The American Catholic Spirt

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.