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September 13, 2008

A little more than a year ago, I woke up and said to myself, "I think I'll teach myself how to build

web

sites today." This was the first page of the first web site and I just realized last night that I had

never

really changed it to reflect some of the things I had learned in the course of building the other

web sites...

So I thought I would change the format of this page a bit. The remaining text is the

same. Anything new

that I add is usually added to the "News" page, so check in there for good news

from and about our

members and for information about events and projects with which they are

involved. Faithfully, Linda

Weaver

at is this web site about?

Given that I've been on the Evangelization Committee for the Archdiocese

of Chicago

since 2003,

had a

lot of materials just sitting

on my computer that I thought might be helpful

someone, so I have

post

articles I

wrote on practical evan

gelization

for

"The Catholic New

World"

(the

newspaper for

the

Archdiocese of Chicago

)

, materials I presented

the

Evangelization Institute of

Chicago, workshops

prepared for

Rosary

Pilgrimages in Alaska, as well as other

things you

may find

useful in

your

evangelization efforts.

I've also posted some of

my best recipes that I use when evangelizing.

nothing

else, you can get a good

recipe from the

Sweets for the Spirit Page

. E

ven if you don't

become a better

evangelizer, you should

become a better baker!

(and much more popular with

your friends and family....)

This site is designed for Catholics who want to live their faith more

fully and share

it with others,

purposefully,

intentionally, and

joyfully. It

simple

site for

the

everyday

Catholic who

wants to learn

about

the New E

vangelization- what it

is,

how

to do

it, and why you should want to do it! It is not hard or

scary.

Trust

me.

It is soooo easy

and soooo necessary

. This is about "

ractical

vangelization."

The best

aid to being a good evangelizer is to surround yourself with good and wonderful, faith-filled people. That

is also the purpose of this web site - to be a spot where my good friends can share their news and

information about their projects and events. Really, not everyone wants to teach themselves how to build

web sites and then maintain them.... I'm glad to do it!

I'm also on the Stewardship Committee for the Archdiocese now. For me, Stewardship isn't just about

donating money. It is about finding smart ways to do things and use resources wisely. It is about

efficiency and searching out treasure that would otherwise be wasted and linking it to where it is needed.

Hopefully, I'll soon find some ideas that others might find helpful and post those here too.

Welcome

Spirit Networking

Dedication:

This site is dedicated to the
belief and appreciation that
the Spirit gives each of us
gifts to be used to build up
the Kingdom of God, and
that it is in using these gifts
together as part of the
Body of Christ that we
accomplish more good than
any one of us could
individually.

It is dedicated to
supporting and assisting
our fellow/a evangelizers.

Finally, it is dedicated to
doing the work of the
Father, spreading the
message of the Son, and
allowing ourselves to be
guided by the Spirit
wherever that may lead.

This site is also
devoted to love and
humility:

Love,
because without it
we are nothing;

Humility-
because pride is one
of the biggest
obstacles to
evangelization.

Something
to ponder:

If you believe you were
called to do God's
work and that you
have a great plan for
some project, consider
that God may have
also sent someone else
to improve upon your
plan.

The question is:
Are you executing
YOUR plan or HIS?

Ponder your answer
with humility.

9/20/08: Update to News

Links to my other Web Sites:
The Mission of Our Lady of the Angels:
www.missionOLA.com
The Armadillo Club
www.armadilloclub.com

Evangelization for (Extra-)Ordinary Catholics

You ask:

What is The New Evangelization?

Just

so we are all clear on this, here

are

the thoughts of

some

real

authorities on th

is question

From the FAQ section of the evangelization web site for the Archdiocese of Chicago

(www.

goingforth.

org)

Francis Cardinal George

the Catholic Archbishop of Chicago,

has

helped

to clarify these issues as he

presents his own definitions.

Primary Evangelization:

The goal of primary evangelization is the

transplanting of Catholicism through

missionary activity. Proclaiming the

Kerygma

that Jesus Christ is Lord to those who have never heard it

was

the particular task of the mission

ad gentes

and took place outside of

Christian lands which were

marked by

catechesis within already

established parochial and pastoral structures.

Secondary Evangelization or Re-Evangelization:

through this effort,

lapsed or inactive Catholics are

called

to a renewed faith and a

conversion

that brings them new strength in their relationship to Christ

and His

Church. Parish missions were often the preferred means for the

conversion of the baptized.

Occasionally,

missiologists also spoke of

“auto-

evangelization.” This was a reminder that evangelizers

must

themselves

evangelized before they proclaim the Gospel.

New Evangelization:

Inspired by Pope John Paul II’s beliefs and

writings,

this fresh effort encompasses

post-Vatican II renewal of

Church identity

and mission. This new vision of evangelization integrates

the

person and

his/her culture, moving out from the heart of Christian

proclamation to

area of life seldom

recognized as terrain ripe for

evangelization.

Cardinal George suggests that the New Evangelization has a specific

meaning beyond the outreach to

inactive Catholics. The Holy Father has

spoken of those persons, groups, and societies that were once

Christian

but are no longer. The new ecclesial response must enfold Catholics who

have joined other

Christian groups and non-Christian movements. The

New Evangelization must address inadequate

catechetical and liturgical

formation within the Catholic Church itself; it must confront the growing

secularization of professions and contemporary culture as a whole.

From

December

2000 address to Catechists and Religion Teachers

Joseph

Cardinal Ratzinger

called

The New Evangelization: Building the

Civilization

of Love

Now Pope Benedict XVI, began

as follows:

Human life cannot be realized by itself. Our life is an open question,

an incomplete project, still to

brought to fruition and realized.

Each man's fundamental question is: How will this be realized—

becoming man? How does one learn the art of living? Which is the

path toward happiness?

To evangelize means: to show this path—to teach the art of living.

Now what could be more beautiful? Why wouldn't we all want to

be evangelizers

and help those we love

find the path

to happiness?

To read the full address, go to the

EWTN website