Catholic Extension to Host Event in Mississippi and Arkansas July 10-13, 2012

Contact: Renae Godish, 312-346-2005

CHICAGO, June 25, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- Catholic Extension today announced that it has selected 11 young adults from across the U.S. to participate in its second annual Emerging Catholic Leaders event on July 10-13, 2012. The event brings together young adult Catholics who are active in their faith to experience Catholic Extension's work in growing the vibrancy of the Church through a focus on developing people, supporting ministries and investing in infrastructure in poor mission dioceses across America.

As part of this immersion experience, participants will witness faith in action through visits to local Catholic parishes in Arkansas and Mississippi. Though resources are scarce in these areas, the faith is strong. Their first visit will be Holy Spirit Church in Hamburg, Ark. Holy Spirit is a poor, rural mission church with a growing Latino population. Participants will meet Sisters who have recently joined the parish in an effort to help it thrive as a faith community. The participants will also visit Sacred Heart in Camden, Miss., an African American church with roots in the Civil Rights era. Sacred Heart has become a vibrant parish and a center of service for the entire community.

The participants will have an opportunity to connect with other young adults from both mission dioceses (those supported by Catholic Extension) and non-mission dioceses and learn how they, as emerging leaders, can contribute to the future vibrancy of the Catholic Church throughout the U.S.

Participants include:

• Amy Pasden, Marina Pastrana, Matt Schweitzer and Kari Tarnstrom of the Archdiocese of Boston, Mass.
   
• Jennifer Sawyer and Kasia Tsarowska of the Archdiocese of New York, N.Y.
   
• Marisela Rios of the Diocese of Boise, Idaho
   
• Maria Izquerido of the Diocese of Little Rock, Ark.
   
• Rebecca Koury of the Diocese of Lexington, Ky.
   
• Brian Geer of the Diocese of Helena, Mont.
   
• Sarah Rachah of the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings, Mont.

"Emerging Catholic Leaders is an opportunity for young adult Catholics to experience all the beauty and diversity of the Catholic Church in America," said Catholic Extension President Father Jack Wall. "They will also witness the great financial need our mission dioceses face. Our participants were selected by their local parishes and dioceses based on their passion and leadership in their church. We're proud to introduce them to the work of Catholic Extension and assist them in their roles as emerging leaders in the Catholic faith."

For more information on this event, visit the Emerging Catholic Leaders page on the Catholic Extension website.

About Catholic Extension
Catholic Extension uniquely contributes to the growth and vibrancy of the church in the U.S. by strategically investing in poor mission dioceses to unleash the power of faith that transforms hearts, lives and society. Based in Chicago, this national organization provides funding resources to dioceses and parishes to support programs and services investing in people, infrastructure and ministries. This support is given based on need, as well as passion and commitment to the growth of the Catholic faith. Since 1905, Catholic Extension has distributed more than $500 million to communities across America. For more information, visit www.catholicextension.org.