Venice, Florida. It is easy to forget that Catholics need evangelization too. Our Church in America is dying. The percentage of weekly Mass attendance is dismal. Even among those who do regularly attend Mass, how many are joyful missionary disciples? How many have had a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ and consider the Catholic faith the most important thing in their life? How many are going out and sharing the Good News with others and drawing them to Jesus and the Church? We need to think of creative ways to reach out to Catholics, even those we see in the pews.
Venice, Florida
The following report comes from evangelist Janine:
“I evangelize through my local parish in Venice, Florida. We have hundreds of prayer books, pamphlets, rosaries, holy cards, and medals available at the front door of Our Lady of Lourdes Church. Our pamphlets provide answers to a variety of questions about the Faith and help to correct many misconceptions about Catholicism. Some may consider this to be “preaching to the choir” but many people, including devout Catholics, suffer from a superficial knowledge of the Faith.
We give people the tools to know God on a deeper level and help them grow in their prayer life. I hope that parishioners and visitors will become better evangelists through the resources we provide. They might pass them on to friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, etc. We strive to introduce all people to the Good News of Jesus Christ, especially those who see the Church as just “a set of rules” or just an obligation to fulfill. Through our efforts, many Catholics will have the opportunity to know Jesus in a deeper way!”
Praised be Jesus Christ! The Faith is more than just information to be read or downloaded. And yet as St. Anselm wrote, we pursue “faith seeking understanding” not for its own sake, but to come to a deeper relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We need to be equipped with “the reason for our hope” (1 Peter 3:15). When you are in love and in a relationship, you can’t help but tell everyone you meet! That is what we seek to share as SPSE evangelists: the love of God, the Truth of the Catholic faith, and the grace which ransoms captives from death. Join us!
So happy to read this! I have no team yet but I’ve been doing exactly this since 2013! We need to evangelize the Catholics in the pews also!
Blessings
The diocese of Kansas city St Joseph, MO has lost 1000 church goers every year since 1975. This, including this year, 2019, means the practicing Catholic population has been cut in half in 45 years. The only parish communities growing are the Latin Mass parishes.