Parish-based evangelization process to debut

The Albany diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis has scheduled informational meetings to introduce a parish-wide evangelization and faith formation process called Disciples in Mission.

"We have been looking for some type of process that would enable parishes to understand evangelization and be able to live it," said Jeanne Schrempf, OEC director.

She noted that Disciples in Mission is "one of the best opportunities we've found which supports the [U.S. bishops'] goals of evangelizing."

Flexible system

Disciples in Mission was developed by the Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Organization in Washington, D.C., in an effort to support the goals set forth by the bishops.

"The process has a lot of structure, support and 'how-to' information, and it is flexible enough to allow each parish to adapt it to their own needs," explained David Amico, associate director of adult catechesis for OEC.

Disciples in Mission integrates Sunday liturgies, small faith-sharing groups for adults and youth, and liturgical and family activities. It also incorporates bulletin inserts; information for parish councils, pastors and staff; and prayer booklets to promote evangelization.

Meeting goals

In choosing a program, Mr. Amico said, the OEC staff wanted to meet certain goals that the bishops set forth in their 1992 document, "Go and Make Disciples: A National Plan and Study for Catholic Evangelization in the U.S."

The goals include:

* "bringing about in all Catholics such an enthusiasm for their faith that...they freely share it with others,"

* inviting all people in the U.S., regardless of their social or cultural background, to hear the message of salvation, and

* fostering Gospel values in society, and "promoting the dignity of the human person, the importance of the family, and the common good of society so that our nation may continue to be transformed by the saving power of Jesus Christ."

Lay involvement

"This process is really a lay-driven process," Mr. Amico said, noting that one of the first steps is for parish lay leaders to review and then recommend the process to the pastor.

"Our goal right now is to introduce this process to parish leaders, answer any questions they may have and then give them time to consider implementing this process in their own parish, proceeding at their own pace," he said.

"Our hope is that this process will help parishioners to develop a new commitment to live as disciples of Jesus Christ, and grow in personal and community-wide holiness, allowing them to reach their full evangelization potential."

(To learn more about Disciples in Mission, call the OEC at 453-6630. For information on the bishops' evangelization directives, go to www.usccb.org or see Bishop Howard J. Hubbard's column, "Sharing our faith is mandate for us all," in the June 3 issue of The Evangelist. It can be found at www.evangelist.org.)

(10/14/04)