Evangelization and forming disciples were the top topics presented at the second annual diocesan Renewal Conference. Three different speakers described how to reach out to those who have lost connection with the Church.
The May 16 conference saw Father Frank DeSiano, CSP, author and former president of Paulist Evangelization Ministries, speak on “Finding God in the Time of Challenge and Hurt.”
He stated that tough times are not a sign that God has gone away, but when He is felt most.
He pointed out that Jews being forced into slavery in Egypt and their exile from Babylon produced the greatest prophets. As Christians were persecuted, it gave opportunities to bring witness to Christ.
In Church history, “Every single difficulty we’ve had is an opportunity for us to grow,” he said.
Looking at reasons why people stop attending Mass, Father DeSiano said experience is prized over authority, so listening to their pastor or the pope holds less value to the majority of the population than their own personal observances. This leads people to become more independent from the Church’s teachings. In order for religion to be strong, faith must be cultural. People are not Catholic just because their parents are Catholics or because they were forced to go to church.
“They’re Catholic because we choose to be Catholic. So, we have to develop the kinds of families of faith that people want to choose. And choice and relationship are found as an ordinary experience of community. You don’t go to Church to kneel in the back as the priest goes up to the altar and whispers. We go to Church to be part of a community,” he said.
Sister Louise Alff, OSF, evangelization consultant for the diocesan Office of Renewal, led a talk on a new tool called“Make Every Person Count,” as a path to reconnect, support and re-engage members of the parish family. The outreach program involves volunteers making phone calls to parishioners to dialogue over pastoral questions.
“If you were to ask somebody what is one of the greatest hungers in the world today, what do you think they might say?” Sister Louise asked the 160 people in attendance. Replies included personal connection, love, and being accepted. All those needs need to be addressed in order for people to engage in the Church.
“Make Every Person Count” promotes the mission, reconnects people, supports people, reengages or introduces them to Church as a form of Radical Hospitality, which puts extreme effort and emphasis on making people feel welcome. If anything is to happen in the parishes, it has to be because the individuals are so passionate about what they believe that you need to share it with others. “Otherwise it becomes just a program, it becomes just a task, and you burn out very quickly,” Sister Louise explained.
Sister Louise went on to add that parishes must reach out to parishioners in multiple ways in order to make disciples.
Author Lorene Duquin, led a breakout session on “Forming Disciples.”
Also speaking on radical hospitality, Duquin said the best way to get people involved in parish life is by personal invitation. It should happen from peer to peer in the pews, not just from leadership. It begins with striking up a conversation and learning people’s names, then is followed by accompaniment and working together for the good of the parish.
A successful way to get people involved, Duquin said, is to use “one shots,” events that can happen once with very little commitment. This could be anything from raking leaves to cleaning pews to helping at a lawn fete.
“Provide the help they need to be successful,” Duquin said, adding that allowing people to use their God-given gifts and honed skills gives them a sense of meaning and purpose.
Other speakers include Joshua Danis, the head of Parish and Diocesan Partnerships for Hallow, Susan Windley-Daoust, Ph.D., executive director of the Mark 5:19 Project in Minnesota, Father Peter Wojcik pastor of St. Clement Parish and Pastoral Strategy Leader for the Archdiocese of Chicago, and Father Mark Noonan, pastor of the ONE Catholic family in Orleans and Niagara Counties.
