News from the AMS

	Contact: Taylor Henry  (202) 719-3643 Photo Cutline Below
	FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 02/27/2014
	Catholic Catechists in U.S. Military Gather in Baltimore for Mid-Atlantic Congress Archbishop Broglio to give opening talk on “The Joy of Proclaiming Jesus Christ according to Lumen Fidei” BALTIMORE—Fifty-four religious educators and supporters of the Archdiocese for the Military Services (AMS) will be among Catholic lay leaders gathering in Baltimore, Md. this weekend for three days of  training, discussion, and prayer at the  3rd Annual Mid-Atlantic Congress – Forming Catholic Leaders for Faith-filled Service. The Congress, co-sponsored by the Association of Catholic Publishers and the Archdiocese of Baltimore, in partnership with the National Leadership Roundtable for Church Management, offers parish and diocesan staff and volunteers an in-depth opportunity to address temporal challenges facing Catholic leaders in the areas of management, finances, human resources, and planning. More than 1300 from across the country are registered to attend. The AMS group—consisting of catechists and others from United States military installations mainly throughout the eastern United States, but as far away as Wiesbaden, Germany—will focus on ways to develop catechetical leadership in faith formation programs for military families. On Thursday evening, at an opening dinner sponsored by the Catholic book publishing house RCL Benziger of Cincinnati, Ohio, His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, will deliver a talk on “The Joy of Proclaiming Jesus Christ according to Lumen Fidei.” Friday and Saturday are filled with a busy schedule of roundtables, breakout sessions, speeches and exhibits as well as the Sacraments of Reconcilation and the Eucharist. Mr. Jose Amaya, AMS Director of Faith Formation, said: “The Mid-Atlantic Congress is a wonderful opportunity for military catechetical leaders and catechists to nourish their faith journey with Jesus Christ and to strengthen their skills to teach the faith to all. Participants will find the liturgies, general assemblies and the workshops to be inspiring and vibrant moments to ignite the flame of faith to go out to make disciples for Jesus Christ. The Congress is also an opportunity to meet and interact with other colleagues and to find good resources for ministry.” The AMS group of 54 includes RCL Benziger representatives and lay leaders from the following military installations: Aberdeen Proving Ground, Fort Meade, Wiesbaden-Germany, Joint Base (JB) Anacostia/Bolling, Caslisle Barracks, Langley Air Force Base (AFB), Travis AFB and Fort Eustis. Other special guests include Michael Howard, a facilitator helping to train catechists with the AMS Catechetical Methodology course, and Jeff and Janet Harmon from Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Lexington Park, Md., who have been affiliated with the military. Each of the three days is organized around a particular theme: on Thursday, it’s “Journey with Christ in Faith;” on Friday, “Journey with Christ in Workshop;” and on Saturday, “Journey with Christ in Witness.” In Los Angeles next month, a similar congress will be held for dioceses mainly in the western United States. The Los Angeles Religious Education Congress will be held March 14-16 in Anaheim, CA.  The AMS dinner there will be held on March 13, 2014. For more information, go here. -30- Photo Cutline: AMS Director of Faith Formation Jose Amaya with Archbishop Timothy Broglio at the 2013 Mid-Atlantic Congress in Baltimore.
	-30- ------------------------------------ The Archdiocese for the Military Services (AMS) was created as an independent archdiocese by Pope John Paul II in 1985 as the only Catholic jurisdiction responsible for endorsing and granting faculties for priests to serve as chaplains in the U.S. military and VA Medical Centers. AMS-endorsed priests serve at more than 220 U.S. military installations in 29 countries, making the AMS the nation's only global archdiocese. AMS-endorsed priests also serve at 153 VA Medical Centers throughout the U.S. The AMS service population also includes American Catholic civilians working for the federal government in 134 countries, but currently, due to limited resources, the AMS cannot adequately serve this population. Worldwide, an estimated 1.8 million Catholics depend on the AMS to meet their spiritual and sacramental needs. For more information on the Archdiocese for the Military Services, visit www.milarch.org, the only official website for Catholics in the military and for the Cause of Father Vincent Capodanno, MM.