How can we transmit a living, personal Catholic faith to future generations? By coming to know Jesus Christ and following him as his disciples.
Our June 1st Diocesan Day of Enrichment will focus on strategies for revitalizing the church at the parish level. At a time when only a third of Americans raised Catholic are still practicing and just over half of Catholics believe in a personal God, the opportunities for discipleship within our faith communities is more important than ever.
All Catholics must make a conscious choice to know and follow Jesus before they can draw others to him. This work of discipleship lies at the heart of Forming Intentional Disciples. Sherry Weddell leads readers through the thresholds of conversion that will help Catholics enter more deeply into a relationship with Jesus so that Church leaders, parish staff, and all Catholics can transform parish life from within.
Our morning keynote speaker is Katherine Coolidge, Director for Parish and Diocesan Services at the Catherine of Siena Institute. Katherine has worked closely with author Sherry Weddell and will explain Weddell’s five thresholds of postmodern conversion—with a special emphasis on the first two thresholds of trust and curiosity.
In our afternoon session, Pete Burak, Vice President of Renewal Ministries, will speak about the missing generations in the Church, building on how we can reach young adults who have drifted away from connection with the faith community.
Two break-out sessions provide topics to inspire action in parish communities, including Charisms of the Holy Spirit; Biblical Models of Hospitality; Christian Service as Pre-Evangelization, Healing as a Pathway to Conversation; Ten Ways to be a Great Evangelist; and One-on-one Evangelization: Spiritual Accompaniment