+JMJ
Dear Parishioners,
You saw in last week's bulletin a small blurb about a seminar to help people become more comfortable welcoming others to the Faith. The course is called “Basic Evangelization Training.” I realize people can be uncomfortable with the idea of “evangelization,” so maybe you think about “welcoming” or “inviting” instead. Sponsored by the Diocesan Parish Life office, the keynote speaker will be Adam Janke of St. Paul Street Evangelization. The place is St. Michael's Findlay. The date is Wednesday, April 17th, from 9:00 AM-3:00 PM. You cannot register directly with course organizers. The parish has to sponsor you.
Perhaps you remember that in a fall homily I mentioned that I wanted to offer such a course, as part of our observance of the year of the Eucharist, i.e., reaching out to bring people back to Holy Mass. Once I learned about the Diocesan course, I realized that would be the better option for training. A few items on the agenda are reflecting on your own faith journey with the Lord, putting that journey into a short story form that can be shared with others, and getting some training on how to field difficult questions that arise. It's actually a faith-building exercise to organize your own faith journey into a short story you can tell others.
I hope a small group of our parishioners attend, especially anybody who might be feeling called to help others in the parish eventually feel more comfortable with outreach. I think we want an ongoing parish resource for helping parishioners in the future reach out with the Faith. We will be contacting some people we think should attend. But perhaps we won't think of everybody, and you feel the Lord nudging you towards the course. Feel free to contact the office to have your name put on the list of potential attendees.
I know that while I was growing up, it never, never occurred to me that the Catholic Faith was something God wanted me to bring others to experience – i.e., a relationship with Him, with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at the center, and all the dogmas and moral teachings that are part of knowing Him and living for Him. This idea of outreach was not even on the radar screen for me. After I came alive in the faith my freshman year of college, our university outreach group trained us how to reach out to others with the Faith, how to evangelize. Growing to the point of talking with others about Jesus Christ, about the Christian faith, was for me like experiencing a whole new personal conversion. Something definitely changed in me when I was willing to have others see me as a representative of Jesus Christ. And, this was all part of my regular, secular college journey. I was not thinking of priesthood at the time. I am sure that not everybody is called to stand on a street corner and preach; but, I do believe that most of us have people in our life whom God would like to bring closer to Himself, using us as His instrument. Skills and approaches presented in this seminar will be useful for this.
Have a blessed week!
In cordibus Iesu, Mariae et Iosephus,
Father Poggemeyer