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Pope Francis has a way of putting things.   Back in 2013, he called on his priests to be “shepherds living with the smell of sheep.” He said, “A church that limits itself to just carrying out administrative duties, caring for its tiny flock, is a church that in the long run will get sick. The … Read more

Evangelization has always been important for the Church, based on Jesus’ missionary mandate given to the disciples which is  found in Matthew 28:19-20: “Go, therefore,- and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have … Read more

The New Evangelization encourages us to forego a one-size-fits-all approach to proclaiming the Good News of salvation from sin and death by the suffering, death and Resurrection of Jesus. We are encouraged to consider three separate but related audiences: the unchurched, the alienated (i.e. Catholics who aren’t practicing for one reason or another) and the … Read more

Isn’t the world ready for a little more joy? It has been a year since Pope Francis shared his vision for Christian discipleship in The Joy of the Gospel.  Wouldn’t it be great if this text continued to set the course for conversations about evangelization and catechesis throughout the year? A unique new website entitled “A … Read more

The Church exists to evangelize. I remember when, in 1975, Paul VI, in OnEvangelization in the Modern World, taught that “the task of evangelizing all people constitutes the essential mission of the Church” (par. 14), I was taken by surprise. I had never thought of myself as an evangelizer. I had thought of myself as a … Read more

We’ve all seen it. “Susie, will you read the first paragraph on page 45?” Next, the catechist asks questions. One or two students respond. The rest look bored. It’s the standard classroom-model lesson plan provided by most textbook publishers and it continues to be inadequate in communicating the living reality of faith.  Two things are … Read more

“Preach the Gospel at all times, if necessary use words.” Often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, these words can be used to emphasize the importance of the silent witness, the implicit or wordless sharing of faith that Catholics can give to others by living Jesus’ love in everyday life. Church teaching affirms this aspect … Read more

Nothing characterizes the coming of the Kingdom of God more than healing. Jesus’ ministry builds upon a foundation of bringing healing to the sick, and, through exorcisms, peace to those afflicted in mind. Even John’s Gospel, which gives an entirely different approach to the story of Jesus, has the cure of the man-born-blind as one … Read more

This text was originally published on our blog on 09/08/2014. As a parish catechetical leader I am responsible for the formation of catechists. I used to focus primarily on methodology and classroom management because the catechists seemed to have the most questions in these areas.  Now, however, I have a different perspective. One of the … Read more

The extended family walks into church, with the beautiful baby, all dressed in christening finery. During Mass, the baby is welcomed, anointed, baptized and celebrated with applause – and the family basks in the glow of belonging to this faith community.   However, in too many instances, the newly baptized and their families seem to … Read more

One challenge faced by many evangelization teams is how do they invite those who are away from the faith to a program or process designed to reunite them with their Catholic faith? How do we reach those who are not in the pews? How do we inspire the parish community to personally invite those we … Read more

This article was originally published on our blog on 08/26/2014. One of my special treats this summer was being able to read “Jesus of Nazareth” by Gerhard Lohfink. The subtitle ambitiously reads: “What He Wanted; Who He was.” Lohfink confirms a direction which, from the beginning, has haunted our Catholic thinking about evangelization.  “On Evangelization … Read more

Have you ever tried home visitations as a way of reaching out to others? In this text originally published in August, 2014, Lorraine DeLuca shares her insights in this experience. In our diocese we have begun training Evangelization Teams in parishes using a combination of The Evangelizing Laity from the USCCB webinar series and The Evangelization Jump Start … Read more

The text below was originally published on our blog on 08/20/2014. Encounter. Where and how do we encounter God? Where and how do we offer that opportunity to others?  One parish leader began by asking for the email addresses of all the parents who registered their children for faith formation/religious education sessions. She explained that … Read more

This book review was originally published in our blog on August, 2014. You can acquire this excellent book on Amazon using the link below. Purchases help us keep the website running. Patrick Madrid’s book, Why Be Catholic is a heartfelt examination of why Madrid chooses to be Catholic, and why he believes there is no other faith … Read more

This text was originally published on our blog on 8/11/2014. Getting Your Ducks in a Row is about ordering of our priorities for success in our efforts at evangelization. Tackling this may not satisfy our urge “to do” but it will uncover a path for a parish to follow. The USCCB document Disciples Called to Witness addresses a … Read more

Father Lacombe’s Patron Saint “Father, this place is charming; I choose it for the founding of a new mission which you will call Saint Albert, in honour of your patron saint.” Bishop Alexandre Taché 1 Catholic Online lists no less than ten saints named Albert.  Who, then, was the patron saint to whom Bishop Taché referred? St. Albert the … Read more

This article was originally published on our blog on 08/28/2014. I think our challenge in parish and diocesan leadership today is two-fold. First, we need to hold onto or reclaim hope. And second, we need to find concrete and effective ways to rise above a passive “managing decline” mode of operating. This September in my diocese … Read more

Eduardo Siguenza was still a student from Marian High School when he published this essay in our blog in 2014. We always welcome contributions from young readers who are starting on the path of evangelization. Our “Theology on Capp” for Teens is a new program inspired by the “Theology on Tap” sessions that Catholic dioceses have held … Read more

This essay was originally published on our blog in July, 2014. How does evangelization feel like for you? Leave a comment below to let us know! In 2002, I attended World Youth Day in Rome, and in the middle of that soggy night, my friend woke me, grabbed my hand and said “get up, we’re … Read more

John J. Boucher has worked for decades in evangelization and wrote many books on the subject. On this essay, originally published here in 2015, he provides steps to reach to inactive catholics. It can be difficult to reach inactive Catholics in our parish. What if we re-envision our efforts as a journey together toward and … Read more

Joyce Donahue was a prominent writer of evangelization literature. This text was originally published on our blog in December, 2015. A recent poll shows that, among religious groups, 60 percent of American Catholics think America’s best days are yet to come – in sharp contrast to 40 percent of Protestants and 49% of all Americans. … Read more

We are reviving some of the older texts published on this blog by prominent members of the Church in the US. We hope you enjoy this article by Bill Huebsch, originally published in 2015. Pope Francis has called on all of us to become what he calls “spirit-filled evangelizers.” In other words, he wants us … Read more

After considerable planning over several years, a Call for Artists was published and distributed in December 2010 for The Buffalo Hunt outdoor public artwork. In February 2011, an independent jury recommended a proposal by Cochrane artists Don and Shirley Begg and, subsequently, the Society signed a commission agreement with the artists. The commission was unveiled … Read more