| November/December 2009 |
Volume 5 Number 10 |
In this Issue:
Since 2005, it has been my pleasure to serve as editor of Evangelization Exchange. I have enjoyed the opportunity to share with you the work of PNCEA and the contributions of many ministry leaders, especially our regular contributors, Mr. John Boucher, Fr. Tom Ryan, CSP, and Fr. Kenneth Boyack, CSP, who has faithfully provided the Fact of the Month for every issue.
I am leaving PNCEA in mid-December (after nearly 19 amazing years) to build a new ministry assisting ministry leaders, Catholic organizations, and religious communities to use the Internet and Social Media more effectively for mission. Therefore, this is my last issue of Evangelization Exchange. I promise to keep you in my prayers and ask the same from you as I begin this new venture.
If you would like to be notified when I launch my free blog with tips, tools and resources for using the Internet and new media for ministry (Spring 2010), just click here to send me a request by email. Please include you name, ministry position and any questions you have about using the Internet and Social Media for ministry. I will add you to my list. I will not share your name or email with anyone else.
May God bless you always!
Sr. Susan Wolf, SND
Editor
Seven Simple Steps to Make Parishes Simply Shine (Handout)
Let your light shine so others may praise God. (Matt. 5:16). Pope Paul VI tells us that the mission of every parish is to bring Christ to others. Seven Simple Steps to make parishes Simply Shine is a booklet to help parishes evaluate what they already do and offer suggestions on how to make their light shine brighter. It was created by the Office for the Formation of the Laity of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and has had many hands in its development. It is not a finished product. Parishes are encouraged to take each step and evaluate its “shine power.” Ask, “How can these steps illuminate the way for the marginalized, the seeker, the indifferent, the stranger and the believer to encounter Christ?” ...read more
Prayer Service for Parish Transitions (Handout)
Is your parish going through a transition? For example: the parish school closing, the sisters leaving at the end of the year, the local Catholic high school closing, the parish merging? Attached is a prayer service created by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to help parishioners through this transition....read more
Stages of the Evangelization Process (Exercise)
When we hear the “great commission” of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel, 28:19-20, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations...,” it may seem clear cut. But as we try to live out this evangelizing mission in parish and diocesan life, we suspect that there is much more to this than we ever imagined. How do we translate this into action? How do we know if we are making any progress? One helpful tool is an awareness of stages in the process of parish evangelization. Here is an exercise to help think about the stages....read more
Finding Grace in Bereavement
On November 19, 2009, PNCEA hosted its fifth and final Catholic Speakers Online session for the year. At a time when the holidays are fast approaching, Dr. Geraldine Fialkowski began her presentation, “Finding Grace in Loss and Bereavement,” by acknowledging that it can be an especially difficult time of year for people who have lost someone. Dr. Fialkowski is an Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry at Loyola University Maryland, and she specializes in loss and bereavement issues....read more
Ethics and Ecumenism: Unity, Diversity, and Search for Criteria
Anyone who follows the news knows that new hurdles involving ethics and morals have been raised in recent decades on the track leading to Christian unity. So no surprise, then, that The Ethical Horizon from an Ecumenical Perspective was the theme of this year’s annual meeting of the North American Academy of Ecumenists, which took place September 25-27 in Washington, DC, at the Washington Theological Union. ...read more
Resource Links
How Will You Welcome Visitors at Christmas?
This Christmas your parish will have many visitors and guests. How will you welcome them? Some of them will be inactive Catholics and others will have no church family. How will you connect with them? One answer to both questions is to use PNCEA’s Christmas Pew Cards. Put the attractive pew cards out at all your Christmas Masses and throughout the entire Christmas season, tell the visitors and guests about the cards at the announcement time, and then follow up with those who respond. This is a tool that may help to identify candidates for Awakening Faith (inactive Catholics) or the RCIA process (inquirers).
Awakening Faith Preview Pack
Awakening Faith: Reconnecting with Your Catholic Faith is a conversation-based, small-group process that helps inactive Catholics reconnect with the Church. The Parish Preview Pack includes the Participant Booklet, the Group Leader Guide, and the Parish Manual with CD. Use it to review the process and then plan to use Awakening Faith in your parish in the coming months.
Online Paulist Evangelization Training Institute for 2010
Join us in 2010 when online courses begin with the Paulist Evangelization Training Institute. Click on the link above to see the 2010 schedule of courses through July 2010, and to sign up for one of the three courses beginning January 25: Biblical Spirituality w/ Fr. Tony Krisak (6 wks; NEW), Spiritual Grandparenting w/ Therese Boucher (4 wks), and The Evangelizing Catholic w/ Fr. Frank DeSiano (6 wks).
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Proclaiming Christ 2009 Presentations Now Available on CD
Proclaiming Christ 2009 (PNCEA’s online conference, October 19-23, 2009) was a great success. Many attendees asked for copies of the presentations for future reference and to share with ministry colleagues. A two-disc CD set is now available for purchase. If you weren’t able to attend the conference, this CD set contains the three keynote presentations and all sixteen focus sessions which you can view from your desktop at your convenience. You will be able to share them with others whenever you like. You will be able to download all of the handouts. For a detailed list of the presentations on the CDs, click here. To purchase the CD set [Item 8250], click here.
Click here to download a free copy of PNCEA's 2009 Evangelization Resources Catalog.
Fact of the Month
Two New England States Have the Highest Percentage of Adults with No Religion
Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar, in their study titled American Nones: The Profile of the No Religion Population, report that Vermont and New Hampshire have the highest percentage of adults in the U.S. who say they have no religion. Vermont ranks highest, with 34 percent indicating no religion, followed by New Hampshire (29%), Wyoming (28%), Maine and Washington (tied at 25%), and Nevada and Oregon (tied at 24%).
Source: American Nones: The Profile of the No Religion Population, A Report Based on the American Religious Identification Survey 2008, page 19.
Send us your parish evangelization stories, announcements and comments...click here
PNCEA Evangelization Exchange
Evangelization Exchange is a free service of the Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association. PNCEA, an apostolic arm of the Paulist Fathers, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to equipping Catholics for the mission of evangelization. To learn more about the mission and ministry of PNCEA, please click here.
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