A gathering under one roof of evangelization apostolates and mission groups in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has been part of Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s vision for unity in the archdiocese since his 2022 pastoral letter, “You Will Be My Witnesses: Gathered and Sent From the Upper Room,” said Deacon Joseph Michalak.
The Partners in Mission gathering took place July 16-17 at St. John Neumann in Eagan, said Deacon Michalak, pastoral letter and formation adviser for the archdiocese. It was the first such meeting in the archdiocese’s history, Deacon Michalak said in an interview.
The mission partners discussed how to be missionary disciples — which the archdiocese’s Office of Discipleship and Evangelization defined as daily formation through Jesus’ “intentional relationship with us and our commitment to walk with him.”
Over 40 mission organizations had representatives at the meeting, including St. Paul’s Outreach in Mendota Heights, Twin Cities Prison Ministry, the Institute for Diaconate Formation at The St. Paul Seminary and the archdiocese’s Latino Ministry and Office for the Mission of Catholic Education, all in St. Paul.
During the 2025 Archdiocesan Synod Assembly, held June 7 at Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, adult formation and discipleship in daily living were among the propositions that received the most votes in each of the three rounds of voting. The voting results were a Holy Spirit moment because this comprehensive gathering was planned well before the assembly, Deacon Michalak said.
“(People) are hungering: ‘Give us more formation,’” Deacon Michalak said. Referencing organizations such as NET Ministries in West St. Paul and the Catechetical Institute at The St. Paul Seminary, Deacon Michalak said, “For all of our riches, we actually don’t have a practical way of working together. (In) one aspect of increasing our unity, we recognize that we need to begin building those relationships amongst all these different groups and apostolates. They all share a common mission: Evangelization and missionary disciple formation. … They have different focus areas, but an incredible commonality of vision. We want to build relationships. We want to pray together. We want to begin a conversation around a shared language, common language for mission and evangelization. And then we want to start getting really concrete.”
The meeting on July 17 sought to answer two questions: What is a missionary disciple, and how to form missionary disciples?
At the meeting, the Office of Discipleship and Evangelization defined a missionary disciple as “one who participates by grace in the Divine Life and mission of Jesus Christ and who therefore as priest, prophet, king endeavors to bring all dimensions of life under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. One in whom Jesus is living his divine life anew (Gal 2:20).”
“How do we help pastors get a vision for this, and practically, concretely?” Deacon Michalak said. “What exactly that implementation is going to be remains to be seen. The archbishop and people are discerning that right now. That discernment goal will go into fall. … But regardless of what the concrete application or implementation looks like, whatever it is, it’s going to need the wisdom of, ‘How do you actually, in a parish and with staff, form missionary disciples?’”
Father Brian Fischer, a spiritual director with the Bethany Center for Prayer and Renewal in Scandia, shared during a large group discussion that unity in the room “was already there.”
“God was working in the different groups,” Father Fischer said. “I was amazed at how quickly we had a common understanding of conversion, giving your life to Jesus. … This was already happening, and it’s beautiful that we came together as (it was) a long time coming. Perhaps, really, the only thing to do is just to do it again.”
MISSION LEADERS, ORGANIZATIONS AND APOSTOLATES
Archbishop Bernard Hebda
Bishop Michael Izen
Bishop Kevin Kenney
Vicars for Evangelization
Vicar of Charisms
Office of Discipleship and Evangelization (ODE), including Parish Evangelization Cells (PECS) and Marriage, Family, Youth
Delegate for Consecrated Life
Totus Tuus
The St. Paul Seminary
Institute for Diaconate Formation (IDF)
Institute for Ongoing Clergy Formation (IOCF)
Catholic Rural Life
Catechetical Institute (CI)
Association of Coordinators of Religious Education (ACRE)
NET Ministries
St. Paul’s Outreach
Focus
Cana Family Institute
Catholic Watchmen
Coalition of Ministry Associations (CMA)
Office for the Mission of Catholic Education (OMCE)
Latino Ministry
Damascus Retreats
St. John Neumann in Eagan
St. Lawrence in Minneapolis and Brotherhood of Hope
St. Paul in Ham Lake
Catholic Charismatic Renewal Office
Community of Christ the Redeemer
Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas
Guadalupe Scholars
Evangelical Catholic
Communion and Liberation
Emmanuel and Maternity of Mary
Oratory and St. Mary
Neocatechumenal Way and St. Bernard in St. Paul
Alpha
Couples for Christ
Knights of Columbus: Cor Formation
World Wide Marriage Encounter
Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Movement
Commission of Black Catholics
Hmong Catholics
Called and Gifted
Curatio
Twin Cities Prison Ministry
Center for Evangelization and Discipleship (CEND)
Cursillo
Encounter Ministries
Bethany Center for Prayer and Renewal
Office for the Diaconate
