This summer, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will be convening an unprecedented gathering of diverse leaders from dioceses and Catholic organizations from across the country to assess the challenges and opportunities of our time, particularly in the context of the Church in the United States. An ongoing initiative of the Bishops' Working Group on the Life and Dignity of the Human Person, the Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the Gospel in America, will assemble Catholic leaders in Orlando, Florida for a strategic conversation, under the leadership of the bishops, on forming missionary disciples to animate the Church and to engage the culture.  

The moment is also an opportunity for the Church in the United States to examine today's concerns, challenges, and opportunities in the light of the Church's mission of evangelization, and be equipped to go forth, ready to engage the world with the joy of the gospel. Inspired by Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) the Convocation will form leaders who will be equipped and re-energized to share the Gospel as missionary disciples, while offering fresh insights informed by new research, communications strategies, and successful models.

Bishop Richard J. Malone will be attending with at least eighteen people from the Diocese of Buffalo, with generous assistance from the Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo. The Buffalo team includes local practitioners, clergy, emergent thinkers and missionary innovators who are in positions to bring back and help implement some of the ideas which are shared at the gathering. 

The Convocation of Catholic Leaders will be held in Orlando, Florida, from July 1—July 4, 2017.