February, 2020
Hello Fellow Disciples and Evangelizers,
If I had a nickel for each time someone shared with me that they wish their son, daughter, colleague, or friend, was a worshipping person, I would be a wealthy woman. I have seen the Pew Reports and other articles that suggest that church membership is going down. I do not despair because to reverse this trend we have everything we need, we have YOU! You are the very best evangelizer we have. Many folks say, “I cannot do that”. But our Pope begs to differ. Pope Francis, speaking on evangelization says, “Never tire of following the paths that the Spirit of the Risen Lord sets before you. Do not be afraid of the new, and do not allow inevitable difficulties to slow down your pace on the path of evangelization: when you are a missionary disciple, enthusiasm can never fail!” When I suggested you are the best gift for evangelization I was not kidding, your enthusiasm for the faith can be effervescent. To help this evangelization effort we have a few teams of people ready to help.
If you know someone who is interested in the Catholic Faith, invite them to attend RCIA. RCIA, short for Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, is a process where people can look into the faith and see if it is a good fit. You might even sponsor someone into Catholicism.
If you know someone who left the Church, perhaps because of apathy or a wound caused by the Church, invite them to ReImagining Faith. The ReImagining Faith team shares how the church has grown, and what has changed since they left. We, the team, hope to apologize for hurts caused by the Church, and share the joys of being involved in the faith. You might attend the sessions with them and learn more about our beautiful faith tradition.
If you know someone who doesn’t know much about Christianity, invite them to Alpha, an international series of sessions exploring the Christian religion. This interactive process always includes a meal and creative conversations around faith. You might want to help as a host, facilitator, cook, or come along to join your friend or family member.
Lastly, as disciples and evangelizers, you might want to refresh your faith. This March we will have our Parish Mission. A mission can be a positive effect on your faith. Fr. Richard Leonard will be here the week of March 1. He will speak at all of the Masses, and then Monday through Wednesday give provocative talks. The Mission Theme is Hope, Faith and Love.
Another way to enrich your faith is to read Matthew Kelly’s Rediscovering the Saints. Kelly shares how we are more capable to making the world a better place. Join your fellow parishioners as we read how we can change the world for the better. The book will be available the beginning of Lent.
Please get in touch with me if you would like some help as an evangelizer. Also, we need lots of team members to help in these evangelization efforts. Call me at 626.403.6128. Email me at dponnet@holyfamily.org
Join me, in reaching out to all those people we wish would join us! Be an evangelizer!
Dawn Ponnet
Director of Faith Formation