The Year of Faith !!

1. Preparing for the Year of Faith
Begins October 11, 2012
and concludes November 24, 2013

2. Begin: 11 Oct 2012
50th Anniversary of
Opening of Vatican II
20th Anniversary of CCC –
power and beauty of faith
General Assembly of Synod of Bishops: New
Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith
End: 24 Nov 2013: Christ Universal King

3. Good opportunity
Good opportunity to usher the whole Church
into a time of particular reflection and
rediscovery of faith
Opportunity
-favorable time for doing something
-chance to improve something
Seize it and not waste it (Carpe annum!)

4. Preparing for the Year of Faith
“The Year of Faith is intended to contribute to a renewed
conversion to the Lord Jesus and to the rediscovery of faith,
so that the members of the Church will be credible and joyfilled
witnesses to the Risen Lord in the world of today -
capable of leading those many people who are seeking it to
the "door of faith." This "door" opens wide man’s gaze to
Jesus Christ, present among us "always, until the end of the
age (Mt 28:20).” -Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, January 6, 2012
The Foundation of Faith
“The Lord said: Upon this rock I shall
build my Church because Peter has
first said: You are Christ, the Son of the
living God. The Lord was really saying:
I shall build my Church upon the rock
which you have acknowledged. For the
rock was Christ, and upon this
foundation even Peter himself was
raised up. Another foundation indeed no
one can lay except that which was laid,
which is Jesus Christ.”

5. The door of faith: always open
The door of faith is always open for us,
-ushering us into the life of
communion with God and
-offering entry into his Church.

6. It is possible when…
It is possible to cross the threshold
when the Word of God is proclaimed and
The heart allows itself to be shaped
by transforming grace

7. Setting out on a journey
• To enter through that door is to set out on a journey
that lasts a lifetime.
– Begins with Baptism – we address God as Father
– Through Death to eternal life
• To profess faith in Trinity is to believe in one God
who is Love
– God is love: Everything must start from here and
everything must lead to here, every pastoral action, every
theological treatise. – Benedict XVI 22 April 2007

8. Rediscover
the journey of faith:
Joy and enthusiasm
• So as to shed ever clearer light on the joy
and renewed enthusiasm of the encounter
with Christ
– Lead people out of the desert, towards the
place of life, towards friendship with the Son
of God

9. Jesus’ teaching is about reality
MIND True REALITY
God and
Eternal Law
Man and
Moral law
False
World and
Physical laws
Nothing is truer than the words of Truth

10. What’s different about our society,
culture and Church today?

11. RESEARCH
Erosion in Mass Attendance (entire Catholic population):
75% in 1957
44% in 1987
37% in 1999
33% in 2005
31% in 2011
Generational Profile of our Church:
Pre Vat. II Vat. II Post- Vat. II Mill.
(Born before 1940) (1941-60) (1961-1982) (1983-2003)
2011 10% 33% 34% 23%
Generations Attending Mass weekly or more:
2005 60% 35% 26% 15%
2011 54% 31% 29% 23%

12. • What implications can you draw from this
research?
• What are you experiencing in your parish that
reflects this research?
• What do we need to do to welcome others into
relationship with Christ?

13. EVANGELIZATION
From the Hebrew word, basar
“to proclaim the good news or joyful tidings”

14. The Aim of Catechesis
"The definitive aim of catechesis is to put people not
only in touch, but also in communion and intimacy,
with Jesus Christ. All evangelizing activity is
understood as promoting communion with Jesus Christ.
Starting with the
‘initial’ conversion of
a person to the Lord,
moved by the Holy
Spirit through the
primary proclamation
of the Gospel,
catechesis seeks to solidify and mature this first adherence.
- General Directory of Catechesis, 80

15. Begins with our Conversion
"Before being sent to evangelize,
they would have to ‘be’ with
Jesus, establishing a personal
relationship with him. With this
foundation, evangelization is no
more than a proclamation of
what has been experienced and
an invitation to enter into the
mystery of communion with
Christ.”
-Pope Benedict XVI, March 22, 2006
“The life I now live in the flesh I
live by faith in the Son of God
who loved me and gave himself
for me.”
-Galatians 2:20b

16. Some important background:
•The ancient concept of the ministry of
evangelization has been reintroduced and
redefined since Vatican II Ecumenical Council
and the 1975 Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii
Nuntiandi” (“The Gospel Must Be Proclaimed”)
by Pope Paul VI.
•Evangelization is not a Protestant
phenomenon and it is not a specialized activity
reserved to a few experts, but it is the basic
right and duty of all believers.

17. Paul VI in Envangelii Nuntiandi says,
“May these words succeed to give a fresh
impulse to everyone, the whole People of God
assembled in the Church, so that each one of
them may follow ‘a straight course in the
message of the truth,’ and may work as a
preacher of the Gospel and acquit himself
perfectly of his ministry”(EN 5).
“The whole Church is missionary, and the work
of evangelization is a basic duty of the People
of God” (EN 59).
Evangelization is my fundamental responsibility
as a Catholic Christian.

18. What is evangelization?
The official definition of evangelization comes from Pope Paul’s
Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Nuntiandi.
“For the Church, evangelizing means bringing the Good
News into all the strata of humanity, and through its
influence transforming humanity from within and
making it new. . . The purpose of evangelization is. . .
interior change. . . the Church evangelizes when she
seeks to convert, solely through the divine power of
the message she proclaims, both the personal and
collective consciences of people, the activities in
which they engage, and the lives and concrete milieu
which are theirs” (EN 18).

19. Grass-roots Definitions of Evangelization
“Evangelization is loving people into the Kingdom!”
“Evangelization is inviting people into a loving and
personal relationship with Jesus Christ, which is
then nurtured by a loving and caring Catholic faith
community.”
“Evangelization is the process of extending oneself
in order to nurture the spiritual well-being of
another person.”

20. There is an urgency to evangelize and catechize.
Pope Benedict XVI calls for the Year of Faith to contribute
to a renewed conversion to Jesus Christ and to the
rediscovery of faith so that the members of the church will
be credible and joy-filled witnesses to the risen Lord in the
world today.
Apostolic Letter of Benedict XVI, Porta Fidei, 2011
The “door of faith” (Acts 14:27) is always open for us, ushering us
into the life of communion with God and offering entry into his
Church. It is possible to cross that threshold when the word of God
is proclaimed and the heart allows itself to be shaped by
transforming grace. To enter through that door is to set out on a
journey that lasts a lifetime (1).
Blessed John Paul II called it “The New Evangelization”.

21. What is the
“New Evangelization”?

22. Blessed John Paul II described three different kinds of
evangelization:
Mission ad gentes: Latin for “to the nations.” This is a
situation where “Christ and his Gospel are not known.”
Christian communities: “In these communities the Church
carries out her activity and pastoral care.” This is the
ongoing evangelization of those “fervent in the faith.”
New Evangelization: The new evangelization pertains to a
very specific group of people: fallen-away Christians
“where entire groups of the baptized have lost a living
sense of the faith, or even no longer consider themselves
members of the Church, and live a life far removed from
Christ and his Gospel. In this case what is needed is a ‘new
evangelization’ or a ‘re-evangelization.’”

23. Church documents and experience teach us:
(Practical Applications)
• Evangelization and Catechesis cannot exist
apart from each other.
• Evangelization and Catechesis must be
adapted to every age and stage of life. It does
not mean the end to systematic,
developmental religious education. Rather,
religious education is just one of the many
ways we are evangelized and learn about our
faith throughout our lives.
• Evangelization is a lifelong process,
not a program.

24. • The parish is the ‘curriculum’: everything we
do- from liturgy, to social outreach, to the way
people are greeted in the parish, to the look of
the parish newsletter and website, evangelizes.
• Vibrant Liturgies are the ultimate experiences
of faith, where the Word of God, the Good
News, is proclaimed, received, learned,
celebrated and lived.
• Evangelization is the ministry of conversion;
of witness; of building relationships with
Christ and each other.

25. • Our pastor’s vision and the commitment
to evangelization are fundamental.
That doesn’t mean he has to do all the
work, but he must be the guiding force
and the cheerleader!

26. Jesus is the model of the New
Evangelization. He called individuals one by
one; he entered into personal relationships.
He proclaimed the love of God to
individuals, in homes, communities,
territories, and it continued to spread from
those whom He encountered.

27. What do we need to do to
celebrate the Year of Faith
and the New Evangelization?

28. What impels us to evangelization
• Caritas Christi urget nos: It is the love of
Christ that fills our hearts that impels us to
evangelization.
• Jesus convokes Church
– Mandate: proclaim the Gospel
• Need: stronger commitment to new
evangelization to rediscover joy of believing
and enthusiasm for communicating the faith.

29. Teach the last commands of Christ
because he commanded us to teach them
Two parts of Christ’s last words:
(1) Go and make disciples of all the nations…
(2) Teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded
2nd command contains teaching the first command
Why are the Protestants more zealous evangelizers?
Perhaps because they teach the Great Commission!

30. May this Year of Faith….
• Make our relationship with Christ the
Lord increasingly firm
– “you love him though you do not now see him
you believe in him and rejoice with
unutterable and exalted joy.
– Central formula: “I believe in you” (Ratzinger,
Intro to Christianity)
Infidelity is infidelity to Someone who
calls
• Benedict XVI to Philippine Bishops
Priority: friendship with Christ (on it
everything depends)

31. Suggestions from the Vatican’s Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith
• Read Pope Benedict’s Letter Porta Fidei.
• Intensify the celebration of the Eucharist.
• Study the Catechism and make it and catechetical
resources more widely available to parishioners.
• Priests offer homilies on: “the encounter with Christ,” “the
fundamental contents of the creed,” and “faith and the
church.”
• Promote missions and other “popular” programs.
• Create small communities of faith that help parishioners
understand the Catechism better.
• Communicate your experience of “fath and charity” to
people of other faiths and no religion at all.

32. Suggestions from the
Diocesan Pastoral Council
• Focus on catechetical activities, particularly
intergenerational with materials at kids’ level.
• Train all in parish how to welcome.
• Each parishioner invites one other person to
participate in the parish.
• Involve church associations outside the parish
and invite members into parish involvement.
• Bulletin suggestions on everyday evangelization.
• More Bible studies for all ages.

33. “The Church does not give up or
retreat into herself; instead, she
undertakes a project to revitalize
herself. She makes the Person of
Jesus Christ and a personal
encounter with him central to
her thinking, knowing that he
will give his Spirit and provide
the force to announce and
proclaim the Gospel in new
ways which can speak to today’s
cultures.”
-Preparation Document for 2012 Synod on
the New Evangelization, 1

34. Porta Fide and CDF Note
• http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/b
enedict_xvi/motu_proprio/document
s/hf_ben-xvi_motu-
proprio_20111011_porta-
fidei_en.html
• http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/c
ongregations/cfaith/documents/rc_co
n_cfaith_doc_20120106_nota-anno-
fede_en.html

35. Internet Resources
Vatican: http://www.vatican.va/
CCC: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm
Catholic Education Resource Center:
http://www.catholiceducation.org/
CBCP pastoral statements:
http://cbcponline.net/v2/?page_id=1807
CBCP for life: http://cbcpforlife.com/

36. Permission granted
Permission is granted for the distribution and
copying of this PDF file.
My request is to please pray the rosary for the
intentions of the Pope.
Smile Always,
KATHY
rookiekay@hotmail.com