2017 USCCB Convocation Participants Guidebook and Journal | Page 33

Preparation for the Convocation
noted in the introduction, key ways to prepare include prayer,
reading this guide, and studying Evangelii Gaudium.
Preparation for the Convocation will involve every individual
who attends the Convocation and will call for personal effort and
time. As much as possible, however, participants are encouraged
to prepare for the Convocation as a team, whether attending as
a delegation from a diocese, organization, or other community
or group. This team approach will be highlighted first as a lens to
look at all the various aspects of preparation and implementation.
Delegates can adjust these suggested preparation tips to fit their
specific circumstances. Realizing time may be limited before the
Convocation, it is still important for participants to do some kind
of preparatory activity, the extent of which is at the discretion of
the delegation.
Praying, Thinking, Acting as a Team
Delegations at the Convocation are called to learn and teach each
other, as well as interact with leaders from other delegations. The
formation o f delegations is at the discretion of the bishop and
organizational leadership. It is hoped that, where possible, dele-
gations will represent a broad spectrum of leadership, inclusive
of emerging leaders and culturally and generationally diverse.
It is also recommended that dioceses think of forming broader
teams within the local Church who can pray for and support the
attending delegation and assist the delegation in implementing
the Convocation afterward.
Team members of diocesan delegations have been chosen by
their bishop to be active participants in the Convocation and not
simply passive receivers. They are collaborators with their bishop
in his leadership of the diocese. Similar points apply to organiza-
tional delegations chosen by their leaders. Prior to arriving at the
Convocation, each team should discern the needs of their diocese
or organization in terms of living missionary discipleship more fully
as encouraged in Pope Francis’s Evangelii Gaudium. The sessions at
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