At workshop, teachers of the faith are reminded of their role to serve as disciples, evangelizers
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
By Mary Stadnyk | Associate Editor
Even when they are teaching the tenets of the faith, Catholic educators are called to be missionary disciples and evangelizers who share their own experiences of the faith.
The Catholic understanding of evangelization is about “sharing the good things we have found in Jesus,” said Dr. Edward Sri to an audience of some 300 who gathered for a diocesan day of catechetical formation Aug. 18 in St. Robert Bellarmine Parish, Freehold.
“To be effective as missionary disciples, we need to be more than teachers, we need to be witnesses.”
Dr. Sri, an associate professor and vice president of mission and outreach at the Augustine Institute in Denver, co-founder of the Colorado-based Fellowship of Catholic University Students and author of several books, was invited to address the catechetical formation day sponsored by the diocesan Department of Evangelization and Catechesis. In attendance were clergy, religious and lay persons, many of whom serve in their parishes as directors/coordinators of religious education, catechists, Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults team members, adult faith formation, youth ministry and Catholic school educators. While the majority of the gathering hailed from throughout the four-county Diocese, there were participants who came from the neighboring Dioceses of Camden and Metuchen.
Basing the majority of his three presentations on the books he published and were also made available to purchase throughout the day, Dr. Sri first focused on what it means to be a missionary disciple.
“It’s a struggle to be a true missionary disciple,” he said, adding how many, although well-intentioned, “go through the motions of going to church, follow Church doctrine and follow all the rules.”
“While there are rules we need to follow, and that’s important,” what it takes to be a true disciple of Jesus is to “imitate the way of the master” by sharing with others about the love, compassion and mercy of Jesus.
Admitting that it’s not easy for one to share his or her faith with others in a secular world, true discipleship is about being aware of present-day culture, the various views people have of the culture and the many needs of those who have difficulty in accepting the ways of Jesus, Dr. Sri asserted.
In a world that views the Catholic Church as being comprised of a set of moral rules, Dr. Sri maintained that in order to be a true missionary disciple, one has the responsibility to look and pray for opportunities when Jesus is asking you to take the next step as a disciple by sharing the good things about Jesus, he said.
Dr. Sri’s second presentation, “Walking with Mary: A Biblical Journey from Nazareth to the Cross,” was designed to help participants understand the Lord’s mother better. Drawing on themes from his book of the same title, Dr. Sri, who is currently chancellor and professor of theology and Scripture at the Augustine Institute Master’s Program in Denver, and holds a doctorate from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas in Rome, explored the humanity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the profound interior journey of faith she made throughout her life. While Mary had been endowed with unique graces and privileges, she was also a person – a human – to whom many could relate.
Looking to the pivotal moments in Mary’s life, Dr. Sri pointed out how she experienced joy and thanksgiving, uncertainty, trial and suffering. But at every critical point, Mary responded with greater trust and surrender.
“There are many lessons to be learned from Mary’s walk with the Lord,” he said. “Through the Scriptures, we see how in every phase of her life, the Lord was asking her to take another step of faith.”
Centering his third presentation on the new evangelization, Dr. Sri provided a clear explanation of what it is and how it should shape every Catholic’s life – at home, at work, in the parish and in the world by referring to lessons from Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis.
Evelyne Cossart, a volunteer eighth grade Confirmation catechist in St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Hightstown, was impressed with the way in which Dr. Sri emphasized how “we can no longer continue passing on the faith in the way we have been.”
“In a culture that is disconnected from God, we have to defend our belief and to defend it we have to know it well,” said Cossart. “One has to be aware of the cultural environment and know what he/she is ‘up against.’”
“This conference was a great opportunity for each individual Catholic, whether they are a catechist, clergy or just wanted to know more about their faith to strengthen and deepen their relationship with God,” she said.
After noting how heartened she was to see the large number of people at the conference and how “invigorated and renewed” she was by the discussions, Pat Hutchinson, coordinator of religious education in Sacred Heart Parish, Riverton, for 39 years, reflected on how Dr. Sri drew on the writings and works of Pope Francis and his two immediate predecessors was information she found to be sound and “made us glad to be Catholic.”
“These kinds of days bear fruit throughout the year,” she said. “The day helps us to realize that God is very much with us in the trenches.”
Through his series of talks which were anecdotal, humorous and relatable, Fred DiBrienza, a teacher of catechism, biblical study and sacramentology in Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft, was impressed with how Dr. Sri had “challenged the catechists of the Diocese to bring the Gospel to the youth of our Church by overcoming the weeds of the world that wish to strangle it.”
“He related how we, as catechists, must argue against judgmental relativism of our culture, the misunderstanding of who God is, the complete confusion of the nature of love and the mistaken view that our culture is being individualistic to the point of rejecting the need for the Church,” DiBrienza said.
DiBrienza then added how encouraged he was to hear how “God calls us out of fear.”
“Through the examples Dr. Sri gave on the Blessed Mother’s life and how she chose God over her fear,” DiBrienza said.
“I feel that fear is one of the greatest spiritual obstacles we must all learn to allow God to overcome in us.”
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By Mary Stadnyk | Associate Editor
Even when they are teaching the tenets of the faith, Catholic educators are called to be missionary disciples and evangelizers who share their own experiences of the faith.
The Catholic understanding of evangelization is about “sharing the good things we have found in Jesus,” said Dr. Edward Sri to an audience of some 300 who gathered for a diocesan day of catechetical formation Aug. 18 in St. Robert Bellarmine Parish, Freehold.
“To be effective as missionary disciples, we need to be more than teachers, we need to be witnesses.”
Dr. Sri, an associate professor and vice president of mission and outreach at the Augustine Institute in Denver, co-founder of the Colorado-based Fellowship of Catholic University Students and author of several books, was invited to address the catechetical formation day sponsored by the diocesan Department of Evangelization and Catechesis. In attendance were clergy, religious and lay persons, many of whom serve in their parishes as directors/coordinators of religious education, catechists, Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults team members, adult faith formation, youth ministry and Catholic school educators. While the majority of the gathering hailed from throughout the four-county Diocese, there were participants who came from the neighboring Dioceses of Camden and Metuchen.
Basing the majority of his three presentations on the books he published and were also made available to purchase throughout the day, Dr. Sri first focused on what it means to be a missionary disciple.
“It’s a struggle to be a true missionary disciple,” he said, adding how many, although well-intentioned, “go through the motions of going to church, follow Church doctrine and follow all the rules.”
“While there are rules we need to follow, and that’s important,” what it takes to be a true disciple of Jesus is to “imitate the way of the master” by sharing with others about the love, compassion and mercy of Jesus.
Admitting that it’s not easy for one to share his or her faith with others in a secular world, true discipleship is about being aware of present-day culture, the various views people have of the culture and the many needs of those who have difficulty in accepting the ways of Jesus, Dr. Sri asserted.
In a world that views the Catholic Church as being comprised of a set of moral rules, Dr. Sri maintained that in order to be a true missionary disciple, one has the responsibility to look and pray for opportunities when Jesus is asking you to take the next step as a disciple by sharing the good things about Jesus, he said.
Dr. Sri’s second presentation, “Walking with Mary: A Biblical Journey from Nazareth to the Cross,” was designed to help participants understand the Lord’s mother better. Drawing on themes from his book of the same title, Dr. Sri, who is currently chancellor and professor of theology and Scripture at the Augustine Institute Master’s Program in Denver, and holds a doctorate from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas in Rome, explored the humanity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the profound interior journey of faith she made throughout her life. While Mary had been endowed with unique graces and privileges, she was also a person – a human – to whom many could relate.
Looking to the pivotal moments in Mary’s life, Dr. Sri pointed out how she experienced joy and thanksgiving, uncertainty, trial and suffering. But at every critical point, Mary responded with greater trust and surrender.
“There are many lessons to be learned from Mary’s walk with the Lord,” he said. “Through the Scriptures, we see how in every phase of her life, the Lord was asking her to take another step of faith.”
Centering his third presentation on the new evangelization, Dr. Sri provided a clear explanation of what it is and how it should shape every Catholic’s life – at home, at work, in the parish and in the world by referring to lessons from Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis.
Evelyne Cossart, a volunteer eighth grade Confirmation catechist in St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Hightstown, was impressed with the way in which Dr. Sri emphasized how “we can no longer continue passing on the faith in the way we have been.”
“In a culture that is disconnected from God, we have to defend our belief and to defend it we have to know it well,” said Cossart. “One has to be aware of the cultural environment and know what he/she is ‘up against.’”
“This conference was a great opportunity for each individual Catholic, whether they are a catechist, clergy or just wanted to know more about their faith to strengthen and deepen their relationship with God,” she said.
After noting how heartened she was to see the large number of people at the conference and how “invigorated and renewed” she was by the discussions, Pat Hutchinson, coordinator of religious education in Sacred Heart Parish, Riverton, for 39 years, reflected on how Dr. Sri drew on the writings and works of Pope Francis and his two immediate predecessors was information she found to be sound and “made us glad to be Catholic.”
“These kinds of days bear fruit throughout the year,” she said. “The day helps us to realize that God is very much with us in the trenches.”
Through his series of talks which were anecdotal, humorous and relatable, Fred DiBrienza, a teacher of catechism, biblical study and sacramentology in Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft, was impressed with how Dr. Sri had “challenged the catechists of the Diocese to bring the Gospel to the youth of our Church by overcoming the weeds of the world that wish to strangle it.”
“He related how we, as catechists, must argue against judgmental relativism of our culture, the misunderstanding of who God is, the complete confusion of the nature of love and the mistaken view that our culture is being individualistic to the point of rejecting the need for the Church,” DiBrienza said.
DiBrienza then added how encouraged he was to hear how “God calls us out of fear.”
“Through the examples Dr. Sri gave on the Blessed Mother’s life and how she chose God over her fear,” DiBrienza said.
“I feel that fear is one of the greatest spiritual obstacles we must all learn to allow God to overcome in us.”
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