The New Evangelization
What is the "New Evangelization"?
The Holy Father inaugurated a "Year of Faith" starting on October 11, 2012 (the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council) which will end with November 24, 2013 (the Solemnity of Christ the King). The agenda for this year long commemoration is to launch a program of "New Evangelization". In his remarks to the members of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, Pope Benedict XVI explained that this new initiative acknowledges the need for a new way of evangelizing that is especially responsive to the signs of our times.
The phrase New Evangelization was first coined by Pope John Paul II in his encyclical Redemptoris Missio and refers to the growing spiritual needs of people not far away but nearby and at home. This new evangelization calls us to reach out to those who:
A worldwide synod of bishops will gather to consider a program of New Evangelization. The questions that our leaders will ponder in preparation for the upcoming world synod of bishops include:
In their recent statement, Disciples Called to Witness: The New Evangelization (2012), the U.S. Bishops suggest that this new evangelization holds "a call to each person to deepen his or her own faith, have confidence in the Gospel, and possess a willingness to share the Gospel. It is a personal encounter with the person of Jesus..." They reconfirm the essential identity and purpose of Catholics as a missionary people. The U.S. Bishops recall, "In Go and Make Disciples: A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States, “We want to let our inactive brothers and sisters know that they always have a place in the Church and that we are hurt by their absence... we want to help them see that, however they feel about the Church, we want to talk with them, share with them, and accept them as brothers and sisters.”
New Evangelization can be distinguished from the ongoing work of a parish in that it focuses us on the spiritual needs of those who, though once baptized, are no longer active in their faith. This will be a significant challenge for parishes that focus their resources and activities almost exclusively on serving Catholics who practice their faith with regularity, despite evidence that this is a declining number in Western New York. Nominal Catholics and former Catholics are defined as those who are either insufficiently evangelized or those who have drifted away from the church for a variety of reasons.
According to the latest from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, Americans change religious affiliation early and often, with about half of Americans having changed at least once in their lives. The Catholic Church is suffering the greatest net losses. Of those who leave the Catholic Church and remain unaffiliated, 79% do so by the age of 24 and 97% do so by the age of 35. Of those who leave the Catholic Church to join another Christian denomination 66% do so by age 24 and 91% do so by age 35. While half of Americans are likely to leave the church of their childhood, according to current projections only 9% are likely to return.
In Disciples Called to Witness: the New Evangelization, the U.S. Bishops note, "Catholics may desire to take on the call to evangelize but feel ill prepared to explain Church teachings. Some believe they lack the formation to be personal witnesses to Christ. Also, our brothers and sisters who have drifted away from the faith may be unable to vocalize why they stopped regularly attending Mass and parish activities, or they may not know with whom they can speak about why they left." What can we do? Pope Paul VI may have said it best when he observed, "Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses."
The phrase New Evangelization was first coined by Pope John Paul II in his encyclical Redemptoris Missio and refers to the growing spiritual needs of people not far away but nearby and at home. This new evangelization calls us to reach out to those who:
- baptized but know little about Christ or the Gospel
- live by the values of secularized culture
- lost a sense of faith beyond external trappings or who are alienated from the church
A worldwide synod of bishops will gather to consider a program of New Evangelization. The questions that our leaders will ponder in preparation for the upcoming world synod of bishops include:
- What are the specific changes taking place in the religious experience of people today - culture, society, mass media, technology, economy, science and civic life? What challenges do these pose to the parish?
- How can the local church respond to the emerging spiritual needs of people? Are there new religious traditions emerging?
- How do we recruit, form and support people to give clear witness through their lives?
- How can parishes be more bold in sharing faith throughout the week?
- How do we insure that the preaching and the assembly are sensitive and welcoming to those who are infrequent in their church attendance?
- Do we support faith formation at home 24/7/365? What tools and activities are needed to allow parents, grandparents and godparents to pass on the faith with confidence?
- To what extent do our faith programs lead not just to intellectual adherence but to a personal and living encounter with Christ?
- In what ways has the church been listening to its younger members?
- Does the parish have an evangelization team that advocates and trains parishioners in their role as witnesses and welcomers?
- What regular opportunities exist to hear and consider God's Word in the parish?
- What is the state of the catechumenate in the parish?
- Does the parish encourage and equip its parishioners to evangelize in the workplace, marketplace, and centers of community?
In their recent statement, Disciples Called to Witness: The New Evangelization (2012), the U.S. Bishops suggest that this new evangelization holds "a call to each person to deepen his or her own faith, have confidence in the Gospel, and possess a willingness to share the Gospel. It is a personal encounter with the person of Jesus..." They reconfirm the essential identity and purpose of Catholics as a missionary people. The U.S. Bishops recall, "In Go and Make Disciples: A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States, “We want to let our inactive brothers and sisters know that they always have a place in the Church and that we are hurt by their absence... we want to help them see that, however they feel about the Church, we want to talk with them, share with them, and accept them as brothers and sisters.”
New Evangelization can be distinguished from the ongoing work of a parish in that it focuses us on the spiritual needs of those who, though once baptized, are no longer active in their faith. This will be a significant challenge for parishes that focus their resources and activities almost exclusively on serving Catholics who practice their faith with regularity, despite evidence that this is a declining number in Western New York. Nominal Catholics and former Catholics are defined as those who are either insufficiently evangelized or those who have drifted away from the church for a variety of reasons.
According to the latest from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, Americans change religious affiliation early and often, with about half of Americans having changed at least once in their lives. The Catholic Church is suffering the greatest net losses. Of those who leave the Catholic Church and remain unaffiliated, 79% do so by the age of 24 and 97% do so by the age of 35. Of those who leave the Catholic Church to join another Christian denomination 66% do so by age 24 and 91% do so by age 35. While half of Americans are likely to leave the church of their childhood, according to current projections only 9% are likely to return.
In Disciples Called to Witness: the New Evangelization, the U.S. Bishops note, "Catholics may desire to take on the call to evangelize but feel ill prepared to explain Church teachings. Some believe they lack the formation to be personal witnesses to Christ. Also, our brothers and sisters who have drifted away from the faith may be unable to vocalize why they stopped regularly attending Mass and parish activities, or they may not know with whom they can speak about why they left." What can we do? Pope Paul VI may have said it best when he observed, "Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses."
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Aren't parishes doing enough already?
While the largest religious group in the U.S. is still Catholic, the second largest religious grouping is former Roman Catholic. One third of all active priests in the U.S. are foreign born. Only 25% of Catholics attend Mass weekly. The United States is becoming a new missionary territory for mainline Christian churches. The challenges in this new religious landscape call upon parishes to exercise a new imagination about their purpose and practices. Pastoral effectiveness is less about doing more things and more about doing the right things.
It is difficult to accept that for many people, the Catholic way of life just did not stick. We all know these nominal Catholics. We live, work, shop and play with them everyday. Perhaps some questions to ponder are: How can we offer them a sticky experience of faith? How can we better acquaint people with Jesus whom we know as the Christ? How can we impress upon people the liberation that comes to those who share our beliefs? How can we communicate the relevance of our conviction that life transcends materialism, consumerism, relativism, globalization, and social alienation?
The current crisis of religiosity is larger than any program, any parish and any denomination. The Pope states that “proclaiming Jesus Christ, the sole Savior of the world, is more complex today than in the past." He quotes Paul VI stating that "...evangelizing all people constitutes the essential mission of the Church. This task and mission are particularly urgent because of the expansive, penetrating changes in present-day society..." In the preparatory materials for the upcoming world synod of Bishops in October 2012, Pope Benedict asserts, "The transmission of the faith is never an individual, isolated undertaking but a communal, ecclesial event" He goes on to explain that our recent lack of success in evangelization and catechesis speaks to the "Church's capacity, more or less, of becoming a real community, a true fraternity and a living body, and not a mechanical thing or enterprise."
The promotion of a New Evangelization invites parishes to conduct a self-examination regarding its practices, ministries, groups and organizations. As the Pope announced to a group of new bishops, this provides us with an opportunity to consider new methods and new approaches to support faith in the community, at home, and through new technologies that make the richness of the Gospel and Catholic spirituality available to all who hunger for life in abundance. Important questions and resources are offered in: What a Parish Can Do, Steve Jobs and the New Evangelization, Do You Attend a Zombie Church? and God Awaits Us in Our Stories.
For more information about the New Evangelization and how parishes can respond contact Dennis Mahaney, Office of Parish Life 716-847-8393 or view What Parishes Can Do.
While the largest religious group in the U.S. is still Catholic, the second largest religious grouping is former Roman Catholic. One third of all active priests in the U.S. are foreign born. Only 25% of Catholics attend Mass weekly. The United States is becoming a new missionary territory for mainline Christian churches. The challenges in this new religious landscape call upon parishes to exercise a new imagination about their purpose and practices. Pastoral effectiveness is less about doing more things and more about doing the right things.
It is difficult to accept that for many people, the Catholic way of life just did not stick. We all know these nominal Catholics. We live, work, shop and play with them everyday. Perhaps some questions to ponder are: How can we offer them a sticky experience of faith? How can we better acquaint people with Jesus whom we know as the Christ? How can we impress upon people the liberation that comes to those who share our beliefs? How can we communicate the relevance of our conviction that life transcends materialism, consumerism, relativism, globalization, and social alienation?
The current crisis of religiosity is larger than any program, any parish and any denomination. The Pope states that “proclaiming Jesus Christ, the sole Savior of the world, is more complex today than in the past." He quotes Paul VI stating that "...evangelizing all people constitutes the essential mission of the Church. This task and mission are particularly urgent because of the expansive, penetrating changes in present-day society..." In the preparatory materials for the upcoming world synod of Bishops in October 2012, Pope Benedict asserts, "The transmission of the faith is never an individual, isolated undertaking but a communal, ecclesial event" He goes on to explain that our recent lack of success in evangelization and catechesis speaks to the "Church's capacity, more or less, of becoming a real community, a true fraternity and a living body, and not a mechanical thing or enterprise."
The promotion of a New Evangelization invites parishes to conduct a self-examination regarding its practices, ministries, groups and organizations. As the Pope announced to a group of new bishops, this provides us with an opportunity to consider new methods and new approaches to support faith in the community, at home, and through new technologies that make the richness of the Gospel and Catholic spirituality available to all who hunger for life in abundance. Important questions and resources are offered in: What a Parish Can Do, Steve Jobs and the New Evangelization, Do You Attend a Zombie Church? and God Awaits Us in Our Stories.
For more information about the New Evangelization and how parishes can respond contact Dennis Mahaney, Office of Parish Life 716-847-8393 or view What Parishes Can Do.
Web Resources
New Evangelization - Resources from U.S.C.C.B.
Disciples Called to Witness: The New Evangelization - Statement by the U.S.C.C.B., 2012
Porta Fidei - Pope Benedict XVI, 2011
Note with Pastoral Recommendations for the Year of Faith - Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 2012
New Evangelization, Synod Preparatory Materials - Vatican, 2012
Pouring New Wine Into New Wineskins: The New Evangelization and What It Means for the Way We Do Catechesis by Bishop Edward Clark, Auxiliary Bishop, Archdiocese of Los Angeles, 2006
Disciples Called to Witness: The New Evangelization - Statement by the U.S.C.C.B., 2012
Porta Fidei - Pope Benedict XVI, 2011
Note with Pastoral Recommendations for the Year of Faith - Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 2012
New Evangelization, Synod Preparatory Materials - Vatican, 2012
Pouring New Wine Into New Wineskins: The New Evangelization and What It Means for the Way We Do Catechesis by Bishop Edward Clark, Auxiliary Bishop, Archdiocese of Los Angeles, 2006
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