Year of Evangelization

Yes, we know. Summer is too short to be thinking about the fall already. But this is really great news…

St. Joseph’s Parish in Woonsocket has scheduled a Day of Door-to-Door Evangelization for October 16th! And, yes, you’re invited. The day will be based on the overwhelmingly successful day at St. Tim’s, Warwick.

Stay tuned for more info …

Warning: This Interview Includes Life-Changing Examples of God's Grace.

The Pope said then that it will have “the important task of promoting a renewed evangelization in countries where the first announcement of the faith has already resounded and Churches of ancient foundation are present, but are living (through) a progressive secularization of society and a sort of ‘eclipse of the sense of God’.” [Read the entire story here.]

Words are important, and the webiste GetReligion.org  is an informative resource that examines the way the media covers religion. Lately it’s been filled with insights into how the Associated Press and the New York Times have been getting their stories on Benedict XVI incorrect–and that’s putting it kindly.

It’s important to stay aware of how biased reporting about the Catholic Church may be driving people out of the Church, and preventing their return. Of course, many souls are turning away from the Eucharist because of real sin within the Church that is being accurately reported. That alone is tragic. But, as seen in GetReligion.org, there’s lots of innacurate, agenda-driven reporting, too.

The truth will set us free … so let’s make sure we’re getting the truth.

In addition to our local RI Catholic, these sites specialize in news from the Catholic world … the good, the bad and the accurate.

Print:   Zenit/English   |   Zenit/Español  |  Catholic World News   |  Catholic News Service   |  Catholic News Agency

Video on YouTube:   RomeReports  |  Vatican/English  |  Vatican/Español  | Diocese of Providence

People sometimes think to be Catholic means giving up using your brain. Not true! Use this great video as a resource for yourself and others on how Catholics see the relation between Faith and Reason.

And you can always find more information like this in the Church’s Catechism! (There’s a  great Faith and Reason discussion here.)

Remember: Knowing your faith is a great way to spread the Good News!

St. Timothy Parish promoting the faith in door-to-door visits.

WARWICK—Door-to-door evangelization was more the purview of other Christian denominations, they thought at first.

It was something that Catholics just didn’t seem to do, or do enough of, to promote their faith. 

But to celebrate the Year of Evangelization in the Diocese of Providence, members of St. Timothy Parish’s Legion of Mary decided to literally reach out to Catholics who may have fallen away from the church, and also to welcome others to share the good news of God’s grace for the first time.

“I had a woman almost faint,” said Jan Archer, a St. Timothy parishioner who helped in the effort … [Read the story here.]

Parishes who wish to host a door-to-door Evangelization Day are invited to contact Edward Gallagher or Kathleen Kerin at St. Timothy Church, 1799 Warwick Ave., Warwick, R.I. 02889, or by phone at 401-739-9552, or by e-mail at merugall@gmail.com for help in planning the event.

 … Danielle Neary traveled from Wakefield to hear the bishop speak.

“I thought it was wonderful and enlightening,” said Neary. “I am very thankful that they put this on.” Neary, along with many others, also took part in an “Ask the Bishop” session, where the young adults were invited to share their thoughts and ask Bishop Tobin about certain issues. The bishop fielded questions ranging from how he handles criticism as a bishop to how Catholics can maintain a fidelity to the church without offending people … [Read more in the RI Catholic]

Click here to see and listen to the bishop’s talk on YouTube 

On Saturday, June 5th, over 100 people from all over the diocese paired up and hit the streets of St. Timothy’s parish boundaries in Warwick to invite people to the parish–or to invite them back. Some great conversations resulted. This Day of Evangelization did exactly what the Holy Father has reminded us what we must do as followers of Christ. Pictured here are some of the pairs returning for lunch and tallying notes and sharing emotional stories of their amazingly successful day. Stay tuned for a full story in the RI Catholic. Thank you Fr. Meehan, St. Timothy’s, the Legion of Mary and everyone who made this day a historic event in the Diocese of Providence! And most importantly: Praise the Triune God!

Has your parish had a door-to-door campaign already? How’d it go? Email us and let us know so we can help share your good news!

Real conversion happens not by hearing about Christ on TV or radio, or visiting Web sites, but with a “real personal encounter,” and for that you need a missionary, he said. [Read the entire story here.]