Keynoter summons all to share their faith

"Evangelization is not a movement of the Church, but the Church in movement," announced Rev. John Hurley, CSP, in his keynote address at Spring Enrichment, held at The College of Saint Rose in Albany this week.

His talk kicked off four days of conferences, classes and liturgies that catechists attend for certification as religious education teachers and that others attend simply to deepen their faith.

The annual event is sponsored by the Albany diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis.

Under the water

Using the symbol of an iceberg to power his talk, "Our Life and Our Mission as Disciples in Christ: Who Are We and Where Are We Going?" Father Hurley challenged the audience to talk about issues in the Church that people are afraid to explore.

The Paulist priest, who is the former executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat for Evangelization, said that many issues that have driven Catholics away from Church are the exact ones parish leaders don't want to discuss, such as the clergy abuse scandal.

He said that such issues can be imagined as the underwater parts of an iceberg, which are more dangerous than the parts above the water.

Key questions

The priest said that catechists should address such questions as: What has happened to the energizing effect of the Gospel in our lives? how do these Gospels transform us? and what methods can we use to spread this message?

"Whether we like it or not," he continued, "our Baptism calls us to teach others, to evangelize 24-7. It is not just how I teach in the classroom, at church or in the school. It's how I treat my children, how I talk to others, how I respect cultures that are different from mine. It's about being energized and excited, all the time, about the Good News of the Gospels. It is also about reconciliation, dialogue and respect."

He added that each opportunity to talk about Christ to someone is an opportunity to evangelize.

For the young

Father Hurley urged catechists to listen to young people to glean what they are searching for and to ascertain their needs.

"Do you see yourself as a teacher, as one who can provide the necessary resources to evangelize others?" he asked the group.

"Do you recall your last personal encounter with Jesus Christ? Are you willing to talk about it with others? This is what will transform them; this is what they, too, hunger for. This is an evangelical force of God that will transform others through you, enabling you to change everything around you.

"Evangelization is all about our openness to this work of the Holy Spirit. It's about trying to invite people to live life differently."

(5/18/06) [[In-content Ad]]