Who Are the Inviters?
"How do we get active Catholics to invite others to explore the Catholic faith or return to the practice of the faith?" This question is asked over and over again by RCIA directors and people who coordinate programs that reach out to inactive members or members at the margins.
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Recent Challenges in Catholic-Jewish Dialogue
“Our interreligious partners find it difficult to accept there is a new pope. Benedict XVI represents a change in both style and focus,” said Rev. Dennis McManus at the National Workshop on Christian Unity April 27-30 in Phoenix, Arizona, in a session on “Recent Challenges to Catholic-Jewish Relations.”
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Seekers and Listeners: A Call to Share Our Catholic Faith
PNCEA's Catholic Speakers Online series aired a webinar on June 18, 2009, entitled “How To Help Catholics Share Their Faith,” in which speaker Fr. Martin Pable explained the why and how of Catholics sharing their faith. Fr. Pable, a Franciscan Capuchin friar with a doctorate in Counseling Psychology, teaches Pastoral Counseling and Parish Evangelization and has authored three books on the topic of evangelization.
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Family-Friendly Parishes: Ideas That Work
In 1995, John Paul II wrote: "Parents are the first and most important educators of their own children, and they also possess a fundamental competence in this area: they are educators because they are parents." It is the responsibility of the community to support parents in this role. A few months ago, PNCEA set up a “wiki” (a website where anyone can add content) to invite people to share how their parishes show welcome to parents and children.
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Sharing Our Faith Stories with Words (Handout)
John Boucher looks at some simple and effective practices that can help us to, "Take note of the many opportunities to support another's faith, to share faith, and to help build up Jesus' kingdom in our homes and workplaces, among our neighbors and friends" in the future. (Go and Make Disciples, section 136A)
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Symposium on Reconciliation
Reconciliation can mean many things to people, depending on their unique situations. Whether you are estranged from a loved one, have experienced societal unrest or have moved away from the Catholic Church, reconciliation can help mend broken hearts. Paulist Reconciliation Ministries and the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry co-sponsored a symposium April 17-18 on this very topic. Read the story.
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Make Every Person Count (3 Handouts)
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia encourages parishes to be like St. Paul, who said: “I did not shrink from doing anything helpful, proclaiming the message to you and teaching you publicly and from house to house.” (Acts 20:20). Therefore, the archdiocese created a program entitled Make Every Person Count!
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Sharing Our Faith Story with Words (Handout)
"Does anyone have suggestions or methods for getting more comfortable in sharing our faith stories when speaking to others?" queried Darlene at a recent evangelization training session. Not knowing how to share faith stories can block us from telling others how Jesus has touched and worked in our lives. John Boucher offers an exercise to help us address this concern.
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Millennial Teen Ministry: New Perspective and Strategies
Frank Mercadante, executive director and founder of Cultivation Ministries, presented “Ministry to Millennial Teens,” April 30, 2009, as part of PNCEA’s Catholic Speakers Online Series, made possible by a grant from Our Sunday Visitor Institute. The nearly 600 registrants hailed from 46 states, 4 Canadian provinces, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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The Forgiveness Factor
Fr. Frank DeSiano, CSP, writes: Attending a conference in Boston in mid-April, I became more aware than ever that the word reconciliation comes with a capital “R” and a small “R.”
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St. Paul the Apostle, Zealous Missionary
Reading about the dynamic missionary activity of St. Paul in the Bible almost takes one’s breath away. He began to preach the gospel after his conversion experience, around 33-35 AD, and continued witnessing to Christ until around 65-67 AD, when he was martyred in Rome.
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The Easter Season: Time to Unpack the Meaning
The Easter season provides us with fifty days to contemplate and celebrate the dying and rising of Jesus and its implications for us.
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How to Think Like a Missionary (Handout)
Mr. John Boucher provide an exercise to help us think like the missionaries Christ has called us to be.
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Together in Mission for the New Evangelization
In early March I was in Geneva, Switzerland, the home of the World Council of Churches. It is a truism among ecumenists that the pressing importance of Christian unity derives from the mission entrusted by Christ to the Church: to bring the gospel to all people. Unity, in short, is for mission, and our divisions generally get in the way of our effectively working together.
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Lent Is the Time
As a pastor, I often wondered what parishioners made of the Scrutinies during Lent—the successive Sundays when those preparing for baptism “are scrutinized” and receive some sign of their further integration into the Church. Try as I did to explain what was happening, there still seemed to be a huge gulf between what happened sixteen hundred years ago in Jerusalem and what is happening in front of parishioners’ eyes today.
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Highlights from the Awakening Faith Q & A Session
On March 12, 2009, Awakeing Faith authors, Fr. Frank DeSiano, CSP and Fr. Kenneth Boyack, CSP, answered questions about the program in an hour-long, live, online meeting. The questions came from people who will be using Awakening Faith for the first time after Easter 2009.
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What Have You Done with Your Baptism? (Handout)
In his world travels, Pope John Paul II often asked Catholics, “What have you done with your Baptism?" We know that when Jesus Christ was baptized in the Jordan, the Holy Spirit launched him forth on his mission of evangelization. We might ask ourselves, “What have we done with the call and gifts of the Holy Spirit given to us through Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist (Sacraments of Initiation)?” Here is an exercise from John Boucher to help answer that question.
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Fasting: Lost Treasure?
Some would say that Christians in general have lost all sense of the why, the when, and the how of fasting. Would you agree? Even if that assessment is only partially right, a review of the forgotten fundamentals might be beneficial.
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Year of St Paul: The Resurrection Renews the Whole World
Every year during the 50 days of the Easter season, the Church proclaims in its prayer that “the joy of the resurrection renews the whole world.” This is a truth that touches and changes our lives. We need to be open to the renewing work of God in us through Jesus’ saving death and resurrection. As we experience God at work in our lives, we begin to know even now the blessing of following Jesus.
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Closing-Merging Parishes and Inactive Catholics (Handout)
The reality of closing and merging parishes is impacting Catholics in many dioceses. Emotions can be high and the grief is real. Does the closing of a parish make some Catholics become inactive? Or does the fact that so many members are inactive contribute to the closing of a parish?
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Survey Results on Parish Outreach to Inactive Catholics
In December 2008, the Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association (PNCEA) conducted a survey, Parish Outreach to Inactive Catholics. Here are the results.
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2009 Lent/Easter Outreach to Inactive Catholics
The Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association (PNCEA) invites parishes across the United States and Canada to intensify their efforts to reach out to inactive Catholics in Lent 2009. PNCEA is offering a new pastoral program to help accomplish this.
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Reflect on St. Paul During Lent (Handouts)
These handouts have been prepared by the Office for Formation of the Laity in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for small group faith-sharing during Lent.
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Who Can We Bring to Jesus? (Handout)
John Boucher offers this handout as a way to think about the needs of those around us.
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God's Word Changes Lives
Anthony Bosnick gives us a brief summary of the discussions at the 2008 Synod of Bishops on the Word of God in the life and mission of the Church.
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Googling GOD: A Presentation for Catholic Speakers Online
PNCEA hosted the fourth and final presentation in its 2008 Catholic Speakers Online (CSO) series on November 12. Mike Hayes, co-founder of bustedhalo.com, addressed “Googling GOD: The Religious Landscape of People in their 20s and 30s.”
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The Catholic Church’s Conversion Experience
Fifty years ago, on January 25th, 1959, Pope John XXIII announced the Second Vatican Council. The promotion of Christian unity was one of the two formal reasons given for convoking the Council, the other being the reform and renewal of the Catholic Church.
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Home Visitation Booklet (download)
Sr. Louise Alff from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia once again shares with us one of her practical guides. This time it is for Home Visitation.
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Proclaiming Christ 2008: National Online Conference
Join your ministry peers from all over the U.S. for an online conference dedicated to Catholic evangelization! Proclaiming Christ 2008 will take place over the internet September 9-October 16. Pre-recorded presentations will be posted September 16, 17, and 18. Access to presentations, exhibits, daily prayers, and discussion groups will continue 24/7 through October 16.
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