Catholic Mission Of Evangelization 
February 2004
My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Recently members of ChristLife had the privilege of experiencing, a rough cut of The Passion of the Christ, the film produced and directed by Mel Gibson. We also had an opportunity to hear Mel personally share about his passion and desire to make this film regardless of the cost to his career and reputation. The Passion is a moving and incredibly transforming depiction of the final 12 hours of our Lord’s life on earth, his sacrifice of suffering, crucifixion, and death. Gibson is risking everything in hope that this film will help people to encounter real life change by seeing what our Lord has done for all humanity by his life, death and resurrection. We highly recommend it for you personally and for your parishes, especially for family and friends who are or are not practicing the Christian faith.
This movie will impact many people regardless of where they are spiritually, and will raise questions about Jesus and what He did for us. Who will be ready to answer their questions? We implore you as individuals and parishes to think, pray, and prepare to help people to encounter personally the love of God in Jesus our Lord through this unique opportunity. One friend of ours in Chicago told us how his parish is inviting its members to walk to the movie after Good Friday services. Other churches are buying out theaters so that they can bring friends to the movie, then follow up with discussion in small groups. Sunday homilies will focus on questions raised by the passion narratives of the Gospel. Pray about who you might personally invite to see it with you.
The Passion is a great opportunity to launch a follow-up initiative, like Alpha. This is a remarkable chance for the Church to reach out! Use the neutral setting of a theater to engage people and then to invite them to “come and see.”
Let’s pray for the Holy Spirit to move many to come to know the love of God through it, and move us, the church, to consider how to invite and respond to those that see it!
In deep gratitude for our Savior,
Dave Nodar
"… throughout Christian history, the faithful have been encouraged to meditate on the passion of Christ. The spirituality of every great saint…has been marked by a devotion to the passion of Christ. Why was this? Because it was recognized that there was no surer way to summon from the human heart the love that even begins adequately to respond to the love of God who gave his Son for our sake.
I think that Mel Gibson's film will move people to this kind of love. Your heart would have to be made of stone for it to remain unmoved by this extraordinary film and by the unfathomable depth of divine love it endeavors to bring to life on the screen."
Father Augustine Di Noia
Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Please visit our website for more information on The Passion: www.christlife.org
To purchase tickets in advance call 1-800-353-6102 or visit www.thepassiontickets.com
Jesus Youth of America Young Adults Formation Week-end: Witness + Welcome: Sharing God's Story Your Way!
Traveling to Philadelphia the day after Christmas did not deter the youth and young adults of Jesus Youth of America. Jesus Youth is a lay movement in the Catholic Indian community for the formation and training of the younger
generations as disciples, missionaries, and evangelizers.
More than 100 young people traveled from Chicago, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Atlanta, and Texas to participate in a 4-day retreat.
Dave and Dianne had the privilege and pleasure of presenting ChristLife’s Witness + Word personal evangelism training to 50 young men and women, ages 19 to 30, who are part of the Formation Program.
Each day began with praise and worship, included daily Mass, and closed with Eucharistic Adoration from 8:30 to 10:30 at night. In addition to the teachings, music, skits, laughter, even dancing were sprinkled throughout.
It is exciting to be with young men and women who are passionate about Christ with sincere desires to serve him as disciples, and to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. They are fervent in prayer and faithful to the sacraments.
Please keep them in your prayers. ¶
ChristLife – Catholic Mission for Evangelization
You may have noticed something different about our name. In refining our focus, we have chosen a new tag line for ChristLife – Catholic Mission for Evangelization. As Catholics, we are quite familiar with the role of missionaries in our Church. The dictionary defines a missionary as "a person or a group of persons who are sent to a foreign country by a church to spread its faith or to do social and medical work." The call for a new evangelization coincides with a redefinition of mission territory. The United States is fast becoming a non-Christian culture that is crying out for truth, meaning, and purpose.
ChristLife is a missionary ministry that is responding to this fresh call to the new evangelization in new mission fields. Answering this call means that we rely on the providence of our Father through brothers and sisters who are committed to the mission and work of evangelization, the essential mission of our Church.
We do not receive support from any one parish or the Archdiocese of Baltimore. You are the "church" that sends us into the mission fields.
Our passion is evangelization; to help men, women, and young adults encounter the love of God, experience conversion, and become disciples of Jesus Christ. Our purpose is to train and to equip Catholics to be missionary evangelizers in the context of their daily activity. It is our desire to serve to as many parishes, dioceses, and ministries as possible whether they can afford the expense or not. Your help and generosity are vital for continuing our missionary work. Please tell your friends and neighbors, your co-workers and family members about ChristLife: Catholic Mission for Evangelization and encourage them to assist us in this critical mission.
Everything belongs to our good and gracious God, who loves without measure and provides for us with great generosity. As servants of Jesus Christ called to be missionaries of the Gospel by the will of God, we are most grateful for your prayers, sacrifices, and financial support.
Please Pray...
• For an increase of the power of the Holy Spirit for the work of this ministry
• For that each of us will seek opportunities to share the love of God with others
• For divine appointments and networking opportunities with Catholics who share the same
conviction about evangelization
• For our bishops and clergy that they may be renewed in passion for their role as shepherds
• For our Holy Father that he may continue to accomplish the work that God has give to him
• For the Church that she may be renewed and restored by a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit
Upcoming Event - ChristLife: Equipping Catholics † Growing Disciples
Please pray for these events!
February 23 Evangelization Presentation, St Francis de Sales Catholic
Community, Percellville, VA.
Please pray that the parish community will implement a
plan for evangelization.
March 13 Building Evangelizing Eucharistic Communities,
St Catherine of Siena and surrounding
Catholic Parishes, Lewisburg, WV
Pray that each person’s heart will be ready to hear and respond to the essential mission of the Church.
April 2 &3 Alpha Conference for Catholics at Epiphany Cathedral, Venice, FL
April 27- June 15 Witness + Word – Sharing God’s Story Your Way - Personal Evangelization Training
St Michael’s Parish, Poplar Springs, MD
Contact us today to schedule a seminar or workshop for your parish!
Help! Our computer equipment and software need to be upgraded!
In order for ChristLife to produce quality support materials for training, to handle our resource orders and to broadcast the mission of evangelization on the internet, we need to enter the new millenium of technology.
We do not have the funds to make these purchases.
Please consider buying one of these items to help us with this critical need. Call us for specific information.
1-888-498-8474
ChristLife is a tax-exempt ministry dedicated to equipping Catholics for the work of evangelization.
To continue in this work, we depend entirely on the donations of fellow Christians like you.
We appreciate your support!
12290-A Folly Quarter Road • Ellicott City, MD • 21042 • USA
1-888-498--8474 • www.christlife.org
Who We Are
ChristLife is an apostolate of the Archdiocese of Baltimore that is responding to Jesus' call to, "Go and make disciples of all nations," and to the Church's call to a new evangelization
"It appears that there are only a few Catholic ministries actually developing the means for Catholics to respond to the urgent call for a new evangelization and mission to the nations, and so I am especially grateful for this service."
William Cardinal Keeler
Archbishop of Baltimore
What We Do
ChristLife provides vision, training, and resources needed for dioceses, parishes and ministries to do the work of evangelization. We also sponsor leaders forums so that through association we are all better able to respond to the call to a new evangelization and mission to the nations.
Witness + Welcome: Building An Evangelizing Eucharistic Community – This foundational event is essential to help your parish capture the Church’s vision for her essential mission and to pave the way for implementing a process of evangelization. Designed for everyone involved with parish ministry and leadership, including pastors, DRE’s, and the laity. Contact us today to schedule a seminar in your parish or diocese!
Host a ChristLife training event in your diocese or parish!
Contact us for more information.
Call toll free 1 888-498- 8474
info@christlife.org
12290-A Folly Quarter Road, Ellicott City, MD, 21042, USA
ChristLife is a tax-exempt ministry dedicated to equipping Catholics for the work of evangelization.
To continue in this work, we depend entirely on the donations of fellow Christians like you.
We appreciate your support!
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Copyright (c) 2004 ChristLife Catholic Mission of Evangelization
Permission is hereby granted to copy or reprint ChristLife newsletters for personal use, research files, internal circulation, and bulletin inserts. Please include "Copyright (c)2004 ChristLife:Catholic Mission of Evangelization" and our web address: www.christlife.org. Written permission is required if the article is to be included in a book, or in newspapers or magazines with paid subscriptions.
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