communities and reach out to the poor throughout the state.

Joe Boland, vice president of mission for Catholic Extension, recently appeared on Relevant Radio to discuss our work in the growing Diocese of Salt Lake City, which covers the entire state of Utah. Even in the heart of Mormon country, the Catholic population is exploding, especially among young people. Bishop Oscar Solis was recently instated as the diocese's new shepherd. Listen to a discussion on Relevant Radio about Utah's new bishop and life in a rural mission diocese.

Sister Monica Dubois has been serving at Saint Anne Mission Church on a Navajo reservation in Klagetoh, Arizona for more than 18 years. Her work is helping Native Americans to satisfy both their physical and spiritual needs in a challenging area of the United States. READ MORE

Listen to this interview on Relevant Radio to learn more about our Lenten Digital Immersion Trip. Sign up today at www.catholicextension.org/lent and each week of Lent you will receive an email containing a reflection written by a Catholic leader from communities supported by Catholic Extension around the country. You will also receive inspiring stories of faith from these communities and suggestions for prayer, fasting and almsgiving throughout Lent. See how the Catholic Church is thriving in some of the poorest areas of the country and meet the people who are helping to transform lives through the power of faith.

This program highlights the Church’s corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Featured ministries include visiting the imprisoned in Louisiana and feeding and clothing the poor in the Appalachian mountains of Kentucky. Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, and bishops from mission dioceses reflect on the topic of mercy.

This episode features lay women and women religious in many different Catholic ministries- ranging from outreach to the poor to sheltering neglected children, teaching, youth ministry and Native American ministry.

The Lord hears the cry of the poor — and so do these priests, who go and serve where they are needed the most. Come along with these pastors and see how, by building faith, they are transforming people’s lives and their whole communities.

Episode five explores the presence of the Millennial generation in the Catholic Church. Meet young leaders--both lay and religious--who are inspiring their peers to a greater involvement in Church activities and ministries. These Millennials represent the future of the Church, but they are also having a major impact on the Catholic Church right now.

Seminarian Matt Schmitz of the Diocese of Crookston was ordained a deacon on April 30. In this interview, he discusses how his call to the priesthood came through the sacraments, describes the joys and challenges of life as a seminarian, and looks ahead to living out his vocation as a priest.

Episode 4 tell the stories of truly inspiring people in our Church. It highlights women religious, U.S. Military Chaplains, & Bishop George Thomas of the mission diocese in Helena, Montana. Watch more at http://videoseries.catholicextension.org