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

2008 Participants
April 13-27, 2008

Follow the travels of the Called to Witness Trip in 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
    St. Peter the Apostle, Ft. Worth
  • 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.