Evangelization Update

The U.S. Catholic bishops in Go and Make Disciples: A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States developed three national goals for the U.S. Catholic Church in our country:

Goal One: To bring about in all Catholics such an enthusiasm for their faith that, in living their faith in Jesus, they freely share it with others.

Goal Two: To invite all people in the United States, whatever their social or cultural background, to hear the message of salvation in Jesus Christ so they may come to join us in the fullness of the Catholic faith.

Goal Three: To foster Gospel values in our society, promoting the dignity of the human person, the importance of family, and the common good of our society, so that our nation may continue to be transformed by the saving power of Jesus Christ.

It is the third goal which speaks directly to the development of social ministries in parishes as well as their part in a complete image of Catholic evangelization. These ministries flow from the living impact of a deep relationship with the Lord and enthusiasm for his mission. It is in these social justice ministries that the mission of Jesus becomes concrete in our modern world.

As Father Frank DeSiano and Susan Blum-Gerding explain in their book, Lay Ministers, Lay Disciples: Evangelizing Power in the Parish:

The social ministry of the church should be understood, therefore, as an inherently evangelizing activity, just as the deeds of Jesus were integrated into his teaching and message.

The inclusion of the third goal in the bishops' plan stands as a challenge to Catholic parishes in two ways:
• by moving their ministries of service more clearly to the center of the parish's life
• by viewing these ministries as directly related to everything else the parish does as part of its evangelizing activity. (pp 171-172)

For a book review of Lay Minister, Lay Disciples

How God Is Calling You to Make a Difference-in the Seven Areas of Catholic Social Teaching

To return to the beginning of this Evangelization Update

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