Evangelization minister tackles parish census

Margaret Mary "Meghi" Graziano started her new job at St. Francis de Sales parish in Loudonville recently with a roll call.

As the first paid evangelization minister in the Albany Diocese, the Colonie resident began her work -- she's officially called a "pastoral associate for evangelization" -- by evaluating a parish census of those who hadn't been attending Mass or using their collection envelopes.

"We have about 1,200 families" in the parish, explained Rev. David Noone, pastor. "Between 500 and 600 people responded [to the census] and we wondered, where were the rest? Why didn't they respond? What is the nature of their relationship with the Church?" Mrs. Graziano had been prepared to find answers like that for many years, according to Father Noone.

"Meghi really feels called to this position. She has the deep spirituality and people-skills needed for the ministry," he told The Evangelist.

Mrs. Graziano's first task was to contact those not responding to the census. "Because of her calls and conversations, a few have returned," Father Noone noted; others were able to communicate why they had stopped coming.

Kid-influence

Mrs. Graziano believes her preparation for evangelization began many years ago: In her 20s, she served as a catechist for autistic children during a tour of duty with the U.S. Air Force at Travis Air Force Base in California.

"It taught me how important patience, love and care are to those willing to have a relationship with God," she recalled.

After she left the Air Force, she taught Confirmation preparation courses and religious education classes at parishes in Altamont and Guilderland and eventually at St. Francis de Sales, where she has served for the past 14 years.

Mrs. Graziano is also a eucharistic minister, lector, greeter and altar server.

"I've had many opportunities throughout my life to develop a deep relationship with God. Many years ago I made a covenant with God, promising to do whatever God wanted me to do. This is so exciting. I feel so blessed to be able to do this work," she said.

Mrs. Graziano felt a specific call to evangelization ministry while attending a workshop on the subject at the Carondelet Hospitality Center at St. Joseph's Provincial House in Latham in May.

"I knew when I attended that this is what I was called to do," she said.

After completing the workshop, Mrs. Graziano approached Father Noone to discuss the possibility of having such a ministry at St. Francis de Sales. Coincidentally, he had previously heard about an evangelization program offered by the Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey, that certifies evangelization ministers.

Mrs. Graziano and Joan Porco, another parishioner interested in becoming a minister of evangelization, enrolled in the program, which offers a 45-credit course on the ministry.

"These courses are a wonderful way of learning and implementing the skills it takes to become a minister of evangelization on the parish level," Father Noone noted.

Courses offered during the annual Spring Enrichment gathering at The College of Saint Rose in Albany and an evangelization workshop offered by the diocesan Office of Evangelization, Catechesis and Family Life added to Mrs. Graziano's education.

Next steps

In December, St. Francis de Sales will use her skills in implementing phase two of its new ministry.

"Once all of our parishioners have been contacted, we will be looking at ways to help them come back to the Church, if that is their intent. We will also be looking at ways that we can further the evangelization process," Father Noone said.

The pastor is getting involved in the process himself by personally registering faith formation students for this year's classes.

"I'm hoping to touch base with parents of some of our students [who] don't attend Mass," he explained. "There are many reasons why people stop going to Mass; hopefully, with this new ministry, we can all learn more about how to evangelize each other [and] get more involved."

He added that there is a parish evangelization team in the process of forming now.

Mrs. Graziano told The Evangelist that a newly-formed parish evangelization team is looking at implementing the ministry of "Afterglow of the Eucharist" (search www.evangelist.org for a previous story) as one way to meet the needs of parishioners.

"This is the kind of ministry that can empower people to develop a deeper relationship with God. Ministries like this and events that incorporate prayer and devotion are what we are looking at right now," she explained.

"For me, it's all about a person's relationship with God. We can be transformed through God's intervention and love so we can more deeply develop relationship with members of our faith communities and that the whole community can grow in that love."

(The OECFL website states: "The ministry of evangelization means bringing the Good News of Jesus into every human situation and seeking to convert individuals and society by the divine power of the Gospel itself. Evangelization is the mission of the entire Church and invites all persons to conversion and faith. The ministry of catechesis is situated in the context of the Church's mission of evangelization and is seen as an essential element of that mission.")

For information on the Trenton Diocese's evangelization program, go to www.dioceseoftrenton.org and search for "evangelization."

(08/14/08)