Commission on Evangelization

Glenmary Father Tom Charters leads a discussion on the spirituality of the evangelizer at the April 2002 meeting of the Commission on Evangelization. From left: Brother Larry Jochim, Father Rollie Hautz and Sister Jo Fillenwarth.

Sharing OUR Stories—A ‘Must’ for Evangelizers

How does a stroll down memory lane help one become a better evangelizer to the unchurched? That was precisely the question put to participants at the April 2002 meeting of the Commission on Evangelization.

Speaking about the “Spirituality of the Evangelizer,” Glenmary Father Tom Charters asked each participant to imagine two family photographs that brought back fond memories. Each person then took a few minutes to give careful thought as to why the imagined photographs were meaningful and what impact the events had in our life.

After dividing into smaller groups of two, everyone proceeded to share the meaning of the events in the photos. At the conclusion, each person bowed to the other in an acknowledgment of reverence.

Father Tom’s presentation showed how the retelling of fond memories could be used as a practical guide to sharing one’s experiences of spirituality. Each person’s spiritual experiences are important faith stories to be used in the role of the evangelizer.
• For more on this process, see Chew On This: A Stroll Down Memory Lane: God in Our Lives

Throughout the ages, as Father Tom recalled, religious groups have defined their own styles of spirituality. The Dominicans, Franciscans, Jesuits, Carmelites all contributed with their special charism. Most of us have a shared spirituality that is “eclectic in nature,” Father Tom said. “Do you share your spirituality with others? We easily share our stories of family, so we should learn to share our stories of faith."

“As Catholics, we are able to talk about God yet have difficulty in personalizing Jesus and talking about our experience of Jesus,” Father Tom said. He also emphasized the importance of listening to others to learn when they are telling their stories of faith. Fear of looking foolish or not having the correct scripture quotes often deters us, he said. “We must remember the most often written words in the Old and New Testaments: ‘Be not afraid.’”

Using the examples of Peter and Moses from Scripture and the game of baseball in our day, Father Tom said that some failure is inevitable. Even a good ballplayer, a 300-hitter, hits only three out of 10 times at bat. The Bible is full of the failures to convince others of God’s love, but how we handle failure is part of our own spirituality.

If we attempt to share our own story and fail, “it’s okay because we have tried,” he said. You are “called to evangelize and tell your stories,” Father Tom reminded the group, “this will take time, as what you share is deep within you. An evangelizer must lead and encourage others.

“We cannot teach evangelization, it has to be modeled,” Father Tom explained.

“We must ask ourselves as evangelists, where have we met Christ this week?” Father Tom said in closing.

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