For “HOME MISSION SUNDAY,” C.A.S.E. (the Bishops’ Support Agency for Evangelisation) sent each parish a pamphlet entitled “How to get started”. We re-print some items from it here. The pamphlet is available in full from your parish, from CASE at 114 West Heath Road, London, NW3 7TX, or on the Internet at http://www.caseresources.org/

IS EVANGELISATION CATHOLIC?
Catholic evangelisation takes many forms, but at its heart is the readiness to share ourselves with others. In doing so honestly, we also share what Jesus means to us. It may mean telling someone our story, or offering to pray for them, but it can also mean living the Gospel in a way that raises questions in people’s minds. In England and Wales, Catholics have traditionally “kept their heads down”, originally for fear of persecution. Now we might do the same for other reasons: uncertainty about our faith; fear of offending others; scandals in the Church. However, there are two reasons for evangelising which far outweigh these: the love of Christ who died for each one of us, and the confused state of so many today, like sheep without a shepherd. The treasure of faith is not ours to keep to ourselves.

“NEW” EVANGELISATION?
Evangelisation can be “new” by taking traditional methods such as parish visiting and giving them a new twist, for example, by training lay people to knock on doors and offer to pray with people in their homes, since this is what so many people outside the Church are looking for. Above all, evangelisation is new in its ardour. To those who find the thought of evangelising intimidating, listen to the words of the USA Bishops’ Evangelisation Plan, “The first aim must be to bring about in all Catholics such an enthusiasm for their faith that, in living their faith in Jesus, they freely share it with others.” We already have this ardour: it is the fruit of the Cross and a gift of the Holy Spirit, so why isn’t it more in evidence?

HOW CAN WE KEEP HIM TO OURSELVES?
One of the most powerful sentences in the whole of Pope John Paul II’s teaching is in his document on the new millennium, “Those who have come into genuine contact with Christ cannot keep Him for themselves, they must proclaim Him.” Such a clear, ringing statement from the Pope himself is a call to examine our behaviour. Why do we not share Christ with others more easily? Are we afraid of offending them (...or not afraid of offending Christ)? Is it someone else’s job (...but who else can share the gospel as I can and in my own unique circumstances)? Or are we just not clear what we are sharing?

THE MUSTARD SEED
Our temptation is to think in terms of big projects, perhaps leading to mass conversions. But the Gospel suggests otherwise. Jesus’s first followers were, humanly speaking, an insignificant group who can hardly have dreamt of the worldwide spread of the Church. To them Jesus told the stories of the Sower and the Mustard Seed: the Kingdom starts in small ways, which God will multiply as He wishes and sometimes beyond our wildest dreams. So: just do what you can and what is on your heart at a local level, however pathetic it might seem, and leave the results to God. – Cardinal Ratzinger before he became Pope Benedict.

EUCHARIST & EVANGELISATION
If asked to choose their favourite New Testament passage, many would select the story of the Road to Emmaus. It is just this passage that Pope John Paul uses to show the connection between the Eucharist and evangelisation: the two disciples recognised Christ in the breaking of bread, and then despite the lateness of the hour and the long journey they had already made, they went back to Jerusalem to share the Good News. They are a perfect picture of the Church today: often weary and downcast, certainly not an evangelising community. It was this Eucharistic amazement that seized them and sent them out with joy to pass on to others what they had seen and heard.

EVANGELISING TEAMS
This is a small group of people, anything from 4-12, who are concerned about evangelisation and are willing to commit some time and energy to it. They do not have to be the ones doing all the evangelisation themselves, since that is a task for the whole parish. Rather, their tasks are to pray for the evangelising work of the parish, to come up with creative ideas for the parish to reach out to the local community, and to develop in themselves an understanding of evangelisation. Many parish communities already pray regularly for vocations to priesthood and religious life, why not extend this idea.

AN EVANGELISING PARISH
A common theme in many evangelisation processes is the development of small groups. Without some form of small group or parish cell system, it would seem impossible to create a truly evangelising parish. However the groups must not be inward looking, but face outwards from the beginning. Small groups are not a new phenomenon; assorted parishioners probably already come together for various reasons. What is distinctive is the idea of forming a small group that is not necessarily task orientated, but has the sole purpose of encouraging growth in faith in the participants so that they are more confident about inviting others into the faith community of the parish.