As I was cleaning off my desk in preparation for the holidays, I came across an issue of Catechetical Leader Magazine that I had saved because it contained one of the best articles I’ve read all year. It’s by Matt Halbach, director of the St. Joseph Educational Center in Des Moines, Iowa, and it’s titled New Pope, New Evangelization, New Return to Old (but Good) Ideas.” Matt makes an excellent point that, while the New Evangelization needs a […]
After all of the VIRTUAL walking we did on the first several days of our VIRTUAL pilgrimage to Italy, my VIRTUAL feet were a tad tired! It was nice to sit yesterday at the International Conference for Catechists and to soak up so much wisdom concerning the catechetical ministry. Wasn’t Pope Francis wonderful? I love his comment about not keeping Jesus to ourselves lest we become like statues in a wax museum “and we have […]
The New Evangelization is a renewed invitation to conversion. Unfortunately, conversion is a word that is often misunderstood. We tend to think of conversion as either the changing from one Christian denomiation to another or a dramatic bolt of lightning in which we hear God’s voice loud and clear, calling us to a major change in life. As a result of these rather limited understandings, most people don’t feel that they have experienced, are, experiencing, or […]
I know this is last minute, but I just became aware of this Webinar being offered tonight by a friend of mine, Ansel Augustine, on “Multi-Cultural Ministry and the New Evangelization.” Ansel, a greatly talented pastoral minister in the Archdiocese of New Orleans and an excellent speaker, will present and lead a conversation on the implications of the New Evangelization for multicultural ministry and vice versa—how can Catholic multicultural ministry shape and strengthen the New Evangelization? For […]
The New Evangelization calls us to utilize the proven techniques of the world of marketing. That is not a dirty word! In 1977, Pope Paul VI said the following: It is our wish also that the Catholic Institutions, in their various kinds and according to their specific character, will follow with constant attention the development of the modern techniques of advertising and will know how to make Opportune use of them in order to spread the […]
On this Columbus Day, it seems appropriate to talk about the New Evangelization. Why? Because the treks of Christopher Columbus and his contemporaries epitomize the “old” evangelization: the quest to bring the Gospel to foreign lands. For many centuries, evangelization was thought of as something relegated to missionaries who traveled to faraway exotic lands to convert pagans. Today, we are in need of a New Evangelization – an effort that includes ALL Catholics in “re-proposing” […]
Tonight (6:00 – 7:00 pm CT), I’ll be engaged in conversation about the New Evangelization and the Year of Faith with Sr. Julie Vieira, IHM and Sr. Maxine Kollasch, IHM of A Nun’s Life as part of their In Good Faith podcast. You can join in at www.aNunsLife.org/LIVE. I had the pleasure of working with Sr. Julie at Loyola Press for several years before she moved on to take on A Nun’s Life as a full-time ministry […]
This Sunday, September 16, 2012, we celebrate Catechetical Sunday with the theme of “Catechists and Teachers: Agents of the New Evangelization.” With that in mind, I offer the following Catechetical Sunday reflection/homily which you can feel free to use in your own parish. Imagine that you’re looking to go on your dream vacation to an exotic place that you’ve never visited before in which people speak a different language. One way that I don’t recommend […]
I see that the theme for Catechetical Sunday this year is “Catechists and Teachers as Agents of the New Evangelization.” While not exactly one of the more poetically-phrased themes, it nonetheless touches on a crucial aspect of catechesis: the relationship between catechesis and evangelization. Be sure to take a look at the various resources available at USCCB.com.
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