www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Parish Life & Evangelization How many new missions do we plan to plant

VERY interesting. Thanks for sharing Two Lungs.

I appreciate Vladyka Stefan's honesty. He speaks the truth about our perilous situation in the Greek Catholic Churches of the Ruthenian Rescension. Even at this late hour, we must still have hope and trust in Christ and act accordingly. Our sui juris churches do not have to remain in maintenance mode!

That was a good speech. I read / skimmed most of it.

I am not UGCC, so I don't know the situation in that Church.

But I do remember visiting the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Philadelphia about 4 or 5 years ago. It is located in an African-American neighborhood that looked to be lower middle class (but not a ghetto). Yet, when I attended the "Vigil Liturgy" on Saturday evening at the cathedral, I only saw only a few old people who had driven in from other parts of the city (and who drove away as soon as the service was done). In a building that could hold hundreds, I saw maybe 35 people in attendance; in a neighborhood whose people were almost entirely black and of all ages, I saw only old white people at the service. The offices of the Church were across the street from the cathedral, and both the offices and the cathedral had metal fences and locked gates to keep people out. What kind of a message is that?

I don't mean to be rude --and I don't mean this question for the UGCC only.

But: When are the Eastern Catholic Churches in America going to wake up to the need for serving (first) and proselytizing (second) in order to grow their congregations, starting with the very people who physically live next door to their church buildings? There are some exceptions, yes, but what about the rest?

Forgive me if I'm out of line. It's just that... I would love to see the Gospel shared with all, and I would love to see the truth and beauty of the Eastern Church serve as a leaven throughout all of this society.

-- John

Along the lines of what John has said, I found Vladyka Stefan's remarks on page 10 of the document particularly interesting.

Many years,

Neil

John you certainly aren't of the thinking that it is only Eastern Catholics who need to hear this question, are you?

The people who need to hear that question are all in the Church who are not being evangelical.

And I want to apologize if I was out of line in that post. Maybe I just visited that particular church on the wrong day, etc.

Still, I know a little of what it is like to have to rediscover evangelization as part of the Gospel . . . and to still be relearning it. Growing up in the Roman Catholic Church, evangelization was something that the Protestants did. Then John Paul the Great advised us that, yes, we too were supposed to be evangelical. And, we are especially to do so in our daily lives. We had to relearn how, beginning with cultivating an evangelical mindset. "Preach the Gospel always; use words when necessary," as St. Francis of Assisi said. And, the Catholic Church is still relearning how to evangelize. (And that is why I advocate a measured and dispassionate study of the Evangelical Protestants for lessons, positive and negative, to be learned.)

Meanwhile, the Orthodox in this country had the gift of Fr. Gillquist's group. They were (in effect) a cadre of educators of modern evangelical techniques and mindset. But it was a re-education of sorts too, and it too is still ongoing.

The beauty of this, though, is that the main instructor is the Holy Spirit. By being in communion with Him, we can become aware of what people *really* need underneath it all; and by His grace, we can address those needs. The results aren't spectacular, but they can be miraculous ... in the sense of changed hearts and changed lives in Christ.

Hence, in my opinion, real evangelization --like real ecumenism-- begins and ends with real repentance (metanoia). I mean the turning of the heart fully unto God. It's so wonderful that we want to share it with others; and in sharing it --by how we live as well as by preaching-- we also thereby repent some more too.

-- John

I just set up our Saint Michael's Mission website in Southern Pines, NC:

Saint Michael's Mission in Southern Pines, North Carolina [saintmichaelschapel.org]

In ICXC,

Fr. Deacon Daniel

To be sure, the "Scott Hahn" effect in fact IS being felt. Tune into EWTN every so often. I would venture to say we have had our proportionate and complimentary contingent of Evangelicals along the lines of Father Peter G & the Evangelical Orthodox folks...

In the past 20 years over 400+ Evangelical ministers, and 500 Anglican ministers worldwide have entered communion with the Catholic Church. They bring with them their enthusiasm for the faith, and an Evangelical zeal and piety.

You can meet a wide array of them - Come join us this year at the Coming Home International annual conference some year... Held in Columbus, OH (Oct 23 - 25) the theme this year is Pillar and Bulwark [web.mac.com]

I would like to see more of this rather steady and impressive stream of converts flow into the Byzantine Church... I am not entirely certain we are prepared to welcome them... Many converts I have met to the Catholic Church have an interest or appreciation in Byzantine liturgy, as often many of them also investigate the Orthodox Church. It should be noted, Ss. Cyril & Methodius Byz Cath Sem is the first Catholic liturgy Scott Hahn ever attended... Vespers on a weeknight.

I don't think you were out of line at all. Over the years I've helped out at church bingo for extended periods at many Byzantine parishes in various eastern states. With few exceptions there have been numerous "people of color" in the bingo halls, month after month, year after year. Personally, I have approached some to see if there was an interest, or to invite them to liturgy. But I have been struck by the general indifference by the parish or parish members to "sharing the Good News" with the bingo players despite the ongoing, and generally fraternal relationships. I can't imagine St. Paul, the tent-maker, setting up shop in these transformed multi-racial neighborhoods where our parishes are, and pitching some bingo game to the people without sharing his faith in the Risen Lord? He would have invited the people to become members and share at the Lord's table, I'm quite sure.

We went wrong somewhere. Are we salt that lost its savor??

Peace,
Pustinik

That is indeed good news !




Do we need to set up a new parishes to accommodate newcomers? I'm not speaking facetiously. I've experienced a little of this Bingo phenomenon that you described: there is a warm and genuine welcome for Bingo, but there is not even a church bulletin made available to invite people to services or to introduce Christ. So, do we need to direct newcomers to the parishes that *are* welcoming and orthodox (small o) in their praxis? Like the one in Illinois that Dan is a member of, or the Ukrainian one outside of Toronto? (Sorry: I forgot the names of those parishes.) Are we going to have to start new parishes with 1) pioneering cradle Eastern Catholics, in order to 2) welcome converts and prospective converts, and 3) become (in effect) mother churches for future missions? I'm just conjecturing out loud . . .

-- John

Very nice website, Deacon!

Many years,

Neil

Thanks, Neil!

I plan to expand the "open the Eyes of My Heart" section on sacred Scripture and the Divine Liturgy. We have a large Baptist presence here in the Southland, so I want to emphasize the Scriptures in both my preaching and our promotion of the mission.

Please keep us in your prayers!

Fr. Deacon Daniel

Deacon Dan,

I have to run (fun w/ the dentist awaits), but send me a PM to remind me and I'll add St Michael's location and contact info to the Mission List at the front-end of the site tonight. I have 2 others that I need to do and it's easier to do a few at a time than one-by-one.

Many years,

Neil

Will do...thanks!

A question on missions... if a mission stays a mission for 5-10 years is it a "success" or a "failure." By that I mean if the BCW, Horizons, The Way, etc. puts out an article of a mission celebrating 10 years should we celebrate with them or lament the fact that the seed has not taken root sufficiently that there is now a parish?

Developmentally, each mission grows at a different rate with various demographics that have to be taken into consideration. The only way a mission can be a failure is by a consistent loss in the initial numbers, thus making it no longer feasible for it to continue.

Some missions may be slow starters for a variety of reasons. Some may encounter numerous financial issues, others may have a low population base to draw from, local economic and employment issues, etc., etc. Many questions that all factor into the life of a mission. If the mission population base has stayed consistent with some growth, it is not a failure. Who knows what the seeds they are planting now will yield in the future. If they give up, then surely it will be a failure.

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+