Keys to evangelization revealed at diocesan Renewal Conference

The Renewal in the Church has been happening since the time of Jesus Christ.

Father Bryan Zielenieski, diocesan vicar for Renewal and Development, reminded guests of that fact during the March 22 Renewal Conference, titled Jesus Christ’s Mission is the Same. Our Reality is Different.

 “We are not in the Renewal simply as a program, a phase of time in this diocese. The Renewal is something that happens continually,” he said. “This is not something that will go away. We need to adapt our mission to the realities the world challenges us with so that we can continue to move that diocesan mission forward.”

The conference, held at Hilbert College in Hamburg, offered tools and guidance for parish pillar members.

Keynote speaker Susan Windley-Daoust, Ph.D., put a focus on evangelization on the first of her two talks.

As homework she asked everyone to read the Book of Esther to understand the quote, “For such a time as this.”

“We were all called to this time,” she explained. “We may be deeply unhappy and even wounded by our history, but God knew what was going to happen and is giving us the grace to bring good out of evil, and to carry forward the call to share the Gospel with all nations and all counties in Western New York in this time, in this place. He will give us everything we need.”

Windley-Daoust, the director of Missionary Discipleship for the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, saw her diocese file bankruptcy shortly after taking the job. She thought it was the best time to focus on evangelization as the community needed good news, and it doesn’t cost anything.

“Sharing the Good News is so much more of a mental shift than it is a financial shift,” she said.

The Good News, she said, is that the Great Commission from Matthew 28 – “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” – is a command from God.

“The Lord never gives us a command without giving us the grace to follow through on the command. He doesn’t set the bar so high that we can’t reach it. He gives us the grace when he gives us a command, but we do need to step into it and say, ‘Yes, Lord.’”

Evangelization, she said, should be looked at as the ministry of Christ the Healer. Following the story of the possessed man in Mark 5, we should use the power of witness to bring others to Christ. “Go to your people and tell them what the Lord has done for you,” she said.

In her second talk, Windley-Daoust advised against what she called the “soggy noodle syndrome,” throwing things against a wall to see what sticks. A better path is to pray and make a plan.

She offered four models for evangelization and said by using any three, a parish will cover everybody. Parishes should start one program at a time, but keep them all going at the same time.

“We want to create full spectrum evangelization. We want to address the full discipleship path from the time people are born to the time that they die,” she said.

The four models presented were:

1. Radical Hospitality meets First Proclamation. Radical hospitality is hospitality to the stranger. It has more to do with recognizing dignity than being friendly. It’s really good for reaching out to people who have little association with the faith.

2. Small Group Spiritual Multiplication Model. This offers a safe space for people to talk about Jesus. Windley-Daoust points to college Bible studies to people with little knowledge of Catholic faith. Then ask if they want to learn more. One possible drawback is that groups tend to become good friends and then close themselves off to inviting more people to join.

3. Signs and Wonder. Windley-Daoust encouraged her listeners to share moments where the Lord has given them signs of hope. It breaks down the idea that God is distant.

“The Christian God is actually a God of signs and wonders,” she explained. “It’s an opportunity for witness. It’s an opportunity for sharing.”

4. Strategic Planning. “You’re doing it right now,” Windley-Daoust said. “You’re taking some time to think about the mission of the Church, and the mission of the parish, and the mission of the family of parishes, and how to put that back in the center of things.”

“When we use three of the four models we are going to create a new parish culture. …

We need to take steps to build a culture that is friendly to evangelization, expects evangelization, and is really working to foster discipleship all along the lifespan,” Windley-Daoust said.

The conference also held breakout sessions for pillar members.

As a member of the Inreach/Outreach pillar of the Eastside Family of Parishes, Francis Boeck, wanted to learn more about the Renewal.

“This is an important time in our diocese and I want to learn to be a better member of my pillar in order to build a stronger parish and a stronger family and ultimately a stronger diocese,” he said. “It’s been really interesting so far. It’s good to hear from people both in the diocese and outside the diocese. You can get a sense of what other dioceses have been through. We’re not alone in this situation and see some light at the end of the tunnel. And there’s ideas and tools we can use to get to the next step.”

As a twentysomething, Boeck was possibly the youngest person attending the conference. What keeps him involved?

“The goal at the end of life is to get to heaven, and you have to build the Kingdom of God. I don’t think there’s any age restriction to that. I knew coming in I’d probably be the youngest, just because of the time frame aspect of it, but I’m used to it by now. I think you should do it no matter what age you are, to get involved.”

The keynote speech will be available soon on the Road to Renewal website and the Renewal app.