THE DIALOGUE by Tom McGuire, USCCA Board member
Participants met this weekend, 2-4 August 2024, at the USCCA 29th International Conference hosted in Chicago at DePaul University (Lincoln Park Campus).
Hope in Christ filled the air. There was palpable joy throughout the weekend, especially in the many intimate conversations that filled the time between keynote talks and panel presentations.
“Dialogue thrives on friendship, and most especially on service. All this we must remember and strive to put into practice on the example and precept of Christ.”
Over and over again, we experienced the reality of dialogue and friendship as we shared stories of unique opportunities to be signs of Christ’s love present in the Church in China and the U.S.
The communal spirit of conference participants was a marked contrast to conversations in the “digital chatter by those who judge everything and everyone, who use derogatory language, and who seem to need an “enemy” to exist.”
This quote is from Pope Paul VI’s handwritten Encyclical, Ecclesiam Suam, published on August 5, 1964, sixty years ago today.
In Section Three: The Dialogue, he wrote that dialogue:
“…is not proud,
it is not bitter,
It is not offensive.
Its authority is intrinsic
to the truth, it explains,
to the charity, it communicates,
to the example it proposes;
it is not a command,
it is not an imposition.
It is peaceful;
it avoids violent methods;
it is patient;
It is generous.”
“Dialogue thrives on friendship, and most especially on service. All this we must remember and strive to put into practice on the example and precept of Christ.”
His lengthy commentary describes Dialogue as a way for the Church to be present in the world. He Fills in details of our dialogue with the world that can help our dialogue remain authentic and be a dialogue of salvation.
As a follow-up to the conference, reflecting on Pope Paul VI’s Section Three of Ecclesiam Suam would be worthwhile.
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Our MISSION
Inspired by the Gospel, the mission of the US-China Catholic Association is to build bridges of friendship and dialogue between the people of China and the United States by offering educational, service, and cultural programs in support of the Church and the larger society.
Our VISION
The US-China Catholic Association was founded in 1989 by concerned U.S. bishops Maryknoll, the Jesuits, and representatives of other religious orders to promote mutual support and fraternal ties between the Church in China and the U.S. Church.
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