Page 34 - Catholic Extension Magazine - Spring 2016

34 IBiGshoNp’sPIulTpitE
A spirit of generosity
Archbishop Kurtz on the role of Catholic Extension in today’s Church
ARCHBISHOP JOSEPH E. KURTZ
of Louisville, Kentucky, has just completed his six-year service as the vice chancellor of Catholic Exten- sion. He became actively involved with Catholic Extension when he served as the bishop of the mission diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee, from 1999 until 2007. He is currently the president of the U.S. Conference
Wof Catholic Bishops.
hat are the most important
things you have learned
from working with Catholic Extension?
e rst is generosity. Christ calls for generosity from donors, from the people who work at Catholic Extension and from those who bene t. ere is a great spirit of generosity that surrounds Cath- olic Extension.
And second: We often talk about the communion of Church, how the Church is united and one. e experience of Catholic Exten- sion in bringing together local churches in need and donors from throughout the United States is a wonderful example of how Christ brings us together as one Church.
I remember getting a call, when I was bishop of Knoxville, that someone had read an article in Extension magazine about Fran- ciscan Father Tom Vos’ ministry
in east Tennessee. Impressed by the article, that person wrote a $10,000 check that was to be used for a church in east Tennessee.
I was able to connect the donor with a parish that was building
a church. e priest was thrilled
to nd that in Catholic Extension he had a partner he never knew existed.
What do you see as the particular role Catholic Extension plays in the Catholic Church of the United States today?
I see two roles. e rst one is: Pope Francis is talking a lot about “accompanying,” walking with people in need. For over 100 years, the bread and butter of Catho-
lic Extension has been helping people build and repair church buildings, and that has been a tre- mendous act of accompaniment.
e second thing is the recent e orts in capacity-building, in helping to develop leaders in the mission dioceses. rough that important work, Catholic Exten- sion has had a great, positive impact on the Catholic Church in the United States. at includes the education of seminarians, the development of Hispanic Lay
Leaders and the development of Young Adult Leaders in the Church.
I had several seminarians whom we would never have been able to a ord to send to a semi- nary without the education fund- ing from Catholic Extension. I am also thinking of several wonderful young Latinos who have bene ted from Catholic Extension pro- grams. I recently got a letter from a former youth minister in Johnson City, Tennessee, who now works in South Carolina. If it weren’t for the support of Catholic Extension, she would never have had the chance to become the leader she is today. How do you see Pope Francis’ call to “go out to the peripheries” relating to the mission of Catholic Extension?
In many ways the call of Pope Francis to go out to the peripher- ies — which is the call of Jesus — and the more than 110-year-old mission of Catholic Extension to do just that are a great t. Catho- lic Extension has anticipated for decades the call that Pope Francis
Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz
says this Year of Mercy is a great clarion call to focus on the time-honored mission of mercy.