Jimmy, thank you! I know I personally am not doing a good job at this and need to do better. One thing I think is important to make clear to people is that we need to keep evangelization simple. I’ve met many people who would like to share their faith, but feel that their knowledge in the faith is lacking. It doesn’t take a PhD level of knowledge to share the Faith, just a zeal for Our Lord and a desire to bring souls to Him. You don’t need to be able to explain transubstantiation in order to invite someone to Mass. You don’t need to be able to explain the hypostatic union to proclaim Christ as Savior and Lord. We need to make it clear that even if you don’t even understand the words “transubstantiation” and “hypostatic”, you can still evangelize.

You are on the mark, just what I was thinking this morning.  The Spirit is moving!

No need to apologize, Jimmy. Most—i.e., the OVERWHELMING, VAST MAJORITY of priests (deleted) at what they do. They think the extent of their duties is the fulfillment of ritual functions. It’s about damn time someone from the orthodox mainstream called them out on it.

We all need to be reminded of this!

I would ask that when envangelizing, that people use a little common sense when approaching others.  It is a little startling as a lone female when a strange man walks up to me and wants to evangelize in a parking lot or at a gas station (both have happened to me, yes).

I think it’s more than just that the priest don’t tell them too, although that’s certainly a start. The main difference is the support system in local Evangelical churches. They often have evangelistic teams and that work in conjunction with Sunday School classes (which Catholics typically don’t do) and Wed night Bible Study and communal prayer night (which Catholics typically don’t do).

Part of this is based on their erroneous belief that everyone who doesn’t think like they do is certainly damned. So they have more of a sense of urgency about it.

Well, having seen a statistic today (and yes, the source is biased) suggesting that some 98% of Catholic women use contraception at some point, I have a different take on the failure of American Catholics to evangelize: you can’t spread a message you don’t believe yourself.

Maybe we should start by making sure adult Catholics have some expletive deleted notion of what Catholics believe and why before we lament the failure of Catholics to evangelize.

Eric, do you happen to be in a position of knowing the “vast majority” of priests in the world to make such a rational conclusion? That’s a pretty big claim of condemnation - and against every alter Christus.  Is conversion necessary? Always. Do we need to often be reminded about getting back to the essentials and refocusing? Constantly.  But you better stop chewing on sour grapes if you hope to draw others to Christ - otherwise you become that which you hate.

Jimmy:  Come up to Canada lad! I preach the need to evangelize often. I weave it into almost every homily! It’s not hard to do given that it is an imperative of the Christian life. The scriptures offer many opportunities where a priest could develop the relevant teaching and then instruct folks to share the good news with others.

To me, the greater problem is the fact that as Catholic clergy, many do not put sufficient time and effort into preparing their homily for the weekend. Too many lads have preached on the Sunday readings on many occasions over the years and they seem to slip into their ‘comfort zone’ rather than delving further into the readings and applying them in our times. One of my Seminary professors (now a Bishop I’m happy to say) that a good priest must have his Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. The former to keep us grounded in the word of God and the latter to know how to use it.

Fr. Tim

One key difference between Catholics and evangelicals is the Catholic liturgy does not lend itself to personal testimony - yet, personal testimony is a key element of sharing the Gospels.  So, many Catholics do not engage in the kind of exchanges in which “faith sharing” and “personal testimony” are done. 

Consider for a moment the incredible success of Marcus Grodi’s “The Journey Home” (for my money the single best show on EWTN).  It is an extended personal witness to the life-changing experience of becoming a Catholic. It is singularly responsible for countless numbers of converts into the Church.

The upshot of this is, don’t settle for a minimalist observance of the faith - keeping the Sunday precept, etc. - make a retreat, join or start a faith sharing group and interact with other inquirers, not just at the liturgical level but at the personal level where friendships - and converts - are made.

I agree with the thrust of this post entirely.  Preaching in my Church has been sub-par at best (quite moralistic), and Catholics have a lot to learn from evangelical communities—evangelization being a key issue, though we should not imitate their methods entirely, of course.  Missions trips are *always* service-oriented, often to Catholic countries. 

OK, all of that is true.  But I don’t understand the parenthetical asides (which come off as sarcastic) which suggest that priests are ignorant of the Bible.  The recommendations at the end also don’t sound like things being offered to your spiritual fathers.  Am I missing something?

You have expressed the truth. I have observed that priests, especially parish priests, are more into administration of the parish, beautification of the church, and give the impression that their primary priestly functions are just routine. The focus of parish activities is geared toward reaching out to the community at large through donations, which in itself is not bad at all, but there are no programs that are geared toward building a relationship with God, which I feel is necessary for it will give more meaning to “helping my neighbor.” Also, I feel that priests are reluctant to voice out their opinions on important and controversial issues lest they not become acceptable or popular with the parishioners, espcially those they deem as big donors. The common message we hear is that we need not do anything but to simply just live the Christian life, for we might be “the only book others will read.” That is the extent of evangelization.

Eric Giunta,

Please curb your language and your unsubstantiated claims about the “vast majority” of priests. And please have some more respect than to say things like “VAST MAJORITY of priests SUCK at what they do.” The word “suck” makes it especially disrespectful.

Thanks

Why do you need to evangelize?  Is it just because of the Biblical injunction or is it because you fear that non Catholics are going to go to hell or are the weekly mass numbers dropping and you need to replenish the coffers?

On the issue of homiletics, I think every clergyman in America should be presented with a mug graced with the following sentiment - commonly attributed to Mark Twain:

“Please forgive me that I didn’t have the time to write you a shorter letter”

The mere multiplication of words without a requisite increase in meaning signals disrespect for one’s listeners.

I agree with Erin; you can’t evangelize when you don’t know your faith, and yes, Father Sticha, we really DO have to be able to explain “transubstantiation”.  Otherwise, what’s the point?  The core of our life as Catholics is the Holy Eucharist.  If we don’t know what it is, we are accepting something we don’t have a clue about.  That’s really a stupid way to live.  Imagine a gardener who has no ideas what flowers are! 

Therefore, we can simply say that we believe that John 6 is correct and literal; that by accepting the Holy Eucharist as the Bread that comes down from Heaven at consecration as the Body and Blood of Christ and that by eating it we are joined in communion with Christ, we have the strength to love one another as He loves us.  This is also the Bread of Eternal Life.

There are many easy-to-read books out there.  Our pastors can start by getting us to READ!  Some books are quite short and succinct.  Your pastor should be able to recommend one or two or have the whole parish do a read-a-thon for a particular book.  Catholics are just plain ole lazy!!

Evangelizing and Bible-thumping are not one and the same.  Leading and living a holy, loving, giving, and productive life and deriving all the grace and strength for doing so from the Eucharistic Lord is Catholic evangelizing.  Let your light shine!

I am offended by your headline. Your attempts to explain it away in your opening does not excuse you. If you had no intention of doing these things, then why did you? The Priesthood is SACRED and we should treat them with the same respect we would treat our KING AND SAVIOR himself. There are things you just don’t say and things you just don’t do and YOU NEVER ATTACK A PRIEST OR THE PRIESTHOOD to grab attention for yourself! If they have erred we should pray for them privately to Our Father in Heaven or go to the Bishop. And if we would like to discuss these things publicly, then the utmost reverence needs to be shown FROM THE HEADLINE TO THE END of the piece. You’re admittance to a lack of creativity justifying your disrespect to Our Savior’s and our priests and therefore Our Savior himself is disgraceful. I am touched by your conversion and think it is wonderful that you want to write about the faith but NARROW IS THE PATH. I write this NOT to embarrass you or wallow in my own pride but to express my disgust with the fact that many of us, in my opinion, treat Our Savior too much like a friend and forget he is the KING OF KINGS and THE LORD OF LORDS. Would you go into any Kings kingdom and question his army and their effectiveness just to get attention? What attention do you think you would get? And ask yourself if you could really explain it away? God Bless you my friend. I recommend a good confession and reflection on how you conduct yourself in your writings. Just my opinion.

@Brian Z. Lighten up brother!  The clergy are fallen human beings just like ourselves. A few of them may claim to walk on water, but be sure they don’t.  One of the reasons the Church has experienced the clergy abuse crisis is because of an unhealthy clericalism - Catholics have placed the clergy on an unrealistic pedestal.

There is a difference between provocative and disrespectful. I think Jimmy is doing his job effectively here.  When it comes to evangelization, we all need to look in the mirror.

mydogoreo, apologies. I didn’t explain what I meant clearly. Yes, all Catholics should be able to say with completely faith that the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ when the priest says the words of Institution.

I meant that we do not need to explain how the transformation occurs and how Our Lord can be present in every church throughout the world and throughout time simultaneously. My point, which unfortunately was missed in my poor choice of explanation, is that we need not have a PhD in Theology to spread the Gospel and to bring those around us into the Church.

I for one do not need the nudging of my parish priest for me to do some evangelization. I know it deep in my heart that it is my duty BUT I never (or very rarely) do it. Why is that? I’m afraid people will say, ” look who’s talking!”. And one time while I was talking to a friend about the graces I have ever received from the Lord putting emphasis on ” I can not do anything without God’s help” she cut me short by saying she and her family does not have that kind of faith like mine. Simply put, she believes in God but not in His almightiness. She is a Catholic but she sets foot in church only during baptismal, funeral occasions. This happened in Italy and that was the last time I remember I talked about the bible with someone.
Moreover, my parish priest (am new in this parish) have talked about evangelization 3 months ago in accordance with the suggestion of the Holy Pope. I was very thankful for my own personal reasons.
Thank you Mr Akin for posting this topic, I just pray that priests in Europe will come to read it too.

Michael- it has nothing to do with money- we want people to know Christ through His Church and also- it’s nice to have people there! (we are in a very small minority, but in our tiny mission, we have not taken a collection in 2 years)
remnantofremnant.blogspot.com

I very much agree with the post (and I was certainly not offended by the headline!). I’m not satisfied with how evangelizing my parishes are, but we are doing some things:

> I do preach about it frequently, specifically suggesting folks invite and bring family or friends, and often pointing out we don’t have to be experts, we simply have to tell our own stories: why do we believe in Jesus Christ?

> We did inaugurate a “Catholics Visiting Catholics” program, in which we recruited parishioners to visit our fellow parishioners. We want to visit all our parishioners in time. We originally thought, let’s visit the “inactives”—only to realize we couldn’t easily and certainly isolate only such folks; and if we had, we’d have stigmatized everyone we visited! So we changed it to, visit everyone, and some will be inactive folks.

> We just completed our first parish mission in many years, and I’m hopeful that will yield greater zeal.

> We do have a Cursillo group and I am pleased with the effects Cursillo has on those who take part in it.

> We do try to have a high profile for our parishes and our school in the community.

I’m all for doing more.

Protestants evangelize more because this is their worship. They are canals whereas Catholics are wells, hearts filled deep with the Grace of God in their being that overflows into others lives. The prerequisite in overflowing is that we be filled, we cannot give what we don’t have. When we have it we then realize that it is God that converts and could convert everyone with a move of their heart instantly. Cooperating with this spirit is our evangelization and this includes speaking to others when prompted.

I agree, agree, agree that many Catholics do not fully understand what they believe.  No you don’t need that PhD in Theology, but a working understanding of the Catechism is a must.  A lot of us were formed in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s which is to say we were not formed at all.  Kumbaya, touchy feely, I’m okay/you’re okay Catholicism is what we were left with.

I would LOVE to see a weekly bulletin series in every Catholic Church titles “Did You Know…?”  Did you know…that infants can be confirmed?  Did you know…that while we can eat meat on Fridays outside of Lent, we are still called to replace that abstinence with another one?  Did you know…that missing Mass on Sunday or Holy Days of obligation is a Mortal Sin? (Do you know what a Mortal Sin is?)  and then proceed to answer these questions with a paragraph or two, with references on where to get more information on these topics.

People aren’t likely to read entire books, but almost everyone will read short, concise explanations.  They could even “write in” with their own questions.  Not only would these be good introductions/reminders of what we believe and why, but they would get us talking.  To each other.  And others.  Something as simple as leaving the bulletin open to that page on the kitchen table is a form of evangelizing.  It’s great that we are reaching out Catholics to “Come Home” but somebody needs to reach out to Catholics who are already home, but in danger of leaving because they are unfamiliar with the rooms in their own “House”.

I agree with this post.  I also think that Erin has it spot on:  go back to the basic tenets of the faith.

THE SACRAMENTS 101:
I agree with everyone who says that the Eucharist is the heart of the Christian life.  Indeed, you can make mention to how several, if not every, sacrament relates to it.  For example, the fact that Christ says “unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you shall have know life within you” immediately brings us to how we need a priest to do this.  The Body and Blood aren’t mere symbols, and unless we have a valid Eucharist, we have no life within us.  The question that begs, then, is what is the priesthood (talking about what the priesthood actually is, and what it’s not, will also make clear why we can’t have, say, women priests—we wouldn’t have a valid Eucharist).  In order to be able to receive Communion in a state of grace, regular Confession is necessary.

In reading God and the World, one thing that then Cardinal Ratzinger said that stuck with me is that the priesthood is not about the man, and it’s not about the preaching—that he knew a priest who was a horrible singer, and was nearly inaudible during his homilies.  But he still maintained a well-attended parish, because he modeled good discipleship himself.  So I would really, really love it if priests made their homilies not only about how the Gospel relates to daily life (i.e. “Bible in one hand;  newspaper in the other), but even going back to, well, “The Sacraments 101:  how we’re not “saved, just because we’ve received them all.”  Sometimes, what also needs to be made relevant is how the fundamentals of Catholic belief and worship relate to the Gospel, and to everyday life, too.

THE NATURE OF CATHOLIC WORSHIP:
Angela, as for beautifying the parish, here’s another opportunity for evangelization:  why do Catholics worship in the way we do?  I hope nobody takes offense at this, for I certainly don’t wish to tick anyone off, but I’ve been reading on several blogs, including Fr. Dwight Longenecker’s, about the costs of “ugly churches.”  A worship space that does not comport itself with the nature of Catholic worship will render that worship unintelligible.  It doesn’t do, therefore, to strip everything down such that it all looks like “a theater in the round” or ultra-modern, and/or resembling some forms of Protestant worship.  Catholicism is a very visual religion (that the way we understand the Word of God as not pertaining exclusively to the Bible has a lot to do with this), and has its own form of worship.  I’m not bashing Protestant worship;  all I’m saying is that Catholic worship needs to be itself. 

And worship spaces need to reflect that.  If we claim to believe in “the Communion of Saints,” how about more statues of the saints, and more homilies pertaining to the saints?  Especially in those more modernist church buildings?  How can we tell people that God “calls everyone to holiness” if we can’t even bring ourselves to tap into the lives of the folks who “made it”—the sinners who never quit on God?  Given that so many of us agree that one of the real problems is that Catholics don’t hear enough homilies about sin, wouldn’t this be a great way to talk about sin—to put it clearly across to people that sin is a serious thing, but that all is not lost?

“I BELIEVE SO THAT I MAY UNDERSTAND”
Also, brother priests, how about sharing some of the theology or lives of the saints that you’ve been reading that really sticks with you, especially if you see it so clearly in the readings?  How many Catholics, after all, know that our theology is beautiful, and demands a use of faith and reason, both (how many “recovering Catholics” sneer that their practicing-Catholic mom or dad is “otherwise intelligent” [so how can they believe in something so irrational, presumably])?  If, as Fr. Robert Barron keeps pointing out, that Catholicism is a smart tradition, then this needs to come out.  It doesn’t always in a homily that’s about “being nice to everyone” (besides, is being good necessarily the same thing as being “nice”?  I think not).  I can tell you myself that one thing that really made me take notice of priests is that one actually worked C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters into his homily, and having lived in the South Pacific as a kid, I remember a nun who taught us about saints that would seem rather obscure to most of us—like St. Peter Chanel.

I think what us lay folks need are priests who not only model discipleship, but in terms of thinking about the faith itself (part of living the faith, after all, is to ponder it), give us examples of how to connect the dots—how to realize how “all this Catholic stuff all fits together.”  Part of the bad fruits of the bad catechesis we all rightly complain about is the fragmentation of that knowledge.  Catholicism claims to have the fullness of the Truth; therefore, it has to be seen—and put across—holistically.

mk, I agree.  Knowledge of the Catechism is a must, and people aren’t likely to read entire books.  But we should bear in mind that Catholicism is a faith that should also be intelligible to those who can’t read.  We tend to take literacy for granted these days, but throughout Church history, so many folks in the pews couldn’t read.  Also, The Word of God, in the Catholic understanding, has never been restricted to the written word, so we shouldn’t act as though this is the case.

So what does make the faith intelligible to people who can’t read?  Visuals.  All those stained-glass windows, or, barring that, icons, murals, statues of the saints.  Those are some of the most effective teaching aids of how the faith works.  It even helps those of us who read a lot, and who do read theology on and off.  How many times have you read something, either in the Catechism, in Scripture, or in a theology book, where you remember something visually from Mass, and the pieces seemed to fall into place?

B16 has it right that the heart is the primary instrument for seeking God;  the intellect is insufficient.  One of the things that is so effective in stirring the heart is visuals, among other things.  Catholicism engages the entire body, and in terms of the senses, fires on all cylinders.

wonderful article. I may just suggest a reflection on harmony : The best recommendation if vital Christianity to the world is in the personality of a successful Christian man. The nan who is successful and at the same time clean, honest and consistent in the practical application of his religious principles- such a nan is a Piwer in the world, I care not what his church or denomination may be. Phillips Brooks had a strange experience in his college days. He had just begun his course as a student in a Southern college, and if course he dropped in at one of the religious meetings organized by the students for their own spiritual benefit and improvement. ” Never ,” says he, ” shall I lose the impression of the devoutness with which these men prayed and exhorted each other. Their whole souls seemed on fire and their nature exalted. On the next day I met some of these men at a Greek recitation. It would be little to say of some of the devoutest of them, that they had not kerned their lessons. They had not got hold of the first. Principles of hard, conscientious study” Among students, as among business men, a man’s mental habits and manner of life ought to be the best endorsement of the religion which he professes.
Peace to all during this Lenten Season !!!!!!

Right on Jimmy!

I wish that all priests would wake up to the fact that Jesus is coming and that they will be resonsible for many souls.  Just look at Canon Law 771.2 for starters, it says that Pastors and Bishops are to get the Gospel out to everyone that lives within their territory including non-believers, because they too are to be included in the care of souls, no less than the faithful.  How many priests are being obedient to this?

My ministry has been trying to get priests to understand that Divine Mercy Sunday is a gift from God and the greatest evangelization tool ever.  Not only does it fall on the most opportune Sunday (right after Easter), but it also offers the enticement of a straight ticket to Heaven with it’s unique plenary indulgence.  This should really be a no brainer for priests to pick up on this, but many are turning theirs backs on it.

Can you imagine the sadness that the Lord Jesus is experiencing when a parish is closed, especially when the Church has given us this feast with the ability to completely rebuild our Church after the scandal and to make every parish flourish?  Bishops are closing parishes without making a sincere effort to go out and evangelize.  Sure we hear excuses about demographics and other factors, but lets face it, how can we legitimately close a parish when we haven’t even tried evagelizing with the tools that are sitting right under our noses?  How many times have you heard of a diocese that is making a sincere effort to, both invite Easter-only Catholics to come back for Divine Mercy Sunday, and then going out and evangelize all week, throughout the entire area inviting everyone to this tremendous Feast of Mercy?  And don’t forget that Jesus said that one day this Feast of Mercy would be the last hope of salvation.  This is really a no-brainer!

Priests are called to be fishers of men, just like the Apostles.  Sad to say that many of them are only “aquarium watchers”.  See this website for direction for celebrating Mercy Sunday: www.DivineMercySunday.com

I certainly was drawn to the topic and wanted to read the article but stopped after repeated typos and the reading of sentences that didn’t make sense. examples: If you want to know why Catholic Churches in America lose so many members of Evangelical churches… and Various reasons can be proposed, but there is one fundamental reason, one key difference between Catholic parishes and Evangelical churches, that is the biggest single factor.

I do agree with the overall viewpoint of the article. May we also add the need for homilies that address issues like, abortion, premarital sex, homosexuality, addictions, etc. We’re tired of the I’m okay, your okay, Jesus loves you sermons. Forgive me for being so synical but I feel worn down from the fight to reach the end of the race.

Before we urge our priests to go out bolding and teach the truths of Jesus Christ and His Church, we had better make certain that our priests believe the truths of the Catholic Church. My experiences suggest that many do not. In most areas of the United States, priestly formation is dismal. I’ve heard priests say the craziest things at the pulpit and in the confessional. Some are utterly useless as teachers because of their own disbelieve or sordid personal lives.  Have you ever encountered a priest who didn’t have time to hear your confession because he was on his way out with his—uh, buddies, giggling like teenage girls, to a nightclub? I have. Have you ever had to argue a priest into hearing objectively serious sins because he thought they were laughable—and told you so? I have. Thank God for a few good priests in my life who believed and taught the truth as the Church teaches it. I would be very cautious about sending faithless priests out to teach the flock. And it it not as if these faithless demons are unknown to their bishops, because in many cases they are. We must first sweep the Church clean of these harmful priests and bishops, and then we can, in good conscience, send them out to the flock as Christ intended.

What about Evangelizing in our own church. People from large parishes are cold and unfriendly. When a “greeter” comes out with a rude statement to you, instead of welcoming you, it turns one off.  When you go to register and the secretary is only interested in giving you a box of envelopes, it turns one off. When you register and you don’t get a welcome visit from a priest or parishioner on the committee, it turns one off.  So many Catholics think they are going to Heaven because they go to church every Sunday and that is it.  I encountered two neighbors who go to the Catholic church and there was “no welcome from them”. Yet, I encountered a woman (a stranger) from the Church of God and when she knew I was moving she held my hand and said a prayer and wished God to be with me through this process.  WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!  I yearn to move somewhere where there is a small congregation. That is where you find the true Catholic.  Catholics are leaving the large parishes, not the small ones. Something has to be done. The rudeness coming out of some catholic parishioners & some priests is the reason why my two children joined the Lutheran Church. They were made ‘welcome’ there.  Believe it or not Jesus is in other churches besides the Catholic. The faith in that woman from the Church of God was something I have never seen in my Catholic friends and I am 84 yrs. old.  When my husband was dying the priest asked when he was going to awaken and said if he wakes before 6PM to call him as he had a dinner date just after 6:00.  My husband died at 5:40, the priest called then and when the Hospice nurse said he had just died the priest said “give my condolences to the family”. (the “family” was only me and my son)  His dinner date was more important than offering me comfort at that time. (but then again, my husband was Protestant and not Catholic—-guess to them it makes a difference).

Hey, folks.

Of course I’m not speaking from statistics, but from anecdotal experience. And I know I’m not alone in it. And yes, I think the word “sucks” is most apposite—you watch the news lately?!

I agree that we need to evangelize. But I find it hard to imagine bringing someone into a Church that looks and sounds the way ours does - at least in my neck of the woods. One local parish has a sanctuary that looks like a 1970’s living room decorated by someone’s grandmother. The music leaves much to be desired. The homilies are fluff culled from email “forwards”. Catholic identity is subverted. True Catholic teaching on critical issues is absent - especially in the RCIA program, because we don’t want to scare away the potential converts! It’s sad.

The Catholic Church has dropped the ball on evangelization and catechesis!  The Protestant evangelicals are stealing our parishioners away by filling them heresies about the Church and unfortunately many of our Catholics aren’t knowledgeable enough to refute the lies.  In the last few years I have seen how Protestants target Catholics.  They call the Pope the anti-Christ. 
Our priests need to do a better job with their homilies.  Yes, being a priest is difficult, but if they expected an easy job, they should have looked elsewhere.  If a priest is not particularly gifted in this area, then at least read a good homily at Mass rather than squander the moment and turn people off.  I try to bring my Protestant friends to Mass frequently only to be embarrassed by how bad the homily is occasionally.  The Eucharist is the focal point of our Church service as it must be, but we shouldn’t waste the opportunity of the homily to instruct, motivate and evangelize.  It should also be used to instruct parishioners how to refute the false evangelization of the Protestants.

Often in the Church we complain and lament about shortcomings like failing to fulfill the mandate to spread the Good News.  But the REAL problem is ACCOUNTABILITY.  The problem w/ the priesthood, deacons, religious, lay professionals and parishes in general in the RCC is ACCOUNTABILITY.  It starts w/ the chief shepherd of the flock, the fullness of priesthood and the succesor to the apostles, the Bishop.  He must (a) create performance standards for priests and all who serve and work in the Church (aka diocesan pastoral plan) and (b) ENFORCE IT.  Priests and organizations need performance reviews just anyone (annual, onsite, etc.).  Whether its poor liturgy, catechesis, social justice, pastoral care or failure to evangelize ... That is THE answer.  Bishop sets clear standards.  Pastors, Priests, Deacons and all others are then held accountable to those standards.  Those who are not performing well need to be demoted, moved, maybe even “removed” over time and continued failure.  The Church is a big fat organization mess.  Period.  It starts at the top.

Have you ever encountered a priest who didn’t have time to hear your confession because he was on his way out with his—uh, buddies, giggling like teenage girls, to a nightclub? I have.

Allan Wafkowski, all I can say is good grief.

Ag, evangelizing in one’s own church is a good point.  Kind of ties in what I wrote earlier about “Sacraments 101,” and
the nature of Catholic Worship,” etc.  Indeed, start small.  In fact, one should be starting in one’s own family.  Isn’t the family, after all, supposed to be “a little Church”?  Adds more to think about when we ponder what marriage even is, doesn’t it?

But I have to point out something else:  is this really all about just a welcome?  Yes, it can help, and coldness can be awkward, but it’s not, well, “it.”  It’s about the Eucharist;  about the Mass, neither of which are about the priest as a person or about the other parishioners.  This is at the very heart of what it is to be a Catholic, and you shouldn’t let other people’s coldness put you off, because it is Christ who welcomes you, and invites you to be a part of His Body.

So many Catholics think they are going to Heaven because they go to church every Sunday and that is it.

And this is indeed a very serious problem.  Probably in part because of the surrounding culture—faith has been reduced to “religion,” and is compartmentalized as “private”—coupled with poor catechesis leaving a void.  The Catholic faith is supposed to act as a sign of contradiction to the world and to the times.  And nature sure hates a vacuum.  A Catholic faith reduced to “religion” and “something private” cannot function properly.  Catholicism is more than just a “religion,” but a way of seeing and making sense of the world.  And worldviews are not, by nature, intensely private. 

I think, therefore, priests should also be well aware of what we’re up against in terms of that surrounding culture that attempts to sell us a false sense of “freedom.”  A priest, in order to talk about sin, must first be able to talk about what true freedom is—about resting in God—and why that is so.  Only in that context does it really hit hard that talking about sin makes sense.  A priest should not be afraid to make people in the pews think.

But here’s the thing:  if you know what the Catholic faith is all about, why are you expecting other people to make it attractive to you, when it can hold its own?  Doesn’t a good parish start in part with us lay folk as well?

I have been a Catholic for almost 30 years. I’m a convert. In the past 6 years or so I have become aware that I don’t even know what it means to be Catholic. And I have been going to church every Sunday! I was following along listening to all the moral relativism claptrap that the Catholic Church of the pat 30 years has been teaching me. Which means I have heard very little about JESUS CHRIST and how I am to live daily in my relationship with him. So what am I suposed to be evangelizing about exactly?? I have had very little idea until lately. When we got a new priest at our church about 4 years ago and he actually TALKS about JESUS CHRIST has a real person and his own personal relationship with GOD. So evenaglize? I’m not ready yet, I still have so much to learn about being a Catholic myself. And if the light of Christ is able to shine in my life so others may see then that will have to do for now!

Stefano, I can see what you’re saying, and to some extent, I agree.  But I think there is a danger in “holding priests to performance standards,” or at least not having a clear understanding about what we mean by such standards.  I think there is also a problem with seeing the Church merely as a “hierarchy.”  The really interesting—and cool—thing about the Catholic Church is that it exists in tension with both top-down and bottom-up tectonics.  So, it is top down, but not merely top down.  The laity are also the Church, but the Church is not about “the people.”  God himself was both top-down and bottom-up when He made himself small enough to be born in Bethlehem as a baby.  So I find it intriguing that you see this primarily as a structural problem without also considering the people involved.  How is it that the ordinary laity, in your view of the Catholic Church, escape similar accountability?  Are we not as culpable when we misunderstand and fail to appreciate our priests’ vocation (by, for example, not understanding the theological importance of why he’s called to remain celibate, as opposed to snickering and sneering about why he’s “not married” and “isn’t getting any”?)?

Jimmy!

This is lovely.  As a convert from nondenominational fundamentalism, I’ve noticed the lukewarm tendency among much of the laity (and yes, even among priests, unfortunately) as regards preaching the gospel.  We are all called to be witnesses!  If we would read our Bibles seriously, we would understand that.  Thanks for calling out an important issue!

All peace in Christ Jesus to you and your readers (among whom I am a devoted member, without regret).

Wonderful article to make me think, especially as I begin to think of how to engage the faithful on Easter Sunday with my homily.  I agree with some of the statements above that the laity need to be able to speak Christ to others, while, at the same time, acknowledge that some of my brother priests do not keep their faith close to their hearts.  The best way I can approach it is through praying for a conversion of heart - not just in the hearts of the people I am preaching to, but, more importantly, my own heart to be open to the message that I am preaching: that I may become more of the spark to light the faith of the laity on fire, that they would want to do nothing more than to shout Christ to the world.  Being ordained under a year, I’m still learning how to do that well and effectively.  But the more I’m able to preach Christ to others, the more others - I pray! - will be wanting to brings their others to Christ.

Sorry Stefano;  I should clarify something:  namely, what we base those “performance standards” on.

For that, we’d have to go back to and understand what the priesthood actually is:  upon ordination, a priest is ontologically configured to Christ to be another Christ.  As per Apostolic succession, they share in the one, true priesthood of the High Priest, Jesus Christ.  So the standard of the priesthood is Christ.

But priests are human beings, not perfectly human and perfectly divine, like Christ was.  They’re also individuals with all of their individual talents and flaws.  So they’re not going to be equally effective in evangelizating, administration, etc., and not every man will do those things in the same ways.  Furthermore, don’t forget that God works with flawed vessels (thank you, Holy Spirit!).  So to some extent, your “performance standards” model breaks down.

But where it can be useful is in determining what renders a ministry defective, whereby a priest, for the good of the faith, for the priesthood, for the victims, and for the Church as a whole, should be removed from active ministry:  like where there is actual sexual abuse involved, for example.

I have a rather different perspective on this. Maybe my experience is shared by others; or maybe I’m just an oddball.
 
I grew up in evangelical Protestantism. Life’s varied twists and turns found me enrolled at a very small, orthodox, Catholic college. There, I became a Catholic.
 
Two things were absolutely critical in starting my conversion. First, not long after I arrived, a classmate invited me to go along on the students’ annual retreat. (She told me to bring my Rosary. I said I didn’t have one, as I wasn’t Catholic. She replied that that was no problem; just come anyway. I did.)
 
Second, my peers and my teachers preached the Gospel constantly, in who they were, what they did, and what they valued. But in this case, the saying was right: words were *not* necessary. In fact, they would have been counterproductive; for one of the many things that had caused me to drift away from evangelicalism was a certain mentality and approach that I call “Amway evangelization”.
 
(A combox is not the place to fully dilate on what I mean by this; but I trust that at least some readers are familiar enough with both evangelicalism and multi-level marketing that they will be able to sense what I’m getting at here.)
 
At my college, no one ever buttonholed me and “witnessed” to me in words. Not a single person ever said to me anything along the lines of, “You know, you really ought to become a Catholic.” Our chaplain even slowed me down at one point, instead of encouraging me, because he sensed (correctly) that I had to come to grips with some of the problems in the Church as well as its glories before I would be ready to successfully sign on.
 
The contrast with the religious world I grew up in was stark…and quizzical…and beautiful…and essential to my journey.
 
So I disagree with Mr. Akin somewhat. Preaching the Gospel is essential; but words are not always necessary, and are never sufficient. And, when they are not necessary, or when they are employed clumsily or at the wrong time, they are capable of doing real harm to the work of evangelization.

Please pray that priests and bishops will begin speaking out on the Catholic teaching not using contraception or sterilization.

This is a key need in our culture.

Oh, and one more thing. As many of the comments upthread illustrate, evangelizing our own (not just the fallen away, but our fellow-parishioners…even sometimes our clergy!) is at least as high a priority these days as evangelizing those who have never set foot in a Catholic church.
 
I’d argue it’s a higher priority, in fact. Getting our own house in order is important if we’re going to be inviting people over and hoping they fall in love. Build something beautiful for God, and they will come.

@ Allan Wafkowski: Yes, I know it is about the Eucharist and the Mass.  BUT to belong to a church family is also important. How many times have I heard a priest say “if everyone did their share in keeping up this Church (including the building) everything would not fall on just a few”. So many people go to church on Sunday and that is the end of it. There are so many organizations within a parish to join in order to fulfill the needs of the ‘Church Family’
If you are a part of your mother-father-sibling family, you have to do your part in order for that family to run smoothly. So, yes, the Eucharist is the most important part and if it truly is, then the rest should naturally follow, but most times it doesn’t. 
If I were invited to my best friends home and the husband (head of the household) treated me badly, I would not go there again. The same with Church, people should be taught (or told by the priest) to welcome their fellow-parishioners. This is a big reason why so many leave for another more friendly church. I just don’t understand how so many people can keep saying “The Eucharist is important” over and over again, yet if they really believed in the Eucharist would they act so poorly toward fellow parishioners,(or other people in general?)—- or just not contribute to the church in their time (not talking abt. money) Did Jesus teach us to receive His Body & Blood and that is it.  No he taught us many things, how to treat one another, the Ten Commandments and much, much more. My opinion.

Ag, you actually responded to the wrong person. My name was included in a post that had several quotes in it and mine was one, but I was not the one who spoke of the Mass. I do understand your disappointment. If we Catholics wish to make the Church appealing, the least we must do is show heartfelt charity to those around us. I attend a Latin Mass parish and there is no handshaking. It does not happen in Church, but outside the Mass it does. Most of the people there have searched for years for a parish that met their needs are happiest when all attention during Mass is paid to the Lord. That’s fine for us, but I do understand the need to treat others in a warm fashion. Christ will know us by our actions, and I hug or two goes a long way to bring people closer to us and to Christ. I think this is especially true if the newcomer is less informed than he or she should be. The poor way in which the faith has been taught over the past 40 years or so has left some Catholics wondering why there are Catholics. There are sound Biblical a theological reasons for being one, but with a newcomer, a warm smile may make it appear worth investigating. I forget which saint said, “God protect me from unhappy saints”, but he was right. No one wants to belong to an organization that creates long-faced, uninviting members.

Two books would be helpful: Search and Rescue, and How NOT to Share Your Faith. A good prayer life is central! Our Catholic faith, LOVE IT, LEARN IT, AND LIVE IT! We have the fullness of truth! Others deserve to know the Truth, and partake with us at The Lord’s table. Come on, Catholic’s!
No Excuses!

I love my Catholic faith and it wasn’t evangelization that returned me to the faith after 40 years away.  I returned right in the middle of the atrocity of priests abusing children and adults.  Evangelization is best known as being able to live and speak about the direct experience of knowing God’s Love in one’s life.
Drop the whining about what is wrong and begin to communicate the Love that God gives you each day no matter what your level of distress or suffering may be.  Communicate the lightness and freedom of Confession and the overwhelming sense of joy in union with Christ in Communion.
Most of all stop the whining.

Jim, you article is spot on. But it’s only part of the problem.

Catholics sill by and large don’t evengelize because they are not educated enough in their faith. For them going to Mass and the Eucharist etc. is a ritual they’ve been brought up in… Our Catholic schools are an abysmal failure to teach the faith. Most Cathlics go through the school system thinking they’ve learnt all there is to know, and either leave the faith, practice it tepedily, or simply aren’t confident that they know enough to tackle the hard questions that will indeed come up when discussing the faith with others.

We need good priests, and we need good Catholic Education! Catholic Schools should mandatorily teach the Bible, the dogmas and faith of the Catholic Church. How it runs. How it works. Apologetics. Criticisms of Darwinian Evolution and Creationist perspectives. Critical thinking skills, philosophy, logic etc.

It starts from young. The secular world knows this which is why they actively try to infiltrate schools and restrict religious education and prop up secular humanism and atheist nonsense, and we are standing by and letting them in return for Government funding.

The first step is ridding Catholic Schools of Government funding and making them privately and finding some way of mantaining it and high standards of education. Though arguably, even amny Catholic Universities and Colleges are cesspools of heresy and secularism.

Anyway I went off on a tangent there, but the point is that at the end of the day converts make the best evangelizers primarily because they made the decision after careful consideration and study. This is so for Evangelicals and Catholic converts. Those born into the faith are often the ones who take the treasures they were born into for granted.

The solution is not only Priests doing a better job, and willing to go to lengths to educate their congregations in all the tough areas, and dictating to them their Christian duty, it should also be education in the homes and in schools that are Catholic.

So it it the three fold way of Priest, Family and Schooling that will create confident Catholics who know enough to go out there and evangelize others.

It doesn’t matter what the secular world does and as important as the priest is he is not the most important factor in whether or not our children stay in the faith.  It is the quality of relationship between the mother and father and how they represent the faith to their children.  Even more important in this relationship is the father’s relationship to the faith and his relationship with his children.  The entire family system is regulated by the parental relationship and it is the father who determines the emotional environment of the family.  The wife and the children respond according to his reaction to life in general and faith in particular.  The priest either reinforces the father’s general disposition or doesn’t depending on the disposition of both of them.

There is a form of evangelization that can be engaged in by both Catholics who are shy or who feel inarticulate or not well informed enough to start conversations with non-Catholics and Catholics who also engage in personal contact and evangelization.  Members of the St. Francis Xavier and St. Therese of Lisieux Society mail double postcards to people in parts of the country that have a small Catholic population so most of the recipients will be non-Catholic.  The cards have a brief message (about 350 words) talking about Jesus, which can inform non-Christians about Him and tell Protestants that the card is from a Christian.  It then briefly discusses the Catholic Church and invites recipients to request a free correspondence course in the teachings of the Catholic Church.  The course is one of nine given by the Home Study Service of the Association of the Miraculous Medal.  Recipients who are interested can mail the reply half of the card to the Home Study Service, sign up by e-mail, or go to http://www.amm.org/chss.htm for information about all of the courses.

Cards and mailing lists are provided free by the Society to its members.  A member just folds a card, tapes it shut, addresses it, puts on a first class stamp, says a brief prayer for the recipient, and mails it.

Any Catholics interested in learning more about this apostolate can write to the current Director, Dennis O’Connor, at Dennisoconnorrtlt@verizon.net.

This is great! I’m going to send it to every member in my Legion of Mary group, as it is great encouragement to our lay work of evangelization!

The handbook of the Legion of Mary (which is the world’s largest lay apostolate, by the way) states that it is the duty of every Catholic to spread the Gospel, to evangelize! Membership gives Catholics a perfect opportunity to fulfill this obligation of our Faith, within a disciplined structure.

I encourage everyone who is interested in putting their apologetic skills and enthusiasm for their Faith to good use, to look into joining the Legion of Mary.  Every diocese in the world has a LOM.  If there is not a group in your parish, please consider starting one yourself, with the approval of your pastor. Inquire at your diocesan office for the LOM contacts in your area.

Thank you Jimmy, recently my 3 granddaughters were baptized. My daughter in law had never heard the new priest give a sermon before and after Mass she said,“Now just what did Father Jeff’s golf game have to do with the readings or for that matter,what did it have to do with anything we need to know to help us be better Catholics? I had to agree. The last really good sermon I heard was from a Catholic lay evangelist and it started out with- If you think being a member of the Catholic Church is your ticket to heaven, you are sadly mistaken. What an attention getter! Of course then he went on to explain what we need to do to get to heaven.
I agree that most sermons are a C- at best. Yes we come to Mass to be fed, and we receive the Eucharist; but we also need to be fed by the Word in Holy Scriptures and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
I agree with the writer who said he would like to see a column in the bulletin called Did You Know That…. Maybe a priest who is too afraid to speak out on pertinent issues could then write about them.
One of the first things I’d like him to say is, Did you know I sit in the confessional 30 minutes every Saturday and hear an average of 3 confessions; yet every week 300 people get up to receive the body and blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the sacrament of Holy Eucharist. Did you know the Catechism of the Catholic Church states you must be free of serious (mortal) sin to receive any sacrament?
Pope Leo the XIII, I believe, was shown a vision of Satan being turned loose with more power for a 100 years. I believe a lot of damage was done during those years to our seminaries, schools, and our clergy.As one priest says “Strike the shepherd, scatter the flock. Many of our shepherds seem to care very little for their flock. It makes you wonder if they know that one day they will be held responsible for how they tended their flock. We all must pray daily for our priests, and definitely our bishops, that the Holy Spirit will bring about a conversion of those in need, and an increase in faith and zeal for those who have remained loyal to the teachings and magisterium of our great Catholic Church.

If you don’t think there is a problem with preaching and evangelization, take a look at this article from my hometown newspaper:

“Mass exodus confounds diocese”

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article394683.ece

In the case of the Diocese of Buffalo, the problem historically has been liberal seminaries resulting in ill-formed clergy and ineffective preaching ..

thanks be to the Lord that the vatican is creating this new council for new evangelization. I also came back to the church after three short years of protestantism. but for 12 years of being back in the church,it is overwhelming,that in our local parishes their is a lack of preaching of some important doctines. for example i haven’t heard any preaching at all, of the call to convertion,repentance of heart,and this is one of the biggest problems among catholics today. Many catholics lack the catechesis to distinguish,what is sinfull and what is not. and when your at mass the only message you hear is “GOD LOVES YOU,JUST THE WAY YO ARE.” so if god loves me the way i am?, why bother to change the way you live, no wonder why we go to mass, and people are dressed inmodestly, cell phones going off all the time,people chewing gum,even in line for communion,etc. God help us!!!!!

We have lovely couple friends who both have great faith in “God”—and have been, in some ways, better “Christians” than us—though they don’t consider themselves members of any religion in particular.  Both are divorced and remarried, having met in re-hab years ago where they both surrendered to a “higher power” in a 12-Step program, and experienced complete 180s, thanks be to God.  They are totally different people today.  They have four beautiful children between them, share custody with their ex’s, and have a new baby on the way.

Recently they had expressed interest in visiting a Christian church.  In the interest of “evangelization,” I invited them to come to Mass.  The husband had been to a few Catholic funerals years ago; the wife had never been inside a Catholic church. 

Well, they came yesterday (Palm Sunday).  Here’s how it went down:

First, I had to gently explain why they could not receive Holy Communion, though they both believe in Jesus.

Next, I squirmed in my seat during coffee hour as a well-meaning parish friend (who doesn’t know the first thing about them, so doesn’t know about the marriages in their pasts) detailed her and her husband’s annulments they went through so that they could be received into the Church from Protestantism.  This dear couple looked sideways at each other—they knew *nothing* about the Church’s stance on divorce/remarriage and were visibly shocked, then embarrassed.  They looked at us as if they thought *we* thought they had the plague!

Finally, the darling 11 yr. old girl turned to me and asked, “Do they do baptisms in this church?”  I assured her Catholics baptize, and explained that my own children were baptized here by the very Priest she just met.  At this, her daddy proudly exclaimed, “Sarah found a pamphlet about Jesus someone had left at the library.  She read it all by herself and asked Jesus to forgive her sins.  She prayed the prayer in the booklet, and now she wants to be Baptized!”  Sarah looked up at me with big beautiful brown eyes and a hopeful smile across her pretty little face.  I mumbled something like her mom and dad would have to speak with Father about that, etc.

What I wanted to do—so help me—was refer her and her whole family to the “non-denomoniational” Christian church just around the corner, where her parents would not be treated like lepers, where their freedom from addictions would be celebrated, where their new marriage and new lives would be honored, where she and her siblings could be baptized, and where the whole family would be warmly welcomed and received.  (Except for Father, not *one* parishioner at the coffee hour after our Mass came up to shake their hands and welcome them.  Of course, we introduced them to people and folks were polite, but NO ONE took the initiative.)

~~~

“For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.”

Good encouragement to priests, but a few commentors forget that documents like, “The Apostolate of the Laity” and “Evangelization in the Modern World” and the Holy Fathers’ “New Evangelization” concept - these put the burden clearly on the laity.  No one can hide behind “No one ever told me!”

I would find it difficult to go up to a stranger and evangelize.  However, I make every effort to live my life as a true Christian.  My entire life is in God’s hands; and everyone who knows me knows it.  I have been thru cancer, having a profoundly mentally retarded child, a husband with 2 heart attacks.  I’ve never asked “why”.  When tempted to ask “why” I immediately think “why not”.  I have put all of these issues in the Hands of God.  I make no secret about it. 

I’ve had a hard time keeping up with the expectations of my job.  I told my supervisor and one of the “coaching” sessions that keeping my job was in God’s Hands.  I recently found a lump in my remaining breast.  I said something to my boss about it.  She was concerened, as was I.  I told her that I was putting it in God’s hands.  I reminded her about my job being in His Hands and told her “I’m still here”.

I don’t walk around with a “holier than thou” attitude.  I am careful about spreading gossip.  I will put in a good word for someone who is being put down.  I really believe it is the little things we do all day that can spread the word of God.

Another post alluded to this, but I would suggest that it’s harder (though in no sense less important) for a Catholic to evangelize than an Evangelical. “Evangelists” are expected to live up to a minimal code of conduct of their faith. This minimal code of conduct is MUCH lower for an evangelical. (We dont smoke, we dont drink, we dont chew, and we dont go with girls who do). Prominent respected Protestants such as Dr. Dobson have taken a soft stand on masturbation. Almost all Protestants with the exception of quiverfull allow the use of contraceptives.

I would speculate that Catholics deep down believe before evangelizing, they must do the following things that no Protestant is expected to do :
- stop using contraception forever
- say no to masturbation forever
- go to adoration every week
- go to mass every day
- say the rosary every day
- go to confession every month

Almost every respectable catholic speaker encourages this. They might even suggest that those five are necessary to succeed at anything worthwhile. But how many Catholics have reached this point of advancement? I know I havent.

Only the first two of those six are required, although I would say “never use contraception” instead of “stop using contraception”.  Many Catholics have never used it.  The other four are recommended pious practices, but none is required.  More important, any Catholic can evangelize in one way or another.  Being in the state of grace is required for receiving Communion and for getting into Heaven, but not for doing anything else in the Church.  None one should say to himself, for example, “I’d like to correct that erroneous statement he made about the Catholic Church, but I’m not in the state of grace.”

@Marty, thanks for correcting my phrase to “never use contraception”. As for the “unrequired recommended pious practices”, evangelization is also an unrequired pious practice and as far as I can tell, ranks lower in priority than weekly adoration, daily rosary, daily mass, and monthly confession. Furthermore, evangelization by definition involves recommending pious practices to other people. No one will take a Christian seriously unless they know that said Christian goes beyond the bare minimum. This “bar” seems a lot higher for Catholics than Protestants (Luther proposes dung heaps covered in snow as the highest aspiration of human conduct) and going beyond it seems harder still (the Catholic Church proposes an Immaculately conceived, bodily Assumed Queen of Heaven as the highest aspiration of human conduct).

A Catholic (goes to mass weekly) told me that my wife (while my wife was in hospital with our first baby) should get her tubes tied and that it was ok to do so (my wife’s brother was also there at the time). I had left the Church at the time but I knew that the Church considered such behavior immoral. When I pointed this out, she said “if a priest says no to getting her tubes tied, you can just go ahead and do it and then go to confession after”.

Do you really expect me or my wife’s brother to take this Catholic’s faith seriously?

The priesthood is *not* a “job”. If that’s how priests think, they are not thinking as Catholics or as Christians. No wonder the Church is demoralised and rotten, when those who have every conceivable opportunity to know better than that, seem not to.

“Lots of people in the Catholic world haven’t become evangelizers, precisely because their clergy haven’t asked them to.”

Which indicates an inability to think for themselves. Relying on “Father” all the time is infantile - priests are guides to us, not replacements for our minds. This is the kind of clericalism that causes serious trouble. There has been an abject and culpable failure to make clear that thinking for oneself, using one’s mind, drawing consequences (in this case, the consequences of the Incarnation), is not the same thing as rejecting the teaching authority of the Church, it is not the same thing as Protestantism (a term that’s grossly abused by Catholics as it is).

If “Father” can do our thinking for us - then all we have to do is “pay, pray & obey (& avoid getting into mortal sin)”. If that’s Christianity, it’s even more threadbare than atheism. Far from being Christianity, it is a shoddy substitute for it, a drab moralism that does nothing to reveal the attractiveness of God.

“As for the “unrequired recommended pious practices”, evangelization is also an unrequired pious practice and as far as I can tell, ranks lower in priority than weekly adoration, daily rosary, daily mass, and monthly confession.”

As Jesus, Peter, Paul, John, Philip & the others made clear…not ! “Unrequired”? If the Gospel is not preached, the rest might as well be forgotten, because they are pointless and meaningless without it. And how can a devotional practice of Church origin that was known to no Apostle take precedence over the preaching of the Kingship of God, which according to the gospels (e.g. Mark 1.15) was preached by Jesus Himself ?  No Kingship of God = no Church = no sacraments & no sacramentals. The Rosary is not a sacrament, but a sacramental.

@Posted by Fr. Cory Sticha on Thursday, Apr 14, 2011 11:10 AM (EDT):Jimmy, thank you! I know I personally am not doing a good job at this and need to do better. One thing I think is important to make clear to people is that we need to keep evangelization simple. I’ve met many people who would like to share their faith, but feel that their knowledge in the faith is lacking. It doesn’t take a PhD level of knowledge to share the Faith, just a zeal for Our Lord and a desire to bring souls to Him…..

So then, Father: how would you prevent a Catholic falling into Modalism, Arianism, Apollinarianism, Monophysitism, Nestorianism, Apthartodocetism, Monotheletism ? All of these heresies have to do with the Incarnation & Hypostatic Union, even Arianism. And perhaps all of them are alive today. Some of them are very tempting - but they are still false. One little error can if not checked do untold harm. A priest who cares for the flock for which he is answerable to God is not going to neglect to explain the true faith on these matters - if he, with all his advantages, does not, what likelihood is there that the faithful, who have not had a formation in philosophy and theology, will be able to ?

The Nestorians had “a zeal for Our Lord and a desire to bring souls to Him” - it was so fruitful, that Nestorian missionaries entered China in 635; the Far East was peppered with Nestorian Archbishops until the 14th century. The Spanish Visigoths were Arians before they were Catholics.

If Catholicism is the true faith, then it matters very greatly what doctrine Catholics learn - zeal is not enough; it has to be a zeal informed by knowledge as well as by charity.

This is an interesting article with good comments.  Several years ago, a former US bishop chairman asked American priests to write homilies in a way that had greater impact, using the time to teach more.

I think most priests are not trained to evangelize, and when they get ordained and go into the parishes, they are expected to be sacrament machines and managers of programs.
We all need to work together on shifting the culture of Catholics from thinking of themselves as consumers of spiritual services to thinkning of themselves as co-workers in mission. 
We start with evangelizing ourselves and each other. How can we make our parishes so that people can more easily see that they are worth coming to.  This should be the primary work of this generation and the next.

Fr. Jim - Your comment is inspiring.  I agree with you that priests are expected to be sacrament machines and business managers for lay people that are like consumers.  Yet I recently saw a photograph of a priest being installed as a bishop.  Two priests held “The Book of the Gospels” over his head, as he knelt on the altar, the Scriptures were to signify his role as “teacher”.  So by this moving photograph, I think the best way to evangelize our generation and the next, is to open the word of God, preaching and teaching it in an expository fashion, verse by verse.  I have heard of something called “revival” of the Holy Spirit that happened in the US and in England, years ago.  The revival stuck through learning God’s word. It was being preached and taught.  So if this new bishop teaches his priests, and priests teach people in the pews, more people will fill the church, and there will be better equipped men coming out as seminarians.  If all bishops do that, we could revolutionize the country, and peacefully, for the glory of God.  I agree with you that this should be the primary work of all of us, for our generation to prepare the next.  The apostles must be our models.  Thank you for your comment.

I’d love to evangelize, and I do it in writing online, but if I were to start approaching people in my city, what should I tell them to do, because after all, every act of evangelization contains a specific call to action (devote your life to Jesus/come to my church). So do I tell them to come to my church, where the people gossip during the Mass and the priest mumbles through a banal 30 second sermon? Or should I tell them to go to the other church, where the priest preaches dissent and open heresy from the pulpit? Or to the other church where the music sounds like it belongs at a gay wedding shower? My problem is that I would be embarrassed to bring a non-Catholic to any of the Catholic churches in my area, so what do I do?

A few months ago I received a message from the secretary of Boshop de Korte diocese . Groningen/friesland. And the message did read that this one diocese in the Netherlands has 14 candidates for the priesthood. all of Holland has 46 Candidates. That is only Diocesan priest candidates, this number does not include religious orders/congregations. John . Flipsen

Jimmy,
    Thought provoking. Excellent article. “Elephant in the living room” problem for we who are priests.
    Your article should be required reading in every homiletics class. Much of the problem stems from the archaic methods of homiletic professors who never raise the issue of a personal relationship with Jesus.
    I’ve been a priest for 36 years. The constant, universal complaint of most catholics(both in the US and here in the Philippines) is that catholic priests can’t preach! Dry, boring sermons that don’t inspire or provoke much depth of thought or prayer.
    Thank you for the awakening!

I very much agree with the above posting,“dry,shallow sermons that don’t
inspire or provoke much depth of thought or prayer”. Last week’s Gospel reading, Matthew 20:1-16 has very profound and soul searching messages from our Lord. But what I heard from the pulpit was “Jesus does not give a little bit of the Host to a dark person and a bigger piece to a fair person…..”. This is surely not in good taste and the laughter that followed made it worse. To me he sounded like a racist.The homily ended before I knew it. This priest just spoke from his mind. That’s what he does always.It is for the celebration of the holy Mass that the faithful from all walks of life come together as one community of God. The congregation is made up of neophytes, lukewarm and many other types of catholics. So he must make a genuine effort to reach out and instill in us holiness, an awakening that will inspire our faith growth and help us to live it. The priests are our shepherds. We need to be energised spiritually by powerful homilies from the pulpit.
Lord, forgive me, it is not that I want to criticise but You always want us to speak the truth and shame the devil.

most Catholic parishioners are not Christians themselves, how are they supposed to evangelize? they are so used to hearing nonsense from the pulpit that they are incapable of recognizing Truth. when the priest tells them they must commit their lives to Christ, they assume it is a joke of some kind, you know, the one about the priest, the rabbi, and the minister that they have heard from the pulpit over the last 40 years a thousand times, or maybe the one about saint peter at the pearly gates, ha ha ha, i love how father always has a joke for us… at every mass.
the reality is that in most cases the serious Catholics have left for evangelical churches. they reason, at least the believe the Bible…