Father Keith M. O’Hare, pastor of St.
Louis Church in Alexandria, understands firsthand the importance of one-on-one
evangelization. “I was a lost sheep in college,” he said. “There was a guy who
spent time with me (and) through friendship brought me back to the faith. I celebrated
his wedding years later.”
That experience is one of the reasons
Father O’Hare and St. Louis have partnered with Evangelical Catholic, a
Wisconsin-based organization that aims to turn disciples into disciple-makers.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Lake Ridge also is working with the
organization. In addition to coaching the parish staff, Evangelical Catholic
staffer Peter Andrastek spoke to more than 150 parishioners about
evangelization Feb. 10.
The evening gave parishioners strategies
for sharing their faith. Many Catholics feel intimidated to evangelize because
they believe they don’t understand enough about their faith, said Andrastek.
“That’s indicative of an overly intellectual understanding of evangelization,”
he said. “(Don’t) leave it to the specialists. Evangelization is less about
what you know and more about who you know. It’s about introducing someone to
your best friend.”
Sharing the good news with others isn’t
just important, it’s imperative, said Andrastek. “Evangelization is a litmus
test of our connection to Christ. Proof of our discipleship is a heart that is
burning for souls,” he said. “I want to offer this to you tonight as a little
bit of an examination of conscience. Is my heart burning for souls? If not, we
have some introspection and some praying to do. Evangelization is not a
spectator sport.”
The first step is getting to know
people, he said. He went over a worksheet providing tips for how to engage
people in conversations, which stressed truly listening to what others were
saying. “Getting person to person is about getting out of your circle of
comfort and into the zone of the unknown,” said Andrastek. “When we do that, we
will begin to hit what Pope Francis referred to as the existential peripheries.
The peripheries of loneliness, of suffering, of meaninglessness.
“They are not necessarily in the inner
city or in the poorest areas. They’re right next to us. (People with) marriage
problems, drinking problems, pornography, you name it,” he said. “Those
peripheries look very nice and suburban oftentimes.”
Then Andrastek asked the attendees to
pair up with people they didn’t know. First, the pairs got to know one another.
Then they each shared their faith journey with the other. Father O’Hare was
pleased to see how eagerly the parishioners talked with one another. When Father
O’Hare was serving in the diocesan mission in Bánica, Dominican Republic, he
became accustomed to the deeply communal way the people practice their faith.
But it’s not like that here.
“Spiritual life is not an individualist
enterprise and it’s so satisfying to break out of that,” he said. “People have
faith but need encouragement to realize that growing in their faith doesn’t
happen without sharing it.”
Tips on evangelization
—
Reflect on your own conversion — how did you
find God, why did you return to him or why have you always stayed close to him?
—
With that in mind, think of one or two examples
of how God has changed your life. Craft a minute-long pitch explaining how the good
news has impacted you personally.
—
Conversations about faith most likely happen
with people you have a relationship with. Share the faith with people you
already know. Befriend people you don’t know and as you get to know them,
gradually and naturally share your faith journey with them.
-Evangelical Catholic