Evangelization

Evangelization Events

Adult Confirmation Program-2010
Saturdays, February 20, 27; March 6, 13 & 20 (2010)
10:30 a.m. to Noon
Presenters: Dr. Jackie Stewart, Justin Quattrini & Maureen Connell

Have you been baptized and made First Communion in the Catholic Church but have not yet been confirmed?

Adult Confirmation classes begin on Saturday mornings (see program schedule) at St. Anthony Shrine for adults (ages 20 and over). Those preparing for the sacrament, their sponsors and Catholics who wish to renew their adult commitment as Christians are all welcome.
Candidates for Confirmation are adults who participate in Sunday Liturgy and the sacraments.

Pre-register by Monday, February 8, 2010.
Copy of Baptismal certificate is required.

Regional Confirmation: Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 6:00 p.m.
St. Brigid, 841 E. Broadway, South Boston, MA 02127

For more information and to register, please contact
Dr. Jackie Stewart at 617-542-6440, ext 143.

(revised 28 January 2010)



Gay and Lesbian Catholics
See new BostonGayCatholics LGBT Ministry
for event info.


Bread on the Common
Street Ministry to Homeless Persons
2nd & 4th Wednesdays

5:45 to 7:30 p.m.
All are invited to be part of a ministry to homeless persons on the streets and nearby the Shrine on the 2nd & 4th Wednesdays of each month. We meet in the auditorium of the Shrine at 5:45 p.m., prepare food packets, and then visit with homeless persons on the streets, offering food, socks, and presence, ending at 7:30 p.m.

Volunteers are required to have a CORI (criminal background) check before serving in this ministry. To apply and for more info. contact Dr. Jackie Stewart at 617-542-6440, ext. 143.

For more information, please contact
Dr. Jackie Stewart at 617-542-6440, ext 143.



Peace and Social Justice
JUST MATTERS GROUP
The Just Faith/Just Matters Group meets monthly to plan events, such as films and educational series that concern issues of peace and social justice.
More Info
Monthly Just Matters Group meeting: February 9, 2010, 5:30 to 6:45 p.m.



The Come Home Program
For those who feel alienated from the Catholic Church
Lifestyle? Divorce? Clergy Abuse? "Invalid Marriage"?
Or any other reason?
The Franciscan Friars of St. Anthony Shrine would like to hear from you.
Fr. Flavian Walsh and Fr. Donan McGovern, Directors
For more information, email comehome@stanthonyshrine.org or call 617-542-6440



Spirituality in the Pub (SIP)
Next meeting: Monday, March 22, 2010
6:00 PM dinner on your own & pre-program conversation
7:00 – 9:00 PM program
Harp & Bard Pub, 1099 Dorchester Ave, Dorchester
(corner of Dorchester Ave and Savin Hill
—three blocks from the Savin Hill Red Line T station-Ashmont Line)
Note: Hat will be passed to cover dinner and gift bottle of wine for each of the speakers.

SIP originated in Australia to foster Respectful Conversation among Adults rooted in Catholic tradition on topics of interest and spirituality. SIP Boston is the first group formed outside of Australia. People from various traditions are welcome!
On one Monday of each month adults rooted in the Catholic tradition gather for food/drinks (optional—at own expense) and conversation prior to the evening’s program. Two invited speakers present on a topic for 15 minutes each, followed by a short break. The group then continues with comments and conversation with presenters and all present.

Our overarching theme for 2010 is War & Peace.
The topic for March 2010: TBA
Presenters: TBA
More Info
Any questions? Please contact Dr. Jackie Stewart at 617-542-6440, ext. 143.



Fellowship and Fiesta!!
First Wednesday of each month
5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
St, Anthony Shrine
(4th floor Clare Room)

A time for discussion, Bible study, reflection and fellowship in a relaxed setting.
There is a primary topic for each month.
Food will be provided by participants, but any additional food/desserts/beverages welcomed.
Anyone who is interested in joining the group is welcome!
Please let us know if you plan on attending.
Any questions? Please contact Dr. Jackie Stewart at 617-542-6440, ext. 143.

Next gathering: Wednesday, February 3, 2010
This month we celebrate Valentine's Day. The primary topic is "Love."


Separated/Divorced Catholic support Group
Meets every Sunday, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Contact Fr. Donan McGovern, OFM, Spiritual Director, 617-542-6440.


Hispanic (Latino - Latina) Ministry
Grupo Oracion meets every Wed., 4:15 to 5:15 p.m.
Contact: Padre Hugh Macsherry, 617-542-6440.

About Evangelization

What image comes to your mind when you hear the word “evangelization?” I suspect for many, we immediately picture a pair of young men dressed in dark suits knocking at our door, earnestly plying us with a copy of their Bible publication. Others might recall the hawkers with placards and bullhorns on a street corner judging that we sinners are going to hell unless we repent now. Or perhaps the Bible thumpers in the public garden or the TV evangelist “selling” their version of the Gospel. But all of these images which many find off-putting have nothing to do with evangelization. They have everything to do with proselytization—telling you what you should believe. Evangelization, on the other hand, is telling others what we believe, specifically, how each of us has experienced the presence of God working in our own life.

Why is there a Church?
Do you know the one and only reason why the Church exists? It is to further the reign of God, to evangelize. Jesus is the first Evangelizer. Remember his self-proclaimed mission, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” The Samaritan woman at the well was the first person besides Jesus to go off and evangelize. She told everyone about her encounter with Jesus, and at her invitation, they came to him to see Jesus for themselves. They began to believe in him because of her word. Evangelization is everyone's responsibility. By our Christian baptism, we are given the responsibility to share in the mission of Christ, to proclaim the Good News that is the ministry and life of Jesus. For some reason, Catholics seem to be reluctant to talk about their faith. Many feel it's a “Protestant thing.” But we do speak loudly by our actions. And, as St. Francis of Assisi says, “preach the Gospel at all times, when necessary use words.” We do evangelization by growing in our relationship with Jesus Christ, by living our faith - our lifestyle, by sharing our faith with others, by inviting others to faith - extending an invitation, and by transforming society with gospel values.

Evangelization is the heart of all Christian ministry. Our new Office of Evangelization offers several explicit Programs in evangelization, such as the Outreach Program, Rebuild My Church. However, all Christian ministries are really evangelizing ministries. At St. Anthony Shrine, this includes our Wellness Center, our Kids' Program, our Liturgies of Worship, Sacraments of Reconciliation and Healing, Spiritual Direction, Seniors' Group, Separated/Divorced Catholics Group, Friends of Gays and Lesbians, Lazarus Program, the Renaissance Center, Meditation, English as a Second Language classes, Hispanic Ministry, Hospitality, Peace and Social Justice, and soon. All of these ministries have at their heart the desire to share the Good News-God desires all to be made whole. For Christians, Jesus is the message and the messenger.

An Invitation to Hospitable Discussion
St. Francis of Assisi was praying before an image of the crucified Jesus. He heard a compassionate voice speak to him saying, “Francis,...my house is falling into ruin. Go, and repair it for me.” This was the first time the crucifix spoke to St. Francis. He hastened to respond to the Lord’s request. In the tradition of St. Francis we too respond to the crucified One to repair his church of today which is likewise in ruin. We are inviting all who are concerned about this issue to come and talk about our experiences as a hurting family of faith. We ask family members and friends to extend a personal invitation to those who feel distanced from the institutional church because of this issue and to accompany them to some gatherings, where they may voice their concerns in a hospitable atmosphere of respect and compassion. All who are still in the pews and share these concerns are most welcome. Near and far off, we are one family.

Pope Innocent III had a dream that the Lateran Church was falling down. He saw a simple man who he recognized as St. Francis of Assisi, propping up the crumbling Church. This Pope had already started implementing a program of reform in a church that suffered from the laxity of its clergy and its accumulation of wealth and power. However, it was St. Francis inspired by the crucified Jesus who became the great reformer of the church of his times with his simplicity, hospitality, and purposeful joy-filled following of the Gospel of Jesus. St. Francis sought to serve God not just in words but also in fearless actions. Jesus’ call, “Francis, rebuild my church,” inspired him to go beyond its physical structures and to seek its rebirth and reformation as a community, a Church in love with one another. For Francis, Jesus and his Church were one and the same.

Let us pray: “God, send me holy courage to respond to people in pain, to take action in time of crisis, to restore the Church where it is crumbling, to affect a world in need, to be a living, breathing, active instrument of God’s peace.”

Dr. Jackie Stewart
Director
(617) 542-6440,
Ext. 143