Nearly 400 parish religious educators, exhibitors and others gathered for Mass, inspirational speakers and fellowship designed to rekindle their fire for the Catholic faith and to share it with others.
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, celebrant and homilist at Mass, challenged attendees to renew their commitment to inform and inspire — a process that begins with cultivating their personal relationship with Christ.
“Make sure, in an intentional way, that your highest priority every day is to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to him and learn from him,” he said.
Bishop Burbidge encouraged educators to prioritize self-care to best serve their students.
“An effective catechist and teacher must have good mental and emotional health and well-being,” he said. “So stay strong in body, soul and spirit. We need you for the long haul.”
“Don’t get discouraged when it seems like your hard work, your efforts and sacrifices are not having an effect that you desire,” he said. “God will never allow them to be in vain.”
After Mass, catechists attended four sessions of presentations that ran concurrently and were offered on parallel English and Spanish tracks, with a midday lunch break. Topics ranged from the impact and legacy of Marian apparitions to Old Testament foreshadowing of Christ’s coming to a history of the 16th century Spanish Jesuit martyrs of Virginia who predated the Jamestown settlement. More than a dozen vendors offering a variety of resources filled a bustling exhibit hall.
Furman McCormick of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church in Fredericksburg is a regular attendee who said he returns annually for the excellent and varied programming. He is celebrating 15 years as a catechist.
“You learn something at every one of the sessions,” he said. This year, he attended a presentation on Special Religious Development programs, which focus on catechesis of people with intellectual disabilities. McCormick teaches in St. Mary’s SPRED program, which the students enjoy so much that some continue coming even after they receive the sacraments.
During that session, Father Edouard B. Guilloux, parochial vicar of St. John the Apostle Church in Leesburg, spoke about the catechesis of his younger brother who has intellectual disabilities. People with such challenges have a “shortcut to holiness,” he said because they recognize their vulnerability and are predisposed to be receptive to help, and are humble and trusting.
“God is operating on a different wavelength” with them, Father Guilloux said.
Father Christopher T. Vaccaro, parochial vicar of St. Theresa Church in Ashburn, emphasized personal contact and kindness in outreach. He said Catholics should embrace interruptions as opportunities for grace and connection with others, even at the cost of efficiency. Parishioners can greet one new person after Mass each week. Before handing out required paperwork or an invitation to mandatory meetings, parish staff should celebrate with visitors inquiring about marriage or baptism.
“They’re coming to celebrate something, often one of the happiest days of their lives,” he said. “Could we not better begin by rejoicing with the couple … getting married or the new mother who was letting you know that they just had their second child? Does this not better enable us to share the Good News and better engage people that often may not have come to church in years?”
“Second to that is telling them a line that I rarely hear,” he said. “ ‘I am excited to help you.’ ‘It is a blessing for our parish that you are here. ’ ”
“Let’s not think that everything’s about converts at the moment,” Father Vaccaro said. “It’s caring at the moment. The converts are the fruit of it.”
During his talk on making intentional disciples through accompaniment, Father Brian G. Bashista, pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Lake Ridge, shared how his parish’s evangelization efforts have evolved. They prioritize cultivating lay leaders who can organize Bible studies and other small-group ministries over large-scale events, warning that hyperactivity can become the enemy of fruitfulness and can easily lead to burnout. He likened it to Jesus’ approach of preaching to the masses, while investing most of his time in relatively few people, such as the apostles.
St. Elizabeth’s staff developed a flowchart titled, “Stages of conversion and discipleship,” published on the parish website under the headline “Why am I here?” It lists seven profiles of discipleship, with attributes describing each stage and tactical suggestions on how to reach a higher level. Most Catholics, he said, consider themselves more devout than they actually are, which is an important gap to recognize in order to grow in holiness.
God loves everyone totally and completely, said Father Bashista. “He loves all of us right where we are at, but he does not want us to stay right where we are at.”
“It’s important for us to get moving, to make steps every day toward holiness, toward God,” Father Bashista said. “Often in the spiritual life, if you are not moving forward, you are moving backward, even if we do not realize it.”
“People today put more trust in witnesses than in teachers,” he said, quoting the words of St. John Paul II. Every Catholic, and especially catechists, should be able to deliver a personal, one-minute testimony in the grocery store or an elevator. “Evangelization is not telling people what to do or not to do. It’s telling people what the Lord has done for me.”
Schweers can be reached at [email protected].
