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-August / September '06 Newsletter
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
Please continue to pray as we plan another evangelistic event to continue the momentum gained at the Festival. On August 20th, there will be a celebration following the theme "One thing is needed…Come, follow Me” (Mark 10:21). This gathering is an opportunity to open new paths for spiritual growth and strengthen the relationships experienced in the small group Bible study. The people who attended the festival - whether or not they were able to participate in the Bible study - will receive an invitation, as well as any other friend or family member who is far from their Savior and/or their Church. This is an evening of praise and worship, teaching, musical performance, fellowship and fun! Plan now to invite the special people with whom you most want to share Christ! Our young adult ministry is really beginning to take off! Melissa Mrozek, a young adult who is actively engaged in the mission and work of evangelization, has written an inspirational piece entitled Witness for this newsletter. Melissa gives a compelling testimony about the importance of loving relationships in our personal conversion and continuing journey toward Christ. Another gift from our Lord is that Pete Ascosi is remaining on staff for another year as our Young Adult Project Manager. His gifts and talents combined with his passion for the Lord Jesus make Pete an invaluable asset to our team. Other young adults are also offering to serve their peers in spreading the Gospel because of Pete's influence and networking. Julie Ascosi has worked with us this past summer paving the way for ChristLife to enter the world of podcasting. Julie's creativity, knowledge, and skill have added new dimension to our work here. We are so blessed that she has chosen to give herself to the ministry of the Gospel. Her bright personality, her winning smile, and her vivacious attitude have contributed greatly to advancing the cause of Christ and His kingdom using contemporary media. Julie has returned to Mt. St. Mary's University to continue her studies, but she has left an indelible imprint upon our ministry at ChristLife. Thank you, my dear brothers and sisters, for your prayers and financial support. It is clear that the Holy Spirit is moving in a profound and important way. Without you, ChristLife would not and could not exist. Please continue to plead before the Lord on our behalf that this is truly the dawning of a new springtime of evangelization in which we can cooperate to further the advance of the Good News of Jesus Christ! Sincerely in Christ, Dianne Martin Catholic Laity in the Mission of the Church
The participation of the laity in the mission of the Church is called lay apostolate. By lay apostolate the Church means that the laity are actively committed to the mission outward from the Church to evangelize and sanctify people (AA, 2). Christ and the Church want and need the laity to carry the Good News out into the world! However, the reality is that the majority of committed lay Catholics are often exclusively involved in ministry to and for the existing lay faithful. Thus, the lay apostolate to the world in many parishes and dioceses has not developed as the Vatican Council II intended.1
Throughout history Catholics have responded to the call of evangelization. Early missionaries brought the Gospel to the New World, convicted in faith that the native peoples needed Jesus Christ. Keenly aware of the eternal realities of heaven and hell, they willingly sacrificed everything, even risking their own lives to uphold the reality that the Gospel is essential to every life! Now, in 2006, there is a new wave of the Holy Spirit stirring the hearts of faithful Catholics throughout the Baltimore Metro area with a deeper sense of urgency for bearing witness to the Gospel. The Metro Maryland Festival, sponsored by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, was held in July and provided interested Catholics with powerful opportunities for evangelization. In preparation for the Metro Maryland Festival, over 170 Catholics gathered at a local parish for a night of prayer, praise, teaching, and mobilization for our Catholic follow-up to the Metro Festival. The church was electric with joy, song, and genuine desire to proclaim the Word of the Lord and draw others closer to Christ. Many people said they have longed to be part of something like this for a long time. One woman shared her confident belief in the pouring out of grace for a new springtime of evangelization as a result of John Paul the Great's heavenly intercession. The sense of urgency for sharing the Gospel born from faith in Christ Jesus and the conviction about eternal consequences are being rekindled - a renewal of the spirit that inspired the early American missionaries. At the Festival itself in July, two Catholic women, training to be counselors met before the event for prayer and to role-play how to counsel people who would come forward to accept Christ as Lord. Although one of them had had the opportunity to personally witness to her faith in one-to-one relationships, neither had been part of a large organized evangelization event like this. They were thrilled to take part in this work and are eagerly looking forward to more opportunities. Join us on October 4, 2006 from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. at Church of the Crucifixion in Glen Burnie, Maryland. Let's explore together opportunities to gain momentum in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the sake of our families, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and others who have neither encountered Him nor committed their hearts to Him. 1Read the Decree on Apostolate for Lay People or §897 - §913 of the Catholic Catechism and see what it says! Dave Nodar is the founding director of ChristLife. He has five adult children and has been involved in evangelization and Church renewal for over 30 years.Melissa Mrozek
Ray, who gently but persistently encouraged me to accompany him to Adoration. He prayed for me outside the chapel as I gazed upon the body of Jesus. Directly above the Eucharist hung a crucifix. I came before Jesus in fear and trembling, full of the knowledge of my own sin. “Not this time, Lord. I do not believe you can forgive me. How can you forgive me again?” As I wept, the Lord said to me, “Don’t you know this is why I am on the cross? I knew you would sin in this way. Because I love you so much, I made a provision for this very moment and act. Nothing can separate you from my love.” My best friend, Anna, who I have known for over ten years, who has seen all of my ugliness and is still my best friend. Who, during a fragile, pivotal point in my life, invited. Did not urge or lecture, but simply invited me to community, invited me to prayer, invited me into the Heart of the Father. Who never took back the invitation when I resisted. And whose invitation was eventually the doorway through which I came home. A priest on a Catholic retreat in the mountains. Prayer on the opening night. Where are you, God? Will I find you here? Am I still precious to you? As my heart cried out silently, Father Keith put two hands on my shoulders. The surety in his voice unshakeable, he says, “Oh, yes. He loves you.” My parents, their love so unconditional, unwavering and uncompromising. Ever forgiving, yet never content to see me stay in the same place or to accept my sin. Their love shapes me, as Christ’s also longs to do. Witnesses to Jesus are all around me, in every moment of gladness, every kindness bestowed upon me, every person with beauty in their heart, those that love me and continue to love me in my weakness. These are the witnesses that point to Christ. The most positive witnesses of my experience never come from those who are most learned or who make the best argument. They come, always, from those who live humbly with Jesus, who know Jesus so well that they can speak for Him when I am unable to hear for myself. It is out from behind their eyes that He peers, it is between their arms that He embraces, it is from their lips that He sings His love song to me. Melissa Mrozek is a young adult Catholic and recent graduate of St. Mary's University in Maryland.
For more information on either event, contact ChristLife at info@christlife.org or 410.531.7701 A new season is just beginning! Plan now to learn how to share the Gospel with the individuals you encounter daily. Join your hosts, Dave Nodar and Dianne Martin, for a seven-session DVD teaching series on how to share the Gospel everyday. Introduce your family and friends to Jesus Christ with confidence and simplicity.
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!
Who We Are ChristLife is a lay Catholic ministry established in response to the Church's call to a new evangelization. William Cardinal Keeler recognized ChristLife as an apostolate of the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 1995. "I encourage you to continue to focus your mission on equipping Catholics for the work of evangelization so that others might come to know personally the love of God in Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, becoming disciples and members of the Church." William Cardinal Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore, April 21, 2006 For more information on ChristLife and what we do, visit our about us section. Copyright (c) 2006 ChristLife: Catholic Ministry 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) 2006 ChristLife: Catholic Ministry 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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