What is MDI and Capstone Day?

Maryknoll Missionaries, the Archdiocese of Seattle, and the Office for Catholic Schools have developed a program through our emphasis on discipleship as the lived experience of our Catholic identity.  The program involves our 7^th grade students who are at a pivotal point in their faith development.  The students are at the exact age to capture their hearts and hands for meaningful and intentional service, which we have appropriately titled “missionary discipleship.”  We have developed three units of study that embrace Pope Francis’ emphasis to actually see and respond to those who live on the margins.  Encounter, Disturbance and Response.

In the first unit, students encounter issues that face our world today.  They research various issues that speak of injustice and present the topics to the group to consider.  After the presentations, students come to consensus on one issue that, as a group, they will invest a deeper dive.  They are encouraged to be disturbed by the data and the actual stories of those on the margins.  Students research how the Catholic Church has responded to the issue, and then they themselves decide how they will respond as a class.   As part of their work, they commit to an immersion experience in one of the local Church-sponsored locations.  For our students in Seattle, this includes St. Vincent de Paul, the Cathedral Kitchen at St. James, and Christ our Hope Parish. A secondary benefit of the immersion experience is the parent participation.  Many parents report that as a result of their investment of time as a field trip chaperone, they now have committed to giving time as a family to that cause.  This is where real change of hearts and minds happen, when the family actions and the school initiatives are aligned.

We have tried a variety of ways to provide our 7^th grade missionary disciples from across the Archdiocese with a capstone experience to help them summarize and celebrate their efforts.  Developmentally, we acknowledge that one of the ways that would be most effective and make the greatest impression is to host these students for a day of celebration where they can present their work to one another.  We now have 28 Catholic schools who have registered in our MDI program, which is over 750 7th graders! By gathering at Seattle Unvierstiy, our missionary disciples and young leaders of our communities can share their learning, hear keynote speakers, and realize the power of a unified voice for serving those on the margins.

2020 Missionary Discipleship Institute Capstone Day

Friday, April 24, 2020 9 AM to 2 PM

SEATTLE UNIVERSITY REDHAWK CENTER

550 14th Avenue East – Seattle, WA 98112

Featured Speakers:

• Key leaders from our communities
• Deacon Dennis Kelly, representing homeless outreach
• University students who are active missionary disciples
• Kristin Dixon, Superintendent for Catholic Schools
• Anna Johnson, Maryknoll
• Joe Cotton, Archdiocese of Seattle

Doors open at 9AM – Table exhibitors available – Presentations begin at 10 AM – Day concludes at 2 PM.

Chaperones needed as table facilitators – 1:7 Youth

Please RSVP by April 1, 2020 (NO fooling!) Please have the MDI Teacher register their 7th grade class per the directions of the registration form.

To register:  https://archdioceseofseattle-jlits.formstack.com/forms/mdi_capstone 

Please share flyer broadly!  MDI Capstone Day II 2 (002)