All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.
Matthew 28:18–20
When we, as Catholics, speak of evangelisation, we mean proclaiming the Gospel to all of those around us. The Good News we have received needs to be spread internationally, nationally, in our local communities to those we see in our neighbourhoods, and even to those in our parish community.
After Pentecost, the first apostles evangelised wherever they went, continually moving on to the next town that had not yet heard the Good News of Jesus Christ. Church history tells the story of so many witnesses putting everything on the line to ‘make disciples of all nations’.
Culturally, many Catholics have adopted the view that evangelisation is solely the responsibility of the clergy. This misunderstanding about who is responsible for evangelisation has been strongly corrected by the last five Popes. Pope John Paul II stated, “evangelisation is the cornerstone of all pastoral action, the demands of which are primary, preeminent and preferential” and advises that the Christian community must make a determined missionary decision “capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channelled for the evangelisation of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation”. Pope Francis recalled how “the parish encourages and trains its members to be evangelisers”.
In September 2018, a decision was made at the St. Mark's Parish Pastoral Council to initiate the role of Coordinators of Evangelisation, Formation and Mission (CEFM). Those in this role would assist the Pastor in the care, guidance, growth of the parish community by evangelising, teaching, forming, and guiding the faithful in their faith journeys.
Those in the role of CEFM adopted the Divine Renovation (DR) model for parish renewal. This was the model endorsed by Bishop Gregory O’Kelly at a post-Proclaim meeting in September 2016. Developed in Canada by Fr. James Mallon and Ron Huntley, this model used strategies to develop current parishioners into Missionary Disciples, introduces the Kerygma to the ‘unchurched’ through Alpha, then develops these new Christians into Missionary Disciples, then the process is repeated.
The DR model places priority on Sunday Mass, everything that happens there has the purpose of bringing all in attendance to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. The model covers three areas. Hymns, music is vital in the Praise of God and the Homily clarifies what those in the pews need to do to follow Christ. The third component is Hospitality, which is the welcome and care for all those who enter our churches.
The CEFM have concentrated their efforts on this Hospitality. In cooperation with the Welcome Committee, the CEFM have strived to make our parish a welcoming community in two main ways. Firstly, by simply being friendly and welcoming to all those entering our Church and secondly by helping our ‘unchurched visitors’ know what is going to happen during Mass and why.
This ministry is a work in progress, always trialling different initiatives to see what works best in our parish in the variety of celebrations throughout the year.