Called to Witness

"Our faith calls us to work for justice; serve those in need; to pursue peace; and to defend the life, dignity and rights of all our sisters and brothers."

— Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry U.S. Bishops 1997

2010 Called to Witness Program - Bolivia and Peru
August 20-30, 2010

 

Called to Witness is an overseas program co-sponsored by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM). It is designed to provide a short-term, firsthand experience of the developing world for adults serving and working in Catholic youth ministry. Through the Called to Witness program, CRS provides youth ministry professionals and volunteers with an opportunity to enhance their ministry to young people and strengthen their ability to promote global justice in the Catholic educational community.

Called to Witness participants visit a variety of CRS project sites and begin to build solidarity with our brothers and sisters overseas all within a spiritual context, reflecting on Catholic social teaching and specific teachings on global solidarity. Effort is made to emphasize CRS’ work that aids young people, as well as providing an opportunity to interact with staff and partners in the host country. The Called to Witness experience does not aim to be a direct service program, but rather an opportunity for meeting people, developing relationships with them, learning about CRS programs, and gathering information.

Download a CTW information sheet here. pdf icon (14 KB)

Participants in the 2010 Called to Witness Trip
  • Cassie Erazo (Wichita Falls, Texas)
  • Keri Flahive (Austin, Minnesota)
  • Jackie Francois (Yorba Linda, California)
  • Lisa Gerardi (Randolph, New Jersey)
  • Kathy Regan (Shanendoah, Iowa)
  • Marilyn Santos (Atlanta)
  • Carolyn Trumble (Portland, Oregon)
  • Jeanine Boucher-Colbert (CRS Staff)
  • Ted Miles (CRS Staff)
  • Matthew Robaszkiewicz (NFCYM Staff)
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Announcement from Catholic Relief Services

concerning the 2009 Called to Witness Global Solidarity Trip

 

In the face of the global food crisis, exacerbated by the current extraordinary economic uncertainties and challenges, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has found it necessary to make difficult choices that protect its mission of serving the poor and maintain its commitment to practice good stewardship of available resources. It is within this context that CRS has made the difficult decision to suspend its global solidarity trips, including Called to Witness, for 2009. Though this announcement comes as a disappointment to many, it does not diminish the commitment of CRS to serving you in your effort to lead young people to live in solidarity with those living in poverty. As CRS ascertains the long-term effects and demands of both the food and economic crises, periodic updates regarding future trips will be posted on the CRS Education and NFCYM websites. If you would like to be notified personally regarding those updates, please contact Ted Miles for more information.

Ted Practices His Balancing

2008 Participants
April 13-27, 2008

Read the Called to Witness Travelogue From Nigeria.

Click Here to View Photos from the Trip. More Photos Available on the NFCYM iNet.

Watch a PowerPoint Presentation of Photos from Nigeria.

  • Amy Catherine Bly
    St. Mary of the Lake, Lake City, Minnesota
  • Dawn Dones
    St. William, Louisville
  • Kat Doyle
    St. Brendan the Navigator, Atlanta
  • David Gallant
    St. Mary of the Annunciation, Portsmouth, Ohio
  • Thomas Hargis
    St. Leo the Great, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
  • Christina Lujan
    St. Louis of France Church, La Fuente, California
  • Norma L. Valdez
    Director of Youth Ministry, Diocese of El Paso, Texas
  • Sue Versluys
    Director of Youth Ministry, Diocese of Rochester
  • Matthew Robaszkiewicz
    NFCYM Staff
  • Ted Miles, Dennis Fisher, Chris West, and Jackie Ireland
    CRS Staff

Called to Witness developed by Catholic Relief Services in partnership with NFCYM provides U.S. Catholic youth ministers with a global experience. It helps them call and empower young people to an active commitment to work for justice, peace, and human dignity. Participants in the Called to Witness program work with mentors in the Catholic youth ministry community to shape an action plan for integrating global solidarity into their ministry.Catholic Relief Services Logo

Those selected to participate in the Called to Witness program will work with mentors in the Catholic youth ministry community to shape an action plan for integrating global solidarity into their ministry. It is expected that the action plan be implemented during the year following the trip.  Additionally, participants in the Called to Witness program will be asked to assist Catholic Relief Services and the NFCYM with the development of ongoing youth education, social justice, and global solidarity initiatives.

2007 Called to Witness Trip - Ecuador

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The 2007 Called to Witness trip took place September 13-26, 2007 and included a 2-day orientation in Baltimore before traveling to Quito, Ecuador.  Read the travelogue to discover how the trip focused particular attention on the situation of poverty and exclusion of Ecuadorian children and young people in terms of livelihood, migration, education, and child labor; as well as programs developed in Ecuador to provide integral protection in areas of human mobility, education, child participation, emergency relief and solidarity-based livelihoods.

The 2007 Called to Witness Team, posing at the Equator line, include:group picture

    • Joyce Francois, Archdiocesan Director of Youth Ministry, Detroit
    • Elaine Menardi, Diocesan Director of Youth Ministry, Cheyenne, Wyoming
    • Caroline Rau Roach, Coordinator of Youth Ministries, St. Athanasius, Pittsburgh
    • John Rinaldo, Archdiocesan Consultant for Youth Ministry and Confirmation, Los Angeles
    • Claudia Brown, Director of Youth Ministry, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Woodbridge, Virginia
    • Mark Pacione, Director for the Division of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, Archdiocese of Baltimore
    • Michael Theisen, Director of Membership Services, NFCYM, Washington, D.C.
    • CRS Staff: Ted Miles, Marcos Martines, Laura Johnson, and Yazmina Zambrano (Ecuadorian Coordinator)

Other Called to Witness Trips...

Called to Witness Participants: 2001-2003Since 1999, the Called to Witness trip has visited Catholic Relief Services' programs in Haiti, Jerusalem/West Bank/Gaza, India, Rwanda, and Ecuador.