St. Matthias Parish will host World Mission Ministries’ “Around the World Celebration” on Friday, Sept. 29. (Submitted photo)
World Mission Ministries invites you for an evening of food, music and fun.
“Around the World Celebration: Experiencing Mission Through Culture” will be from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, at St. Matthias Parish (9306 W. Beloit Road, Milwaukee).
Bishop James T. Schuerman will give an opening statement, Director Antoinette Mensah, Ph.D., will give a brief welcome and Fr. Jerry Herda, the pastor of St. Matthias and a board member of World Mission Ministries, will serve as the emcee for the evening.
“He has a big missionary heart, so we’re happy to have him,” said Lucca Kenyon, Administrative and Events Assistant for World Mission Ministries, of Bishop Schuerman.
According to Kenyon, “This event allows us to increase awareness of the Church’s global missionary activity, to showcase the global connections our parishes are engaged in and to open the door for solidarity and support.”
“We want to welcome our old friends, create new partners in mission, showcase our mission immersion experiences and highlight the parishes that are involved with twinning relationships,” said Kenyon, who estimates about 45 parishes in the archdiocese have twinning relationships with parishes across the globe. “(A twinning relationship is) more than financial support — it is about mutuality and relationship building. We want to showcase their work and celebrate the importance of global mission and all that is going on.”
Attendees are invited to hear from lay missioners who have experienced living among other cultures and will be inspired by hearing their celebratory and life-changing stories.
“It will be nice for our guests to hear their celebratory stories of the goodness and fruits that come from being involved with brothers and sisters abroad, and from forming relationships on a global level,” said Kenyon.
The evening will also include performances by cultural music groups (Bembe Drum and Dance, and Show Latino Mariachi Zamora), and food from around the world. Kenyon said she is most interested in trying pupusas, a thick griddle cake or flatbread from El Salvador and Honduras, made with cornmeal or rice flour, similar to the Colombian arepa she enjoyed during the office’s pilgrimage to Bogota in May.
“We are called to be a witness and proclaim the Gospel. I hope attendees will be intrigued to consider joining an immersion experience, a twinning ministry, or becoming a home missioner serving the global Church on behalf of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee,” Kenyon said. “When you have the opportunity to be linked to people in different countries, you can share your faith and make connections. There’s something super cool about connecting with our brothers and sisters abroad, and no matter where you go in the world, you find Jesus in the people you encounter.”
The deadline to register for “Around the World Celebration: Experiencing Mission Through Culture” is Wednesday, Sept. 20. The cost for the adults-only event is $25 per person, $40 per couple, or $175 for a table of eight.
Contact Lucca Kenyon at kenyonl@archmil.org or 414-758-2280 for more information, or register at https://officeforworldmission.givingfuel.com/around-the-world-celebration-registration.
