-


-
Download this document in Adobe PDF
- Contents
-
-

Letter from the Director

“The mission entrusted to us … consists in recalling, in the words of the Apostle of the Gentiles, that our Savior ‘desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth’ (1 Timothy 2:4). This, and nothing else, is the purpose of the Church: the salvation of individual souls.”
                                                                                    Pope Benedict XVI, May 11, 2007

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Recently I had the pleasure of fly-fishing for Shad, an ocean run fish that come up the Chesapeake Bay and then up rivers in large schools to spawn before returning to the ocean. What an amazing creature! When the Shad run begins, I can't wait to get into the river and take the first cast!
Well one evening I happened to be catching a lot of Shad and a young man was watching from the bank and asked if he could join me. I gave him one of my flies affectionately named the Nodar nose and tied by one of our Board of Directors, Michael Timmis! Helping this man catch some fish obviously made him happy and as we talked he shared how he hated his job and was constantly stressed out.

I told him that I loved my job, which prompted the question, “what do you do?” So I shared that I worked for a Catholic organization, ChristLife, which helped people to come to know the meaning of life. That opened up a friendly conversation and before leaving I assured him that if he talked with God about his situation and sincerely desired to draw near to Him, God promises that He will draw near to him (cf. James 4:8). As a result of our time together he has continued to e-mail me, and my prayer is that he will come to know Jesus as Lord and return to the Church (he is Catholic and hasn't been going for some time). I simply sowed seeds of God's love and others must help to water and nurture it (1 Cor. 3:6). Lord, send him servants of your good news!

The Lord wants us to be willing to share our stories of God's love when given the opportunity anytime and anywhere in our daily lives. Pray that the Lord will give us opportunities to share this week!

Finally, I want to thank all of you who generously support ChristLife with your constant intercession and your financial support! We are so grateful to be doing this work for the Lord and the Church and ask you to continue supporting us. If you prefer, our Web site makes it possible to make a gift online. Thank you!

Let's put out into the deep for a catch!

Dave Nodar
Director

Discovering Christ at The Church of the Crucifixion
-

by Fr. Erik Arnold

In the days following Easter Sunday the Church draws the readings at Mass from the many different Gospel accounts of the Lord’s appearances to the disciples after his resurrection.  What we learn in each of these passages is that those who encounter the Risen Christ discover him in a new way – it is not simply a return to what they knew before, but there is something different that transforms those who encounter him.

During six weeks of the Easter season my parish was blessed to have a similar encounter with Christ as we hosted the pilot sessions of ChristLife’s new course Discovering Christ. This new course is designed to bring men and women into an encounter with Christ and the Church through teaching, fellowship and prayer together. For six weeks participants hear solid teaching that proclaims the heart of the Gospel message, inviting them to reflect and respond in a small group of friends that offers support and encouragement. Each evening begins with dinner together, followed by a teaching and then a chance to meet together in small groups. While the dynamic seems simple, something special begins to happen over the course of the six weeks as hearts begin to open, friendships develop and people begin to see and experience Jesus in a different way than they had before.
As a pastor, Discovering Christ reaffirmed for me the important role that small groups have in our work of evangelization. To hear solid, faithful teaching is essential, but following the proclamation of the Good News, an environment must be provided where the one who heard the message can begin to respond to it, ask questions and reflect on it. In responding to the message, one’s mind and heart begins to open in a deeper way, even if initially it is only through questions and doubts. These questions and doubts can often be the beginning of a deep and profound conversion, provided that there are others who offer encouragement, support and love along the way.  Without small groups to provide this opportunity, the teaching (no matter how good it might be) can end up being treated like a television show: entertaining, but not life changing.

So there is a need for both solid teaching and an environment for it to penetrate the heart. Discovering Christ provides both of these and can be used by parishes to offer, as a priest friend puts it, not just information but inspiration.  There are many parish programs that offer information about Jesus. Discovering Christ is not one of them. It is a relational course designed to bring people into a life-changing encounter with the Lord Jesus. This requires that those who assist in running it also be evangelized themselves and share the goal of bringing others to a relationship with Christ and the Church. For some, this might sound foreign, but it has been a constant theme in the preaching of Pope Benedict. Just recently, the Holy Father, speaking to a gathering in Rome, said “Only those who know and love Jesus Christ can introduce their brothers and sisters to a living relationship with Him.” So Discovering Christ is valuable not only for those who participate but also for those who help to run it, calling them to focus their hearts on the great goal of all evangelization: encounter with Christ.

My parish was richly blessed during Discovering Christ and I look forward to it being made available to other parishes in the future. The work of evangelization and parish renewal requires much of those who want to make it happen. There is no silver bullet or magic program that will do the work for us, but for those who want to move from information to offering inspiration and transformation, then Discovering Christ is it.

Fr. Erik Arnold is the Archbishop’s appointed member to ChristLife’s Board of Directors.  Fr. Erik will be leaving Crucifixion parish this summer to become the new pastor at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Elkridge, MD.
.
Young Adults Discover Christ Through Catonsville Program

by Meghan Walton
Catholic Review

A crowd of some 60 young adults between the ages of 18-35 stood to sing “All Creatures of our God and King” in the St. Agnes, Catonsville, cafeteria, June 19 as part of the six week program “Discovering Christ,” which is run by ChristLife, a Catholic ministry for evangelization.

Through multimedia, presentations, discussion groups and social time, the program encourages young adults to learn about themselves, others and their uniting beliefs in God, said Pete Ascosi, the young adult coordinator for ChristLife.

The purpose of the program is to “expose people to basic proclamations of the good news,” said Mr. Ascosi. “We want to bring people to a closer relationship with Jesus. We are seeking the interested and relaying a compelling message.”

Some of the topics the group will discuss are “Why does Jesus matter?”, “Why do I need a savior?”, “The Holy Spirit: Who is he?” and “Believing and Belonging: What about the church.”

The first presentation, given by Father Timothy Fell, associate pastor of St. Agnes, was on the meaning and purpose of life. Father Fell explained to the group of young adults that God was excited the day they came into the world and he created everyone to love him.

“Our only true happiness can come from loving and serving God,” said Father Fell. “Faith is the only thing without limits. Faith is falling in love with God and doing what he wants.”

Ashley Cook, a St. Agnes parishioner who attends the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, said she got an invitation to the Discovering Christ program through her Facebook account. She said this was a good opportunity for young people.

“I miss my theology classes,” said Ms. Cook, 19. “I like being here because I can be with people with similar values.”

Sarah Frederick, a 25 year–old St. Casimir, Canton, parishioner said she wanted to start taking time out of her week to learn more about her faith and get to know others.

“I hope to learn more and get back in touch with my religion,” said Ms. Frederick.

The program brought in young adults from all over the area including Andrew Cole, an 18-year-old Sacred Heart, Glyndon, parishioner who said he wanted to be around good people.

“I like coming to these kinds of things,” said Mr. Cole, who recently graduated from Calvert Hall College High School, Towson. “I hope to learn more about my faith and it’s (the program) been informative so far.”

Reprinted with permission of the Catholic Review, the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s official newspaper.

With a special interest in running this course for young adults (18-30s), ChristLife is planning on engaging more parish communities with Discovering Christ .  For more information, visit www.christlife.org or contact us at info@christlife.org or 410.531.7701.

A Future Seminarian Reflects on His Time at ChristLife

by Chad Zik

I must begin by saying that my experience at ChristLife served as an excellent preparation for my current journey in a seminary formation program.  The opportunity at ChristLife to participate in the Church’s mission of evangelization pressed upon me the great importance of such work in the life of every Catholic.  My internship provided me with great experience working with dedicated Catholics who had profoundly deep relationships with the Lord and whose daily actions directly reflected that heart-felt faith. Furthermore, the beauty of the truth of Jesus is so important to the staff that the mission of evangelization is a natural outpouring of a personal faith.

While at ChristLife, I came to realize the great hunger among average Americans for a genuine faith.  I came to see that people had a deep personal need for friendship and love that only Christ could fulfill.  The Sharing Christ and Discovering Christ courses, in addition to the mission trip to Slovakia, provided evidence of the Holy Spirit’s active guidance of ChristLife’s ministry.  As a result of these experiences, it was often beautiful to see the changes in people’s lives after encountering Christ in a deeply personal way.  It is hard to believe that people can grow up so long in the Church and miss the beautiful truth of God’s reckless love for them!  And yet - it happens, which makes the work of ChristLife’s ministry all the more important.  Now that I have moved on to parish work, I feel adequately prepared to carry on in ministry.  As a result of my internship at ChristLife, I see how the work of the parish in the administration of sacraments is so important in communicating the love of God through Christ.  However, without a firm foundation and internal recognition that God is love, such wonderful gifts often fall on infertile ground.

Another aspect of ChristLife’s ministry that deeply impacted me was the childlike trust of the ministry on God’s providence.  Living in an American society where we try to live as securely as possible with retirement funds, insurance, and the like, seeing a ministry that lives month-to-month depending upon God’s provision was shocking.  However, it is also beautiful to see how when we allow ourselves to take risks with God, we learn to trust Him, and as we learn to trust Him, we also learn to love Him.

As I continue my work in the Church, I will be forever indebted to ChristLife’s role in my own formation.  The internship provided me with a haven of God’s love in the midst of my life as a student at a secular university.  I pray that those who follow me as interns at ChristLife may be as profoundly impacted as I was.  And of course, I mustn’t forget to give God praise and thanksgiving for providing me with such an opportunity to grow closer to Him.

New Directions


After six years of very fruitful full-time service as a member of ChristLife's team, Dianne Martin has stepped down from her full-time position because of our financial limitations.  This was, to say the least, sacrificial on Dianne's part. She resigned for the sake of helping ChristLife to continue our mission.

Dianne carried many responsibilities here in our office.  Additionally many of you who have had the opportunity to hear her teach and experience prayer ministry with her, know that we

are losing a significant member of our full-time team.  Dianne will continue to serve in a volunteer capacity. 

Please pray that the Lord will open the doors for where He has for her to serve. You can still reach Dianne at dianne@christlife.org
.
New Podcast & Blog

ChristLife has been producing biweekly podcasts since Summer 2006. This is a great way to stay updated on what ChristLife has been up to, as well as an opportunity to learn more about how to share the good news of Jesus as a Catholic with others. Not sure if you know what podcasting is? Think you need an iPod to listen to the episodes? Read more about podcasting in our young adult section.

Podcast 25 - Nature Calls
In this podcast episode, Pete reports on his 42-mile, one-day hike he and some friends did and their opportunities to share Christ on the trail. In addition, ChristLife's Director, Dave Nodar, shares his recent experience highlighted in his letter.
Give us feedback or leave a comment for others to see

ChristLife launched our Everyday Apostles blog in May 2007. This is a great way to read informal news about ChristLife and comment and discuss different news and stories pertinent to the new evangelization.


.

Calendar of Events

Discovering Christ for Young Adults (18-32) June 19-July 24th (Tuesdays)
7:00-9:00 PM (dinner, teaching, & small groups)
St. Agnes Parish, Catonsville, MD

ChristLife Missionary Corps.
July 18 & 25, 7:30-9:00 PM
ChristLife Offices

For more information on these events visit our calendar of events

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.

Newsletter Archives

Copyright (c) 2007 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) 2007 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.