2014-15 MCA Program Information for Schools

1. Diocesan Director: Reverend Robert F. Sharman Diocesan MCA Coordinator: (717) 657-4804 ext. 240 Mrs. Karen Harding [email protected] (717) 657-4804 ext. 240 [email protected] 2. Educational Goals of MCA: V To assist children to understand and fulfill their identity and mission as evangelizers; V To help children become more aware and appreciative of the multicultural dimension of the Church; V To stress the connection between action, reflection, and prayer; and, V To motivate children to reject the values of the prevailing culture (individualism and materialism) and implement the values of Jesus (compassion and generosity).

3. Theme for 2014-15 school year: God’s Gift of Forgiveness (John 20:21-23)

4. Ordering FREE MCA supplies: Most MCA supplies are produced from the National Office of Pontifical Mission Societies in New York City. As the Diocesan MCA Office, we assist in providing information about the materials and help you with placing orders. Most MCA supplies are free, making it a great value to you. We also stock a limited supply of mite boxes, newsletters, posters, etc.; if you run short mid-season, please call us.

A Resource Guide may be viewed online on www.MCAkids.org (click on “Resource Guide”). If you order online from this website, a credit-card payment for shipping is required at time of order. If you are unable to provide a card, please place your order through our Diocesan office using the enclosed order form, and the Missions Office will be billed.

The New York website also offers downloads and reproducibles.

5. Remitting Contributions/Checks to the Missions Office: Your school has an established procedure for remitting contributions to MCA. If you send a check, please make it payable to “Missionary Childhood Association” and send to the Diocesan Missions Office (4800 Union Deposit Road, Harrisburg, PA 17111-3710). If contributions are remitted via HCAS transmittals, please code to GL #277.

We always appreciate extra information, such as what activities your students did to raise MCA funds. Contributions are acknowledged each month by a letter from Father Sharman to the children.

See over for program highlights! 6. Some highlights of this year’s MCA program:

V It’s Our World newsletters for Advent and Lent with Leader’s Guide. V Emailed monthly mission-themed activity packets. V Mite boxes for year-round or Advent/Lent use. V New! MCA posters and prayer cards for the classroom. V New! World Mission Rosary videos, posters, and pamphlets. V New! Free World Mission rosaries—to help teach prayer and the missions. Details will be mailed in September. V World Mission Sunday (October 19) materials will be available online at www.MCAkids.org around the end of September. V Christmas Artwork Contest—last year the Harrisburg Diocese had two winners out of thousands of entries! V “Holy Buckets” interactive website program for Advent. V National “Prayer and Penny Week” program in Lent (March 8-14): Leader’s Guide with activities, prayers, ideas, and stories from the missions. V National website www.MCAkids.org offering ideas, stories, prayer services, and reproducibles for downloading and printing. V Missionary Visits: a roster of missionary priests currently serving in the Diocese of Harrisburg who would be available for a school Mass or to give a presentation on missionary activity, including their stories, life, work, and missionary vocation. The list will be mailed to you in September.

7. Please stop by the Missions Childhood Association table at the Diocesan Education Conference at McDevitt on September 17 for more information and samples!