Saint John Paul II in his Encyclical Letter “On the Permanent Validity of the Church’s Missionary Mandate, Redemptoris Missio,” stressed the necessity of missionary cooperation:
…I wish to invite the Church to renew her missionary commitment. … For missionary activity renews the Church, revitalizes faith and Christian identity, and offers fresh enthusiasm and new incentive. Faith is strengthened when it is given to others! It is in commitment to the Church’s universal mission that the new evangelization of Christian peoples will find inspiration and support. … Local churches, although rooted in their own people and their own culture, must always maintain an effective sense of the universality of the faith.”
Thus, the Missionary Cooperative Program (MCP) of the Archdiocese of Denver fosters the spirit of mission in our parishes and shows the universality of our Church. Each year, in cooperation with the national office of the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, missionaries from Catholic organizations around the world are invited to visit parishes to share their experiences and needs with parishioners to ask for financial support and prayers.
How to Apply
Groups applying for participation in the MCP must be: 1) a Catholic diocese or eparchy or 2) a recognized Catholic missionary society in good standing serving in foreign countries or in a diocese in the United States that has been designated as missionary by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Home Missions Office.
1. The Application. Please review the Guidelines for complete information. The group’s mission coordinator must submit either an Application (the preferred method) or a letter which includes a description of the mission work and location, a brief explanation of how MCP funds will be used by the mission group if selected, the email and mailing addresses of the mission coordinator and authorized secondary contact person for the mission, and relevant information regarding the mission speaker(s).
2. Letter of Introduction. You must include a Letter of Introduction from the local Ordinary or the community’s Superior General, or, if a lay organization, from one of its Executives, which grants authority to the mission coordinator and authorized secondary contact person to represent the group for mission appeals. If the application letter is sent by an Ordinary, Superior, or Executive then the introduction letter is not necessary.
Applications are received July 1 – October 1 to be considered for the following year. However, only 35 applications are approved each year to participate in the following year’s program. If this limit is reached prior to the October 1 deadline, no more applications will be accepted. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you submit your application early within the timeframe in which applications are accepted. Missions approved to participate in the program will be notified in February.
Submit the Application
Mail the application and the Letter of Introduction to:
Archdiocese of Denver
Pastoral Outreach Office
1300 S. Steele St.,
Denver, CO 80210.
The Current MCP Year
Assignments for the current year were made in February. View stories and videos of previous MCP participants here.
