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Dear Parishioners,
As I mentioned in my Christmas letter, we have been looking to the future to build a culture of Evangelization. As you may recall, I have attended 10 sessions, both online and in person with other pastors and Sister Ann Marie Bruchalski, Evangelization Coordinator from the Archdiocese and her team. Here is a brief overview of what we have been discussing as we begin to cast the vision:
Vision Casting Steps in Spiritual Renewal
Where are we heading together with all of our parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago?
We are moving towards an important change from Maintenance to Mission, focusing our pastoral work on: Making Disciples, Building Community, and Inspiring Witness. Everything we do in our parishes will be oriented towards bringing everyone to a relationship with Jesus Christ. That is why our community can be seen as a School of Missionary Disciples where everything is moving in the Missionary Pathway with its elements: Explore (where people can hear about Jesus), Encounter (where people can have an Encounter with Jesus), Grow (where people can deepen their relationship with Jesus, grow in intellect, spiritual, human and pastoral knowledge), and Go (where people with the experience of God’s Love can really go out and serve and participate in Jesus’ Mission in the world).
- WHAT WILL BE OUR FIRST STEP TOWARDS THIS VISION?
The starting strategy will be Evangelization. We want to make sure that everyone has an encounter with Jesus and continues to unfold their relationship with Him.
The heart of evangelization is an encounter with Jesus and sharing our stories about this Encounter. That is why we introduced moments of sharing; “God’s moments” in the parish to become comfortable in sharing with others our stories of Encounters with Jesus.
There is an individual way to evangelize in a relationship by meeting people where they are in their faith journey. Sherry Weddell, in her book, “Forming Intentional Disciples” names 5 thresholds of conversion, where she indicates where we can meet people in their faith journey: some are building trust, some are more curious, some are just open, others are seekers, and finally some are disciples. She describes these stages and gives information on how we can accompany people in their stages.
There is also a Communal way to evangelize as a parish with the Culture of Evangelization. The style of life or the Culture of our parish community will help in evangelization. A Parish with a Culture of Evangelization has these 8 specific characteristics well unfolded: Hospitality, Listening, Inviting, Relationships, Engagement, Prayer, Witness, and Mission.
- HOW, SPECIFICALLY, DO WE START EVANGELIZATION IN OUR PARISH?
We are presently choosing an Evangelization Lead and Evangelization Team which will be formed and trained for evangelization and will foster a Culture of Evangelization in the Parish. They will keep Evangelization as a priority in the Parish.
Using a Kerygmatic Soft Entry Point tool, that will build and shape a Culture of Evangelization, starting in the hearts of the team members: The Kerygmatic Soft Entry Point will be a space which will help to build a bridge for people from our Parish’s Soft Entry Points (places where people explore the life of community); for example special parish events such as bingo, festivals, dinner dances, parish picnics, game nights, sporting events, etc., to a Kerygmatic Entry Points (a place where they can encounter Jesus and grow in relationship with Him — like retreats or adult faith formation).
May God Bless you and yours,
Fr. Mike Meany, Pastor
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