Renewal takes time. It is a process that requires a lot of communication and resources. We have gathered various tools to help you as you work towards creating a culture of evangelization in your parish. We have definitions of curious words, videos and corresponding study guides from our large gatherings, study guides for books, tools and resources developed by the Office for Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship and prayer resources. All of these resources are provided to you to help in your renewal efforts. We continue to create, develop and find resources that may be of assistance to you. Please check back or see our e-newsletter for the latest additions.
What is in a word? Sometimes the language we use needs to be translated to be understood. And sometimes we need to find a new language or different words to express our deepest meaning.
Every organization, group and even family has its own language and its own shared memories — words, acronyms, stories flow easily among people with a common grounding and understanding. When there is someone new to the family or to the organization, we explain what we mean or share our stories so new members can be a part of the experience and feel a sense of belonging.
The same is true with the words we use in the Catholic Tradition. To follow are some “curious words” to which we offer new language to help translate their meaning.
Archdiocese
The diocese of an Archbishop; typically has a larger population than a diocese.
Diocese
A geographic territory where a bishop is responsible for the people in that area. The world is divided into territories, and every area of the world has a bishop assigned to its care.
Disciple
A person who has chosen to actively follow Jesus.
Encounter
An experience of meeting the living Christ through an event, a person, a prayer or another circumstance. Through this experience, a person comes to know that Christ is actively present in his or her life. God is no longer abstract, but instead a real person in one’s life.
Evangelization
Literally, to share the Good News of Jesus — who He was, what He did for us, and who He is in our lives today. We share our faith in Christ through our words by telling how Jesus transformed our life, sharing his story, and by the way in which we live our lives. When someone encounters Christ through us, through our kindness, our compassion, our patience, our understanding, and our generosity, we have been a part of sharing the Good News of who Christ is in our world.
Kerygma
An ancient Greek word that meant “preaching.” In today’s Catholic Church, this word refers to the basic teaching of Christianity: that we are saved through Jesus Christ, that He is the son of God, that He lived to show us how to live, that He suffered and died for us, and that He rose again, breaking the bonds of sin and death, so that we can have eternal life with God, the Father.
Mission
The mission of the Church is to go make disciples. We do this by sharing the Good News that God loves us unconditionally and invites us to return that love to Him; that Jesus became human to show us how to live in the Kingdom of God, a foretaste of heaven here; and that through Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection, we are saved from our sins, and we can have eternal life with God.
Missionary Disciple
A person who actively follows Jesus, is committed to growing in relationship with him, and takes Jesus into the world in which he or she lives.
New Evangelization
When we think of evangelizing, we first think of going out and sharing the story of Jesus with those who have never heard of Him. In fact, the New Evangelization is a call for all Catholics to be open to an encounter with Christ, and to allow ourselves to be evangelized for the first time or remember the encounter we once had so we can go forth and share the Good News of who Jesus is to others. We are called to renew our relationship with Jesus Christ and his Church. At the same time, we are also to go out and share who Christ is with those who have never met him.
Parish
Most people think the parish is the church where they worship. A parish, however, is a territorial division of the diocese — a geographical area. The people within the parish are cared for by the pastor assigned to this community by the Bishop or Archbishop. Because it is about geography, people of all parishes are made up of Catholics and non-Catholics. Within a parish, there is a Catholic Church that cares for the spiritual needs of the people in that area.
Vicariate
This is a division of a diocese or archdiocese. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, we have six vicariates. We also have six auxiliary bishops who help provide guidance and care of these vicariates. Each vicariate has approximately 50 – 65 parishes within it.
To celebrate Pentecost in 2020, our office created unique tools and resources that allowed communities to connect. The Bring Hope to Our Neighbors project involved parishioners leaving personalized notes, including information about offerings from our Catholic Church, at their neighbor’s doors.
Below is a list of materials that you edit and use for any season or event to reach out in love to your neighbors:
- Invite your parishioners to participate in this project (English | Spanish | Polish)
We have language for a letter or email to send to parishioners. - Provide parishioners with a simple leave behind – we have three options for you
You can personalize each piece with your parish name and any local resources you offer. You can either print them out and distribute or simply send it electronically and invite them to print out their copies from their home printer. Whatever works best for your community!
English 1 | English 2 | English 3
Spanish 1 | Spanish 2 | Spanish 3
Polish 1 | Polish 2 | Polish 3
Vitality Days 2019: Hospitality and Welcome Resources
Thank you to all those who participated in our Vitality Day workshops focused on hospitality and welcoming. Links to all our resources covered in our presentation are below.
Resources
- PowerPoint Presentation PDF (English | Español | Polski)
- Opening Prayer Experience (English | Español | Polski)
- Scripture and Reflection Questions (PDF)
- Prayer Card (PDF)
- The Hospitality of Martha and Mary Exercise (English | Español | Polski)
- Your Ideas Combined (English | Español)
- Best Practices and Resources (English | Español | Polski)
- Planning Tools (English | Español | Polski)
Divine Renovation Book Reading and Discussion Guide
This is a resource for individuals, parish teams, committees, and parishioners to utilize as they read Fr. James Mallon’s Divine Renovation book and prepare for the Renew My Church process. Renew My Church is a process of both spiritual and structural renewal with the goals of making disciples, building communities, and inspiring witness. As each of us, along with our parishes, enters this process it will be beneficial to have a common language, a broader vision, and an action-oriented mindset. Reading and discussing the book Divine Renovation, written by Fr. James Mallon, is a great starting point. The objective of the book is to share the story of a parish and its spiritual and structural transformation, which led to improved communal and personal engagement of its faith community. The book speaks about universal principles of renewal applicable to all (such as a strong leadership team, clear plan for evangelization, inspiring liturgies, and focus on lay leadership), while at the same time providing examples specific to Fr. Mallon and his team’s parish. This guide can serve as a resource for individuals and parish teams to better understand the opportunity for renewal and prepare for the Renew My Church process. Please download your copy of the Discussion Guide in English, Polish and/or Spanish.
Renew My Church Summit Video and Discussion Guide
The Renew My Church Summit in 2018 provided many of us a glimpse of what renewal will mean for our parishes and archdiocese — one of shared leadership in our parishes, a deeply rooted culture of evangelization, a vibrancy of prayer and sense of community, and incredible trust in the Holy Spirit to lead us forward, all centered on the sacramental life of the Church. Now we must continue to share that vision with others and invite them into the conversations about what renewal will look like in each of our parishes.
The Renew My Church Summit videos and discussion guide are resources to facilitate meaningful discussion on how your parish community can respond to Christ’s call for renewal.
To facilitate sharing and learning we have provided a set of questions that can be used to guide group discussions.
We recommend that you watch the video first and use this guide to facilitate the group discussion. Please download your copy of the Renew My Church Summit Video and Discussion Guide.
There are a variety of resources for prayer. We are all encouraged to try different types of prayer to find the ones that will help us deepen our relationship with Christ as a community and as individuals. Below are a few examples.
Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina is a spiritual reading of Sacred Scriptures that translates literally to divine reading. We read Scripture, usually the Gospel, three times slowly and intentionally.
This is a popular form of meditation, which has ancient roots. In reading Scripture prayerfully, God can speak to our hearts and minds. Here we are helped in our search to understand who God is and what God wants for us. For more on Lectio Divina, visit USSCB and the Carmelite’s.
Daily Examen Prayer
The Daily Examen Prayer is a prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola, and one that St. Ignatius wanted to share with everyone. Through this prayer, we intentionally reflect on our day and discern where God is moving in our lives. There are five parts to this structured prayer that only takes a few minutes to do. For resources on the Examen, visit Ignatian Spirituality.
Rosary
The Rosary is also a devotion that goes back centuries. When we pray the Rosary, we will typically have Rosary beads in our hand. Using this tool, we move from bead to bead repeating prayers. In so doing, we engage our mind and can meditate on the mysteries of Christ and God’s love for us. Visit the USCCB website to find the prayers, mysteries and directions on how to pray the Rosary.
Praying with the Saints
Praying with the Saints can help us grow deeper in our own prayer life. As a Church, we celebrate the lives of saints who are models and inspirations for how to live Christ-centered lives. Here are two sources to help you pray with the saints each day: Franciscan Media’s Saint of the Day and Catholic Online’s Saint of the Day.
Liturgical - Communal
Liturgical - Communal Prayer resources are available through the Office for Divine Worship. They can help support your parish community with resources and formation opportunities for liturgical prayer.
Renew My Church Prayer
This is our Archdiocesan prayer for renewal. We invite you to pray this prayer individually and with your community. This is our communal plea to the Trinity to support us in this time of change and renewal.
Marian Prayers
Prayer Experiences from OEMD’s Vitality Days
- Opening Prayer Experience (English | Español | Polski)
- Scripture and Reflection Questions (PDF)
- Prayer Card (PDF)
- The Hospitality of Martha and Mary Exercise (English | Español | Polski)
Additional Prayer Resources from OEMD for Individuals or Teams
- Meeting Jesus, a Staff Prayer Resource for Lent (English | Spanish)
- New Evangelization Prayer (English | Spanish | Polski)
- Parable of the Sower (English | Spanish | Polski)
- Year of Mercy Mini-Tour at the Art Institute of Chicago (English | Spanish | Polski); Reflection Guide (English | Spanish | Polski)
Scripture an essential part of a faithful life and central to developing our relationship with Jesus Christ. Reading and praying with Scripture not only helps us learn about who Jesus is and what he did, but it also helps us get to know who Jesus is in our lives. Below are some resources to help us learn more about God’s Word.
The Word Made Clear
This website was developed by Fr. James McIlhone, Scripture Scholar and priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, as a free resource for all those interested in studying Sacred Scripture. Here, Fr. McIlhone shares the resources he shared with his students at the seminary where he taught for decades.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
The Bishop’s Conference, made up of all the bishops in the United States of America, provides a few study materials on scripture (Link). For an online version of the Bible as well as daily Scripture readings, visit the USCCB website.
Evangelization is the mission of the Church: We are called to share the Good News. For more than forty years, popes, bishops and councils have helped us understand evangelization and what it means in today’s world. Below are documents dating from 1975 to 2014 that may help teach us in our mission to evangelize.
On Evangelization in the Modern World
On Evangelization in the Modern World (Evangelii Nuntiandi), Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Paul VI (December 8, 1975): This Exhortation by Pope Paul VI was given ten years after the Second Vatican Council. It helped to define what Catholics mean by “evangelization,” and how we are all called to evangelize in new ways to meet the changing realities of our time. (Click Here)
Catechesis in Our Time
Catechesis in Our Time (Catechesi Tradendae), Apostolic Exhortation of John Paul II (October 16, 1979): This Exhortation by St. John Paul II helps to define catechesis, the transmission of faith, in the context of the current world. It deals with the formation of great deal with the formation of children and youth, but also encourages that Christians have a responsibility to catechize all peoples. (Click Here)
Go and Make Disciples
Go and Make Disciples, A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States (1990) United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. This plan was drafted after consultation with dioceses all throughout the country and is intended to be a basic roadmap for evangelization in our U.S. context. (Click Here)
New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith
The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith, Synod of Bishops 2012. This Synod of Bishops was called by Pope Benedict XVI to discuss the importance of evangelization in the modern world and what evangelization should look like to meet the realities and challenges of the modern world. (Click Here)
Perspectives for the Synod on the New Evangelization
Perspectives for the Synod on the New Evangelization, A View from the U.S., by Rev. Frank P. DeSiano, CSP, Paulist Evangelization Ministries. In this article, Fr. DeSiano seeks to help us understand how the 2012 Synod on the New Evangelization connects to the realities of our U.S. context. (PDF)
Disciples Called to Witness
Disciples Called to Witness, A statement by the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, USCCB. This statement is the U.S. Bishop’s response to the need for direction and resources on evangelization due to the 2012 Synod. This document gives both context for evangelization historically as well as in our current times and helps to give directions to evangelization efforts. (Click Here)
The Joy of the Gospel
The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium), Pope Francis 2013. Pope Francis’s first Apostolic Exhortation is both challenging and encouraging. He tells us that we are called to be “missionary disciples,” people who encounter and know Christ, and, because of that encounter, we go out to share that Good News with others. It encourages us all to be “missionary disciples,” and to recognize that we do not need to go far to find the people on the margins for whom we are called to be witnesses. (Click Here)
There are many books about evangelization that are quite helpful in understanding this ministry. A few that might be most helpful from a parish perspective include:
- Divine Renovation: Bringing Your Parish from Maintenance to Mission by Fr. James Mallon
- Forming Intentional Disciples: The Pathway to Knowing and Following Jesus by Sherry Weddell.
- Unlocking Your Parish: Making Disciples, Raising Up Leaders with Alpha by Ron Huntley & Fr. James Mallon
More information on these and other books can be found on the 21st Century Catholic Evangelization website. In addition, the 21st Century Catholic Evangelization website has a comprehensive list of multi-media and online evangelization resources.
Rejoicing in Mercy: A Prayer Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, written by archdiocesan priest Father Lou Cameli, is a guide to the Gospel according to Saint Luke from the perspective of mercy. As Luke’s gospel joins the theme of mercy with the call to evangelize, prayer reflection on this gospel is timely and valuable as we engage in the Renew My Church process.
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