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How can parishes measure a year of evangelization? It's easy to fall back on the amount in the offertory collection or the number of new parishioners, but parish leaders say there's more to it.

As the second year of the three-year "Amazing God" evangelization initiative gears up in the Albany Diocese, parish evangelization teams are gauging success in their own ways and planning more programs and changes.

So far, diocesan leaders have heard mixed reviews from parishes and are thus working to improve Amazing God.

"I can only judge it by level of enthusiasm and energy," said Peter Avvento, diocesan coordinator of the initiative. "It's almost like, is there a swagger or isn't there? Are people happy in their faith or are they not?

"There are some parishes that really grabbed the bull by the horns," he continued. Immacu-late Conception Church in Glenville, for example, has offered bi-weekly presentations on different topics to an average of 50 participants since last Lent.

Tinkering with program
Other parishes "were a little slower," said Mr. Avvento. His committee learned that parishes want a "tool kit" for guidance on creating evangelization teams, writing letters to former parishioners and keeping current ones interested.

The Amazing God website, www.amazinggodrcda.org, now offers an updated guide - and no longer requires a password. The site includes more photos and a calendar of events. A Facebook page is in the works.

The diocesan Amazing God committee will create a video, "We Are the Church," to highlight Catholic work in soup kitchens, food pantries and hospitals. They want to emphasize the relevance of the Church and mount "a counter-offensive to all the negative stuff that's gone down," Mr. Avvento said. "Why be Catholic and why stay Catholic? That's the question."

The second Amazing God DVD retreat (an initial retreat was offered in late 2010) will feature culturally-diverse Catholics at a variety of locations.

Transfiguration parish in Speigletown/Schaghticoke used the first DVD retreat in small groups and will offer a discussion on "Mary as the first disciple" during Advent. The "Landings" program for inactive and returning Catholics began there this fall; three people registered.

"We would do it with even one," declared Mary Harrison, co-leader of the evangelization team at Transfiguration.

No fear
She said it's difficult to determine if Amazing God has been successful in her parish, but the community isn't afraid of evangelizing anymore.

It "has made 'evangelization' a word that is a little more understandable to us," Mrs. Harrison said.

Meghi Graziano, pastoral associate for evangelization at Christ Our Light parish in Loudonville, agreed.

"It was really great how it evolved," she said, rattling off the parish's new efforts: "God Is Love" posters and hearts made by children are throughout the church; 24-hour eucharistic adoration is offered; a bulletin board features prayers, jokes and stories.

Before Mass, the parish cantor asks, "How did you experience God's love in your life this week?" Mass-goers receive psalm cards - sometimes featuring questions or statements tied to the liturgical season - and chimes ring before Mass to create a quiet atmosphere. "It gets them centered, and they appreciate where they are more," Mrs. Graziano explained.

Since Christ Our Light parish was created out of a 2009 merger, Mrs. Graziano has called almost 700 current and former parishioners to take a census and invited them to return.

"There's hope there," said the pastoral associate, who plans to invite new parishioners to a welcome gathering twice a year.

Changes everywhere
At Corpus Christi parish in Round Lake, the evangelization team plans clearer signs to guide visitors to the pastor's office and parish center, plus more handicapped and visitor parking spots, according to team leader Walter Forney.

The parish has completed a "Catholics Returning Home" program and plans a retreat, a mission and the Landings program.

Lynn O'Rourke, parish life director at Our Lady of Fatima parish in Delanson, noted that a parishioner there sends a brochure to all new residents in Delanson and the Town of Duanesburg. Our Lady of Fatima has intergenerational faith formation and a new Knights of Columbus council.

Holy Mother and Child parish in Lake Luzerne/ Corinth will soon start the Landings program. Theresa Gomez, evangelization committee leader, said the program attracts parishioners with "issues.

"That doesn't make us not Catholic," she noted. "We can still worship with our issues. It's never easy, but it's nice to know we're not walking alone."

Ms. Gomez said it's important to invite parishioners to participate in the Church.

"To me, success [in evangelization] is people who are passionate about worshipping God and finding that passion in themselves they didn't know was there - one more person realizing how much God is in love with them," she said. "It only takes one person to affect other people."

Inherent faith
Sister Betsy VanDeusen, CSJ, pastoral associate for evangelization at St. Helen's and Our Lady of Fatima parishes in Schenectady, agreed. She wants faith to become "part and parcel of people's lives."

The Schenectady parishes have offered Landings, welcome cards and holiday cards with Mass times, a quarterly newsletter with an evangelization column and more. A board outside one of the churches rotates pithy sayings like, "You have one friend request: Jesus."

Sister Betsy said the parish will roll out a new website and collect email addresses to send updates to parishioners.

Gatherings for the DVD retreat have garnered rich conversations, and intergenerational service days have attracted dozens of people. In the past three years, since Sister Betsy began her role, 60 new families have registered each year.

But, "I don't necessarily think that in the reign of God, it's all about numbers," she said. "We're working at a paradigm shift: the way we view faith as Catholics."

Mr. Avvento said the ultimate goal is to reach the people in the pews, the strays and the seekers. "Until we say, 'All are welcome,' and mean it and do it, we're not going to get there."[[In-content Ad]]

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