One of the Parish’s three priorities as listed in our Parish Priority Plan is “EVANGELIZATION – Reaching out with Boldness and Mercy”. The word evangelization can be a scary word for many of us. But it really should not be. One way evangelization can be defined is “the practice of giving information about a set of beliefs to others.” That definition can describe the Returning Catholics program.
Our parish developed a Returning Catholics program in 2008, with the first session held in January 2009. Since that time, approximately 200 people from the Piedmont to Rapid City and surrounding area have attended one of the six-week series. Some of those people are sitting in our pews today. Some of them are very active in our parish by helping with various ministries or participating on various commissions and committees. All because our parish invited them to return.
Each of us are called by Jesus to evangelize, to provide information to others, to introduce others to Jesus, to invite those who know Jesus to a deeper relationship. In order to do that, we may need more information. Our Parish and our Diocese offers many opportunities to learn more about our faith and about our Church. Take advantage of these opportunities to help you respond to God’s call.
But even if that sounds difficult, each of us can evangelize by simply inviting someone you know who has left the church or not attending Mass on a regular basis to come to the Returning Catholics program. When you invite, do it with mercy. It doesn’t matter why they left. It doesn’t matter how long they have away. The next session of Returning Catholics is being held at Blessed Sacrament at 7:00 PM on Tuesdays starting September 13th. The schedule for the series is:
- Session 1 – September 13 – Welcome/Overview of Series
- Session 2 – September 20 – Sharing Stories of Faith
- Session 3 – September 27 – The Church Today
- Session 4 – October 4 – Explanation of the Mass
- Session 5 – October 11 – Explanation of the Sacrament of Reconciliation
- Session 6 – October 18 – Creed: What Catholics Believe
And when you invite someone, please come to the sessions with them. You will learn more about the Church and your faith, making you a better evangelizer.
Be Bold. Be Merciful. Invite. Evangelize.
For more information, visit http://ReturningCatholics.net.
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