Introduction Evangelization and the Revitalization of the Parish. Become more welcoming as a Church. Live your life according to the Gospel. Go and.

Introduction

Evangelization and the Revitalization of the Parish.

• Become more welcoming as a Church.

• Live your life according to the Gospel.

• Go and make Disciples.

Chapter 2

Evangelization – The Church’s

Essential Mission

• Evangelization is as old as the Church itself. It has its roots in the ministry of Jesus, who was the first and greatest evangelizer. Yet, in many ways, evangelization is new to Catholics

• Evangelization was the purpose of Vatican II, but the Church has yet to embrace evangelization as its essential mission.

Evangelizing Themes of Vatican II

• The Church and the Kingdom

• The Nature of the Church

• The Church and the World

• Inculturation

• The Missionary Church

• Ecumenical Reconciliation and Inter religious Dialogue

• Renewal of Scripture• New Perspectives in

Theology

• Reasons Why Evangelization has not yet taken root as the essential mission of the Church:

• Newness• Lack of

Understanding• Pluralism• New Perspectives in

Theology• Resistance to Change• Challenge to Clergy

Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II further developed the idea of

evangelization.

Chapter 3

Disciples and Disciple-Makers

Jesus said,

“I have no other plans. I am counting on them.”

Disciple• Baptized Christian• Strong personal relationship with Christ

Discipleship• A form of spirituality that impacts our way of

thinking, feeling, and behaving• It transforms our lives

The task of the disciple-maker is to bring people to the point where they are willing to start the journey.

Catholic Disciple-Maker A disciple who’s life is rooted firmly in the belief

in the Trinity. This is reinforced in …

Worship

Doctrine

Spirituality

Moral life

God asks us not to be successful but to be faithful. Prayer enables us to discern God’s will in these circumstances and gives us the courage to do it.

Attributed to Mother Theresa

• Devoted to Prayer prepares disciple-makers by giving:

• Courage• Focus• Confidence

God has no other plan; therefore we must do it...

Chapter 4 Evangelization Is Our Deepest Identity

“…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem. And in Judea and Samaria, and to all

the ends of the earth.” ACTS 1:8

Spreading the Good News??• Many Catholics do not feel

comfortable sharing their faith with others

• Yet it is the purpose of the Church

to Spread the Gospel • “Our God is a Missionary God”

who sent his Son to be “his witness” here on earth

• As the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus at his baptism, marking the beginning of his ministry, so should we rely on the Holy Spirit to empower us for our ministry of sharing our faith

• Rivers pg 61-63

God is Love

• “The Second Vatican Council calls it God’s “fountain-like-love.” It is this love that is the source of God’s missionary activity.”

• God’s love is unconditional and he deeply loves all his people.

• Therefore to be like God we must exist for others and treat them with love and compassion.

• What could be more loving then to care for a person’s eternal soul by witnessing to them?

• Rivers pg 64-66

“This is who I am”

• “We Freely Choose to Evangelize because that is who God is and that is who we are.”

• “We need to see the Church as Missionary.” • Rivers pg 73-75

“Go and Make Disciples”

• A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the U.S.

• Introduced by the Bishops in 1992

• Evangelization doesn’t happen by accident or chance, the Church needs to be intimately involved.

Document is divided into two parts:

• 1. A vision of Catholic Evangelization

• 2. Outline of the goals and strategies needed to implement the vision.

• Evangelization= Bringing the good news of salvation into every human situation and seeking to convert individuals and society by the divine power of the Gospel itself.

• Let our faith shine, as we confront the world.

Goals of Evangelization:

• 1. To bring about enthusiasm for faith.• 2. Invite all people to hear message of salvation

is Jesus Christ • 3. Foster gospel values in society.

Evangelization is a call for everyone, not just a select few.

From Maintenance to Mission

Chapter 6

Goal I

Insight

• Goal I challenges Catholics to a lifelong pursuit of holiness, which provides the essential foundation for inviting others to share the faith

• To intensify the evangelizing power of the Sunday Eucharist

• To foster greater appreciation of cultural and ethnic spirituality

• Adult formation and catechesis

Chapter 7

Goal IIInsight: Goal II challenges Catholics to invite into the fullness of the Catholic

faith all those who do not share it

WELCOMINGA necessary part of outreach.

There is a difference between a family who attends a parish and a parish family.

HOSPITALITY Warm welcoming no matter what race, sex or cultural status they are.

Hospitality is tough because we are all aware of “Stranger Danger”.

Uninvited visitors such as sales people, telemarketers, spam and junk mail, even rodents and insects to name a few are all intruders that make us feel less hospitable.

Disciple makersWe need to extend ourselves as

Christ did. “ Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God” (Rom 15:7)

Make Parishes More Welcoming

• Where do we start? The 3 top points of contact for the first time is the receptionist, greeters and ushers.

• Do you really know your fellow parishioners?• How do we greet each other?• We need to go beyond welcoming the regulars and who

you know.• Posted at the Archdiocese of Louisville is the sign

stating: “ May no one visiting our parish for the first time leave as a stranger.”

• We must embrace disciple making to fully take on evangelization as a mission.

“Christian witness is indeed an indispensable element of

evangelization—but it is only a first step. We also need to do explicit

welcoming and inviting.”

Inviting is not pressuring, manipulating, proselytizing, forcing, tricking, duping, strong-arming, or using guilt.

“Invitation does not presuppose acceptance or expect reciprocation. It respects the freedom of the recipient.”

Methods of invitation National level – use of mass media

Local level – home visitations » For census visits, social visits, » Witness visits, or pastoral visits

Chapter 8

GOAL IIIChallenges Catholics to

Actualize their Faith in Society

Primary Objective:

“To foster gospel values in our society, promoting human dignity, the

importance of the family,..the common good of our society, so that our nation may… be transformed by the saving

power of Jesus Christ”. (GMD, no. 117)

OUR PHYSICAL UNIVERSE IS

INTERRELATED• We now realize that Pollution, Global Warming, Weather Systems ( El Nino) etc.. do not happen in isolation

We all may eventually be affected by these things on a Global Level

• Butterfly Effect

“Small variations of the initial condition….may produce large variations in the long term behavior of the system.” (www.wikipedia.org/ Butterfly Effect)

• “We have a highly interconnected Universe”

We are also tied to each other economically, socially and politically

Ex: Outsourcing- US Companies hire cheaper labor in other countries, yielding

a cheaper product, however, leaving less employment opportunities for

Americans.

1 Corinthians(12:20-21, 26-27)

As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you, “ nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you….” If one member suffers, all suffer together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

“This interconnectedness helps explain why we are called to take part in the reordering of society according to the values of God’s kingdom: by doing so, we are simply trying to right the balance of, and heal, the body of Christ, of which we are all a part”.

Catholic Social TeachingAnd

The Entire Christian Faith

• “Does not accept the apathy and defeatism that make individuals feel powerless to change things.

•Historically, salvation has occurred through individuals such as Jesus, Noah, Abraham, David, and Moses among others.

•More Examples of: The Power of One

Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa, Abraham Lincoln, and Rosa Parks

• “If every parishioner would carry the Christian values of social justice into the family, neighborhood, the workplace, and society, then the world would be transformed in Christ. The light of Christ would shine through these people and the parish would become a rainbow of hope, for all to see and give praise to the heavenly Father”.

How To Have a Greater Impact on Society’s Values

TWO PRONGED APPROACH

• Support elements that reflect Catholic Values

• Challenge elements that reject Catholic Values

Cultural Elements Reflecting Catholic Values

• Instinctual Religiousness

• Freedom• Religious Liberty• Focusing on the

Importance of Family

• Openness to Immigrants

• Idealism• Promoting Human

Dignity• Peacemaking

• Materialism• Sexism• Racism• Consumerism• Empty Fads

• Individualism• Selfishness• Neglect of the Poor

and Weak• Disregard for Human

Life

Elements That Reject Catholic Values

(GMD, nos. 58, 118)

Inserting Gospel Values into our Contemporary

Culture

“Faith must become culture” Pope John Paul II

Gospel Values have to impact the culture’s:

1. Judgment

2. Determining Values

3. Points of Interest

4. Lines of Thought

5. Sources of Inspiration

6. Models of Life (EN, no.19) Faith and Culture……Each one shapes and

influences the other.

Twin Pillars Of Social Justice Teaching:

A. The Dignity and Worth of EVERY

Human Being

B. Our Solidarity in the Human Family

“Society is based on the bedrock value of the individual person and the inherently social character of human life”.

“We are responsible for one another. The family is the place to begin.

FAMILY

“A place where people come to experience their worth and dignity as human beings because they are loved and valued unconditionally”.

“If that doesn’t happen in the family, individuals will spend their whole lives looking for something to fill them”. “A place where basic values are first learned’. “If they are not learned in the family, individuals are often irreparably at risk as they move into adulthood “Families help one another by encouraging, supporting and modeling family

life as the most important place where human dignity and solidarity get their solid foundations”.

The Church “Family” must reach out to other faiths and civic institutions because, “we have a common origin and a common destiny”. “By making an option for the poor, the church commits itself to change the structures of injustice that marginalize and dehumanize people. By working together, unnecessary duplication of services can be avoided and limited resources could be united and expanded”.

By Strengthening Society’s Moral Safety Net, We Will Be Able To Change Dehumanizing Structures of Immorality……Through The Power of

The ONE!

Are you called to Serve?

• One of the contributions of the Second Vatican Council was to reemphasize the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church.”

• “By the Holy Spirit, God fashioned us into the body of Christ that is the church and empowers all the baptized with gifts for ministry.”

Why is the parish an ideal venue for evangelization?

The parish is the spiritual center from which Catholics carry the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ and remains the “focal point of Catholic life”.

Emerging role of the laity defines the potential for evangelization. The success of evangelization depends on the leadership and widespread participation by all of the faithful.

Getting Involved

• Liturgical ministries• Family support groups• Bible study• Faith sharing• Retreat programs• Care ministries• Bereavement programs• Prison ministry• Religious education• Neighborhood outreach

Chapter 12

Formation of the Parish for Evangelization

Through our Baptism, we are all anointed priest, prophet and king

“This trilogy (priest, prophet and king) forms the basis of a solid spirituality for today.” p226

Christianity is an attitude of amazement before the dignity of all human persons - PJPII

Because our faith/ Christianity, is based on ideas as huge as dying for us and rising from the dead; we as human people “seek rituals, language, and a spirituality that strives to symbolize them (these magnificent cornerstones that defy human understanding).”

Trilogy Today: We think of PPK as Jesus, and not ourselves, yet we are called to all 3 roles in our baptism.

Baptism is about more than original sin.

The God of power and Father and of our Lord Jesus Christ has freed you from sin and brought you to new life through water and the Holy Spirit. He now anoints you with the chrism of salvation, so that, united with his people, you may remain forever a member of Christ who is Priest, Prophet and King. Amen

Paul called the baptized members of his congregation “saints” meaning that God is present to us and loves us with infinite love pg 230

The Church operates as a sort of Counter Culture through the trilogy

The Trilogy as Missionary means living our holiness in the world, prophetically speaking God’s good news to the world, and royally reordering our world according to the values of

Jesus’ teachings

Jesus: Priest-Healer

How can we think of ourselves as Priestly?We belong to God; we have our destiny in God (therefore, our lives are rooted in God and we are of a priestly existence)

Healing comes through enthusiastic faith

The Trilogy in our Parishes: work as a team to bring people to the wholeness of God, which means we can’t separate liturgy, catechetic, social justice and family life

We are called to be healers by mediating divine healing power in physical healing, exorcism and reconciliatory spiritual healing, and healing through self giving – the key being to recognize the needs of those we are helping, not our need to help

All Christians are called to a life of sacrifice, in our daily lives, which unites us with the priestly role of our baptism anointing.

Go and Make Disciples Goal 1 “To bring about in all Catholics such an enthusiasm for their faith that, in living their faith in Jesus, they freely share it with others.” p230

Jesus: Prophet-Liberator

We are called to be Messengers of Truth

“A prophet speaks with a level of certainty that arises out of being conscious of God’s spirit, it has an absolute quality.” p 232

“The true prophet comes to bring true liberation from all forms of enslavement.” p233

Missionary Goal “To invite all people of the US, whatever their social or cultural background, to hear the message of salvation in Jesus Christ so they may come to join us in the fullness of the Catholic faith.” p233 – 234

Why should we share our faith? We need to share our faith because we have good news to tell, “God’s truth is compelling” p235 Therefore the prophet can not keep it to herself, those who have been anointed are compelled to share the good news (Fr Dan)

The Truth Shall Set You Free

Be Humble

Be Adamant

Relativistic Society

Modern American culture believes that it is politically incorrect to believe there is only one truth.

“We human beings have a profound hunger for love but a strong resistance to truth, which is essential for love. So we keep searching for love, taking many different paths, trying out different truths. But not every path leads to love; there are many dead ends. But the New Testament, tells us that Jesus, is the way, the truth and the life.” p235

Prophetic speech speaks the truth, but does NOT exclude dialogue. In fact we must open ourselves up to the very real fact that we don’t have a corner on the truth

Sensus Fidelium: Sense of the Faithful

the idea that the sense or opinion of the faithful, both clergy and laity, concerning church teaching and practice is important in providing insights that lead to new doctrinal formulations and in receiving doctrines promulgated by the magesterium

Jesus: Servant-King

A Servant/King brings justice and freedom

Jesus refused political or military power

The power of the Kingdom He proclaimed was not domination but service. In fact, the only time Jesus had royal trappings was during the crucifixion and death.

Goal III: “To foster gospel values in our society, promoting the dignity of the human person, the importance of the family, and the common good of our society, so that our nation may continue to be transformed by the saving power of Jesus Christ.”

Which means we are anointed to bring gospel values into our every aspect of life in order to change the world, evangelize the world, make the world reflect gospel values.

“By living our life in truth and love, we give witness to the reality of God’s kingdom that, like a seed planted, is quietly and steadily transforming the world.” p239

The power to do Service is received from God.

The Power of God’s will is evident in the service done, not in domination of others.

This same Power of God, working through us, is the Power to Change the World, by serving all the people of the world, especially those who need the most help.

The only way evangelization will be effectively implemented is through a whole-community undertaking, in which evangelization is seen as the essential unifying mission of the Church and this mission is implemented broadly by all parts of the community together.

This presentation was brought to you by the following

Disciples …Administration: School Pastor: Fr. Mike Smith Principal: Dr. Lou Whitaker Director of Administration: Mr. Gerry Evans Receptionist: Mrs. Donna Osborne Administrative Coordinator: Mrs. Lisa Nalepa School Services and Financial: Mrs. Marsha Jamnik Faculty and Staff: Early Childhood, 3 Year Olds: Mary Clark (Teacher), Stefanie Marchigiano (Aide) Early Childhood, 4 Year Olds: Mrs. Daryl Lovell (Teacher), Mrs. Angela Farmer (Aide) Kindergarten: Mrs. Clare Trodden (Teacher), Mrs. Bev Kuzbyt (Aide) 1st Grade: Mrs. Judy Cramer (Teacher) and Mrs. Mimi Rose (Aide) 2nd Grade: Mrs. Mary Arnold (Teacher) and Mrs. Isabelle Whitley (Aide) 3rd Grade: Mrs. Fanny Stasio 4th Grade: Mrs. Mary Ann Camisa 5th Grade: Mrs. Tonya Peters

6th Grade: Mrs. Kathy D’Alessandro (Math teacher for Middle School) 7th Grade: Mr. George McGeoch (Social Studies for Middle School) 8th Grade: Mrs. Sue Burrell (Language Arts and Religion for Middle School) Science: Mrs. Liz Parrow (Science for Middle School) Library Science: Mrs. Heather Austin Music: Mrs. Traci Bruzzi Art: Ms. Candace Kievit Physical Education: Coach David Waterman Technology: Mr. Wayne Whitley Title I (Sea Lab): Ms. Dixie Porambo

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