New Evangelization taking root in Saint Francis of Assisi Parish

Intermountain Catholic

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Eighty-five Spanish speaking parishioners of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Orem are participating in the program "Sistema Integral Nueva Evangelización" (Integral System for the New Evangelization). IC photo/Laura Vallejo

OREM – Last spring, 85 Spanish-speaking Saint Francis of Assisi parishioners started a New Evangelization process based on kerygma, which is a Greek word meaning the proclamation of the Gospel.

The program is meant to result in catechists who are well-formed in the faith and who will be able to participate in various parish ministries, serve as resources for other Catholics, and lead others to the faith.

"The New Evangelization calls each of us to deepen our faith, believe in the Gospel message and go forth to proclaim the Gospel. The focus of the New Evangelization calls all Catholics to be evangelized and then go forth to evangelize," according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

At St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Orem, the process started when Father David J. Bittmenn, pastor, and Father Fernando Velasco, parochial vicar, invited a select group of lay people with certain leadership characteristics to undertake the program.

"This was within the frame of the Year of Faith and with the purpose of implementing a method of evangelization in our parish," Fr. Velasco said.

Although many of the parishioners have had some type of formation, they were in need of a space to be able to work on it frequently and the "Sistema Integral de Nueva Evangelización" (Integral System of the New Evangelization) fit them well, he added.

"This method has been used in many parishes and is a pastoral method that really works," especially if the pastor is involved, as Fr. Bittmenn is, Fr. Velasco said.

After the first meeting that explained the process and set the calendar, the parishioners spent several weeks studying and preparing for a two-day Fundamental Evangelization (Kerygmatic) Retreat.

Many Catholics who were baptized as infants haven’t received a solid foundation of faith, Fr. Velasco said. "We were never really prepared and we didn’t develop the conscience of all the meaning of the baptism, so in these weeks of the program parishioners really studied and prepared themselves," he said.

Among some of topics covered were the "Love of Our Father," "Sin and Its Consequences," "The New Life," "The Gift of the Holy Spirit" and "When God is Calling You."

"In the first day of the retreat the focus was kerygma, with the renewal of baptism, and the second day the focus was the [Sacrament of] Confirmation with the Holy Spirit. The adults were able to have a personal moment with Christ," said Fr. Velasco, who organized the retreat with the help of Father Roberto Montoro, parochial vicar of Saint Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in Park City.

After many more weeks of preparation the parishioners were divided into seven small groups called "Pequeña Comunidad" (Small Community). These are stable groups of evangelized people who share who they are and keep on educating themselves in their Christian growth.

"They become witnesses of Jesus Resurrected, individually and as a community. They gather once per week and start their development in their communities with prayers, catechesis, Scriptures, spiritual growth, solidarity. … We provide them with the material needed to keep their formation," said Fr. Velasco.

The goal of this process is to prepare parishioners to be active in their faith community.

"These people will keep growing in their faith. And in the future (perhaps two years) they will get totally involved in the nine service ministries in the parish as brothers and sisters. They will become a big family," said Fr. Velasco.

Other parishioners who are interested in starting the process will be invited to do so.

"We have prepared 32 couples who will act as coordinators and each couple will have at least 10 parishioners that they will help to start the formation and preparation process for the next retreat," said Fr. Velasco.

"Our parish is very big, [but] we need everyone. This is our response to the call for evangelization. As the Pope said, we shouldn’t use clericalism. This is the time of the faithful lay people," Fr. Velasco said.