By Mary Stadnyk | Associate Editor

The “New Evangelization” is frequently talked about, but what does it really mean? And how does it impact the daily lives of the faithful of the Diocese of Trenton?

As a way to increase an understanding of the New Evangelization and help individuals and families respond to their baptismal call to serve as evangelists, the diocesan Department of Evangelization and Catechesis is sponsoring “Evangelization: A Call To Mercy,” June 25 in St. Robert Bellarmine Parish, Freehold.

The bilingual day-long event “is open to all because we are all called to be evangelizers,” said Laura Rivas, associate director of evangelization and adult faith formation in the Department of Evangelization and Catechesis.

“During the Year of Mercy, we focus on the Father’s mercy in our lives as well as how we can be conduits of justice and mercy to others. In this Year of Mercy, we are constantly reminded that there is no greater love than God’s,” Rivas said.

Highlights of the day, which will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., include two keynote presentations by Paulist Father Frank DeSiano, who will speak on “Evangelization,” and Dr. Hosffman Ospino, whose topic will be “Mercy/Catholic Parish.” Both presenters will offer their topics in English and Spanish.

From 10:30-noon, Dr. Ospino will present in Spanish in the church while Father DeSiano will present in English in the parish hall. The talks will be repeated from 2 to 3:30 p.m. with Dr. Ospino presenting in English and Father DeSiano presenting in Spanish.

At noon, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., will celebrate a bilingual Mass in the church. A boxed lunch will follow in the parish hall, where participants can also browse the exhibits on display.

Father DeSiano’s discussion is designed to walk participants through the major themes of evangelization, with special focus on how they are articulated by Pope Francis. Father DeSiano will give suggestions on how participants can apply the themes in actual parish settings. In keeping with the Holy Father’s vision, Father DeSiano, who is president of Paulist Evangelization Ministries in Washington, D.C., said he will demonstrate how mercy is a “key attitude in reaching out to others.”

“Mercy gives the Church the opportunity to re-orient itself toward God – the free, loving initiative that God makes toward us, even in our brokenness and sin,” he said in advance of his talk. “Often we think of God as far away and reluctant to embrace us, but the truth is exactly the opposite. The attitude of divine mercy, given to us eternally and shown dramatically in Jesus, changes our relationship with God, transforming it from creature to friend, from sinner to disciple. The need for mercy becomes clearer the more (we) realize the inadequacy of justice to repair our human brokenness,” said Father DeSiano, who is a national speaker and noted writer in the area of evangelization, discipleship and spirituality.

In “Mercy/Catholic Parish,” Dr. Ospino, assistant professor of theology and religious education at Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry, will talk about the parish as a “microcosm” of the larger Church and society, he said. He will cover how in a parish, faithful are invited to allow God to meet their vulnerability as they trustingly offer their hopes, joys, fears and needs.

Dr. Ospino will base much of his discussion on his own experiences serving in St. Patrick Parish, Lawrence, Mass., where he and his wife, Guadalupe, oversee Hispanic ministry and ministries particularly related to faith formation and leadership development. Though much of his time is spent in academic environments teaching, writing and advancing research, Dr. Ospino has “made the commitment to participate actively in the life of the faith community to ground my theological scholarship,” he said.

He described St. Patrick as an urban faith community where three languages are spoken – English, Vietnamese and Spanish – and is located in the poorest city in New England and the 30th poorest city in the country. There, many parishioners face hardships with being economically-disadvantaged and deal with issues such as violence, addictions and the inability to provide for their families while residing in a city where there are serious gang-related problems and hunger.

“Besides the social dynamics, the culturally diverse nature of our parish adds tensions,” he said, “and dealing with these realities is not easy….All these things eventually become an opportunity to show mercy,” he said. “There is nothing more real than building community in a parish, a place where we bring our hopes, joys, struggles and anxieties. Few places like the parish to encounter and practice God’s infinite mercy.”

Registration fee for the June 25 conference is $10 per person and includes breakfast and lunch.

To learn more about the June 25 evangelization conference, contact the Department of Evangelization at 609-403-7312 or email [email protected] or 609-403-7154 or [email protected].