“We are called to be holy...” The New Evangelization that Pope Francis has been teaching throughout his pontificate involves a strong call to discipleship. The answer to this call requires Catholics to take on a new view of the work of the Church and to undertake the task of evangelization among their family, friends, and colleagues. This work involves a strong awareness that an apostolate of attraction and personal witness are indispensable to building up the Church. With his or her example of holiness, the modern disciple is called to reach the peripheries in order to counteract society’s ignorance, indifference or alienation from Christ.

During this seminar we want to learn how to inculcate a healthy restlessness among the faithful to both witness and teach the Gospel. Our parishioners must take on the task of drawing others back to the sacraments and to a relationship with God. This new attitude, which is as old and new as the Gospel, challenges people to go beyond merely attending Mass and practicing some standard devotions, to finding creative ways of bringing people back to the Church.

Twenty-first century evangelizers will emerge from the diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds of the Church today. With personal sanctity as the first priority, we want to discuss effective ways to reach the faithful amid their cultural diversity, which has always been a hallmark of the Church in America. We are fortunate to have speakers who have a wealth of experience in touching the lives of a rich variety of individuals with the common denominator of the Gospel message and teachings of the Church.