Miriam Bannon, CCVI, joints the USCCB Secretariat for Cultural Diversity as Project Manager of V Encuentro Youth and Young Adult Leadership Initiative (VEYYALI).

Washington DC:  The USCCB Secretariat for Cultural Diversity in the Church has contracted Miriam Bannon, a Sister of Charity of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, as Project Manager of a post V Encuentro initiative.  The project will develop and implement comprehensive guidelines for a nationally replicable model and methodology for leadership development and formation of emerging youth and young adult Hispanic leaders.

After receiving her M.Ed. and M.A. from Trinity College, Dublin, Miriam left Ireland inspired by Gandhi’s invitation to live the change she wanted to see.  Miriam believes a vision becomes reality when people embark on a journey together.  For over 30 years, from the Sierra Tarahumara in the high plateau of Northern Mexico, to Mexico City, and finally to the US Midwestern heartland, Miriam has accompanied communities, a task she considers “akin to walking barefoot on sacred ground.”  The people taught her to hold steadfast to their hopes and dreams, to be consistent and faithful.  They taught her solidarity, how to give and receive hospitality, and to share stories and resources.

Miriam brings over three decades of experience in education, pastoral ministry and leadership formation in Mexico and the US.  From 2000 to 2011 her role in Instituto Cultural de Liderazgo en el Medioeste (ICLM) centered on developing practicum experiences for ministerial students, training mentors and establishing equivalencies for diocesan recognition leading toward certification in Hispanic Ministry. As a member of Federación de Institutos Pastorales (FIP), Miriam coordinated the development of an accreditation process for Hispanic Pastoral Institutes in the United States.  More recently, she has worked in strategic pastoral planning in Mexico City and as Field Investigator for the Urban Pastoral Development Network in describing and analyzing new approaches to evangelization and ministry.

As Project Manager, Miriam will coordinate the approximately three-year development of a national project for leadership formation of Hispanic youth and adults.   Phase I of this project will invite institutions and organizations to propose best practices in leadership formation. In Phase II, they will work together to construct the program and implement a pilot study.  Collaborative pathways leading towards degree programs will be explored.  Phase III will focus on expanding the program and further identifying alternatives for Hispanic leaders to have access to academic degrees in various institutions of higher education.

Click here to read Sr. Miriam Bannon profile.