All in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia are invited to attend an introductory course in missionary discipleship offered at St. Norbert Parish in Paoli, starting Jan. 25.
This course is a critical step toward forming what Archbishop Nelson Pérez calls “a spirit of missionary discipleship” to “build up the Church” in his Jan. 5 pastoral letter to the faithful in the Church of Philadelphia.
Titled “Go Make Disciples,” the course runs three consecutive Saturday mornings (Jan. 25, Feb. 8, Feb. 22) 8:30-11:30 a.m. with the option of 7:30 a.m. Mass. It is designed to help Catholics grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ; share their faith to inspire others; and ultimately to grow the Church.
Equipping Catholics “with the tools and insight” to become missionary disciples can evangelize others and help them to form other missionary disciples in their communities, according to Ryan Morris, director of mission at St. Norbert and one of the course’s facilitators.
He says historically, people often knocked on the doors of Catholic churches seeking help, education and fellowship.
“People aren’t seeking us out as much and knocking on our door,” Morris said. “It’s up to us as faithful Catholics to go out and meet people where they are.”
Being a missionary doesn’t necessarily mean going away to a far-off country. It can simply mean serving “right in our backyard,” Morris said.
The course in missionary discipleship he said, “can help people recognize that they’re being called by God right here and right now,” which can feel very empowering.
“You don’t need to be ordained to evangelize,” Morris said.. “We’re all called through our baptisms to minister to our communities.”
Father Matthew Biedrzycki, parochial vicar at St. Helena Parish in Philadelphia and also a facilitator of the course at St. Norbert, said he hopes participants “will come to know Jesus more intimately themselves, and then be able to invite others to know him, love him and serve him here (on Earth) and in Heaven.”
One benefit of the course is learning how to teach others “to walk with Jesus Christ each day,” Father Biedrzycki said, and to “translate Gospel teachings to everyday life and circumstances.”
People face challenges adopting the missionary spirit, and one of them is “a belief that if we don’t know the answers to every question posed to us, that’s somehow going to disqualify us from being missionary disciples,” Father Biedrzycki said.
Another hurdle is the discomfort one may experience when trying to speak with others about the Catholic faith. “We’re talking about things we can’t see immediately,” he said.
Despite these concerns, “if you have a living relationship with Jesus Christ, people can’t help but see it (in you),” said Father Biedrzycki, “and you’re going to feel that impulse to share it with others.”
In his recently published pastoral letter, Archbishop Pérez shared his vision of establishing “missionary hubs” across the five-county region over the next decade, with at least 10 such Catholic communities per county.
“The goal is to reach out to Catholics who don’t participate and non-Catholics using our resources and talents to ignite a spirit of Missionary Discipleship,” wrote the archbishop. “This will create a supportive network of missionary life across the whole Archdiocese, animating our communities everywhere, especially in underserved areas.”
Morris said the introductory course at St. Norbert will give people “a little taste of what missionary discipleship is,” and if people want to pursue further education, they can visit “Schools of Missionary Discipleship” on the website of the archdiocesan Office for the New Evangelization at PhillyEvang.org/schools/.
The cost of “Go Make Disciples” at St. Norbert is $25, and all training materials are included.
To register, visit https://www.phillyevang.org/events/ and for more information on forming missionary disciples, visit https://www.phillyevang.org/disciples/.
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