Evangelize with a sense of urgency

Tom Cronin is the Director of Evangelization & Strategic Planning in the Diocese of Albany. Contact Tom with any questions about boosting evangelization efforts at your parish at [email protected] or by visiting www.rcda.org/evangelization. Follow me on Instagram: tom_rcda.

Sharing the love and joy of knowing Jesus with others is at the heart of evangelization and is the reason for our existence. 

Evangelization does not need to be complex or require the creation of committees or programs.  What we need is action. We must share our love of God in every encounter. We do not need extensive training, specific degrees or lofty titles to evangelize. Evangelization is everyone’s responsibility. The first step is that we do everything possible to grow in our own personal love and relationship with Jesus and then share that love to the best of our ability. We know what we should be doing to nurture that relationship, but we don’t always make the time. Examples include reading Scripture; spending more time in prayer, including adoration; partaking in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and reconciliation; and putting our faith into action through works of mercy. The adage that you cannot give what you don’t have is spot on.

Having the love of God in our heart is a gift and a blessing that we must boldly share. Love others, be joyful and take action. Evangelization matters more now than ever and we need to act with a sense of urgency. Our Church is in a crisis. I don’t use the word “crisis” for dramatic effect but to communicate our reality and that we have opportunities and tough decisions to make. Are you well informed about our state of affairs and the reality that our operations are unsustainable in their current structure?  

How would you react if your priest was assigned to another parish, if your Mass schedule was changed, or if your church was no longer financially sustainable? “Business as usual” has sadly put us on the road of managed decline.

We currently have 72 more parishes than we have active diocesan priests younger than the age of retirement eligibility. If it were not for the dedication of our retired priests and the wonderful presence of several order priests, we would not be able to serve 126 parishes each week. I have said it before and will continue to do so — clergy wellness is a top priority. I don’t think enough parishioners understand the stress and demands we are putting on our priests. We show up each weekend and want Mass where and when we want it. We say we care about our priests, but when any conversation arises about the possibility of change, we ignore the reality. 

The path before us is arduous, but God has blessed us with the ability to make things better. The Holy Spirit will guide us and provide the courage to do more than we ever imagined. We must have hope and strive to be a more vibrant Church with a structure that is sustainable. We must be laser focused on developing stronger and healthier parishes. In my next column, we will take the next step and cover some tangible ways to develop healthier and more vibrant parishes. Stay tuned!

Thomas Cronin is the Director of Evangelization & Strategic Planning for the Diocese of Albany. Contact Tom with any questions about boosting evangelization efforts at your parish at [email protected] or by visiting www.rcda.org/evangelization. Follow me on Instagram: tom_rcda