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Workshop to spur parish evangelization Catholics "aren't even in the ballpark when it comes to welcoming and invitation," according to Rev. Frank DeSiano, CSP. "We still think that, if we open the doors, people will come. Unless we learn how to be welcoming, and how to share our faith in tactful and compelling ways, we will have less and less impact as a Church." Father DeSiano, an expert in evangelization and a major author of an official U.S. Catholic bishops' paper on the subject, will share his insights during "Living and Sharing Our Faith: A Parish Evangelization Institute," at the Carondelet Hospitality Center in Latham, August 23-25. The workshop, which he said will be "fun" as well as work, aims to tackle evangelization on both a "big-picture" and a local level. Small steps Father DeSiano hopes to break the concept of evangelization "into small steps to make it accessible to people. It's a big idea; the small steps are to de-bug and de-mystify it." As a parish priest in New York City in the late 1970s and early '80s, he became interested in learning more about evangelization as he watched parish life function at a "maintenance" level within the context of a society focusing more and more on the secular. "The sense of being a missionary was really impressed on me at that time," he noted. "Our churches are really the face of Christ in cultures that know Him less and less." Taking action That's why Father DeSiano believes that active evangelization is necessary for parishes. Catholics, however, are still "incredibly resistant" to the idea, which they often equate with brow-beating. He said that real evangelization is rooted in "human encounter," and doesn't have to be limited to preaching and other formal matters. "It's not people giving abstract speeches or passionate talks," he said. "It's people touching others. Anybody who's been through RCIA will tell you they came to faith through their contact with another person. We imagine [evangelization] as being a very unnatural and intrusive thing, whereas when people are talking to us about what is going on in their lives, there are many opportunities for us to bring a perspective of faith." Conversion Other denominations sometimes have a "language" of conversion, something which the priest said is lacking in the Catholic Church. He has seen Catholics "try to fill in this gap" by using "catechism language," thinking those answers will evangelize. What Catholics need to do is to speak from the heart and from their own experiences. "We don't often recognize when people are giving us openings to talk about faith, [such as] powerful transitions happening in their life: a job, the birth of a child, marriage," he explained. "Those are all opportunities when we, without being corny or putting on a show or taking a canned approach, can talk about how faith has helped our life. That is what people find compelling." Making it work Father DeSiano said it is important for evangelization efforts to be driven at the diocesan level but put into practice in parishes through evangelization committees and individual effort. "If we can form a network of evangelization teams in parishes that are thinking, cooperating, and sharing ideas and emphases together," he said, "that can be a powerful resource for a diocese. (Participants in the workshop will learn about the bishops' document on evangelization, "Go and Make Disciples"; discuss the challenges of evangelizing both inactive and active Catholics; find out about public relations in the parish, fostering a truly welcoming community and reclaiming a parish's missionary vision; and discover techniques to increase community and draw people together in Christ. Registration is $75 for single attendees and $70 for those attending with a group of three or more. The price includes meals and materials. To register, call the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, 453-6630. Overnight accommodations with breakfast are available for $45/night. Contact Sister Pat Conron, CSJ, 783-3536, to make room arrangements.) (8/9/07) |