Ben Pettit, music teacher, choir and band director at St. Francis de Sales School in Spooner, introduces a song at the school’s recent spring concert. The piece, “A Hike on the North Country Trail,” was written by Pettit for his college composition course and adapted for the 4th and 5th grade beginning band. Pettit is one of four teachers at the school certified through programs for adults with bachelor’s degrees. (Submitted photo)
Jenny Snarski
Catholic Herald Staff
“After three years of preaching this mission to the diocese, it is clear to me: People are hungry and ready to be sent,” Christopher Hurtubise said at the May Parish Evangelization Teams workshop in Rice Lake. The Director of the Office of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship affirmed, “This workshop gave it!”
He added that his office is eager to continue doing everything they can to provide more opportunities like this to implement Bishop James P. Powers’ “vision of creating a ‘diocese of apostles.’”
On Saturday, May 17, almost 100 people gathered at St. Joseph’s Church in Rice Lake; more than 60 attended the same workshop on Sunday, May 18, at Nativity of Our Lord in Rhinelander. Parishes and parish clusters represented included: Amery, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Boulder Junction, Eagle River, Frederic, Glenwood City, Hammond, Hayward, Hudson, Hurley, Iron River, Lac de Flambeau, Ladysmith, Medford, Mellen, Merrill, New Richmond, Park Falls, Phillips, Rhinelander, Rice Lake, River Falls, Solon Springs, Spooner, Somerset, Tomahawk, Webster, Winter and Woodruff.
Workshop presenters AJ Garcia and Tyler Degen both serve in regional leadership roles with FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. With the theme “Life of Discipleship,” workshop participants were guided through concrete elements for living as disciples and tools to implement this vision at home.
Participants were provided a copy of “Foundations for Discipleship,” a book by Curtis Martin and Edward Sri, which structured the workshop’s content.
Degen, using the analogy of falling in love with one’s spouse, spoke of the “radical reorientation of a life” that takes place during evangelization and asked, “How do we create an atmosphere of conversion?”
His response included spending dedicated time together, to “allow ourselves to be soaked in their beauty and goodness,” aware that the Holy Spirit is the primary evangelist. As such, we need to cultivate a spirit of receptivity that, aided by daily encounters with Scripture, mental prayer and a regular sacramental life, begins to bear fruit.
To invite others to this encounter, Degen shared a personal story of meeting a young man on an airplane. This young man had experienced all the pleasures the world told him should make him happy, but he admitted feeling unfulfilled. Religion had never been part of his life, and Degen simply but straightforwardly challenged him to take the Gospel of Matthew and read one chapter a day. He told the young man that if Jesus didn’t show up over that month, he could move on, although Degen’s conviction was that a seed would take root in some way.
Returning to the love and marriage analogy, he reflected on the oft-asked question of how someone knows they’ve found “the one” they are meant to marry. His response, “When I said I do. When I chose to commit my life to her.” Degen expounded, “For spouses, we know that one commitment at the altar isn’t enough to sustain a marriage. It has to be renewed daily,” sometimes even with tears.
Degen then proposed “living a life of repentance through humility” as another step in the conversion process. Allowing others to see our weakness becomes a witness and transformational opportunity for all.
The “Prayer and Accompaniment Chart” used by the FOCUS organization includes three categories: Win, Build and Send.
“Win” equates authentic friendship and an invitation to encounter that seeks nothing but the good of the other. “Build” is where many, if not most, practicing Catholics are, where living a life for the Lord is desired but growth still needed – although growth only takes place when one is built up and invested in. “Send” is the stage when someone wants to be on mission and just might need the invitation or encouragement.
Participants were encouraged to think of a few names of people they knew for each category. A time of lectio divina with Matthew 19 and quiet personal reflection followed.
Coming together again, AJ Garcia discussed the categories again, clarifying that “we are not trying to put people in boxes,” but rather observing what stage of discipleship a person might be in and responding to the role we are invited to play in their journey.
“Let the Holy Spirit prove us wrong,” he said. “We need to be open to him.” He added how actively he has experienced the presence of God’s providence in relationships and scenarios he found himself in, exactly where God had someone he could uniquely accompany.
A question that Garcia has found key for discerning where people are in the journey and what their next step might be is, “Do you want to make Jesus the center of your life?” While this question needs to be asked over and over at different stages in life, it is the continual centering on Christ that transforms lives from accepting the Gospel to sharing it.
“What is the Gospel?” Garcia asked. He quipped that we all know “what the Gospels are,” but “Do we know what it means when we talk about sharing the Gospel? What is it for?” Answering, he stated, “The salvation of ourselves and others … And we must always be ready to share the hope that is within you – with charity.”
A convert, Garcia briefly shared his own experience of “church shopping” and how convicted he was encountering the Catholic Church by her identity as existing to evangelize. He asked for crowd input on what are some of the fears faced when trying to move into evangelization mode. Awkwardness, not feeling prepared, fear of not being perfect, feeling it’s not my responsibility and fear of rejection were mentioned.
Garcia responded, “The real question is, are you willing to try?” and then start again after a fall or hesitation.
Guided by another handout, Garcia walked participants through five Rs following the arc of encounter with God and the call to evangelization. Starting with “relationship,” this encompasses experiencing God’s love for ourselves and others. Then comes “rebellion,” when we make conscious decisions through sin to create a gap in that relationship. “Reconciliation” repairs the relationship, thanks to the necessary redemption only Jesus Christ could offer as God become man. In “recreation,” Garcia said, “Jesus doesn’t just want to slap on a band-aid, but he wants to make our hearts new and more like him.” Lastly, “response” is where the truths that have been known become life.
“Do you want to more fully abandon and surrender to God that thing that you’re holding onto?” Garcia suggested, adding that we need to be open to others helping us along this path of detachment and decision.
The most important question of all, he said, “Is do I want to live differently and have Jesus as the center of my life, or more fully at the center?
“This is not a one-and-done answer,” he noted, sharing how seven years after his own conversion, he had another moment of deeper surrender and stronger transformation.
Garcia encouraged looking for openness and curiosity in making the transition between each of the Rs. He referenced the “Foundations for Discipleship” book for further explanation, review and reflection. After another period for quiet reflection, there was group sharing and the reminder to always turn to the Holy Spirit, who is the one actually making God’s grace effective in our own souls and those of others.
Bishop James P. Powers made a brief appearance to offer the lunch prayer. He was en route to the Knights of Columbus State Convention but wanted to offer his personal thanks and gratitude for their efforts. He acknowledged that “the word ‘evangelization’ can still seem scary,” but invited participants to look to Scripture to observe Jesus and his first apostles.
“The only wrong way is not to do anything at all,” he said before thanking all present again for their hard work and assuring them of his prayers.
At the afternoon session, Chris Hurtubise asked for “one word” from parish evangelization representatives to describe the morning. Responses included: “Enlightened,” “encouraged,” “challenged,” “enthusiastic,” “sweet,” “helpful,” “testimonies,” “ready,” “called,” “sent,” “humbled,” “inspired” and “grateful.”
Hurtubise shared “three things the diocese is doing to come alongside you,” expounding on the recently announced Parish Missionary Apostolates, Eucharistic Consecration in parishes and the introduction of cenacle small groups for parish evangelization teams and catechetical leaders.
The Parish Missionary Apostolate offers parishes a two-night preached mission that six people around the Diocese of Superior have been trained to lead. The material is designed to impart a consistent experience of the Gospel and God’s grace to each parish/cluster in the diocese. Based on the content used by Fr. John Riccardo and Acts XXIX apostolate out of the Archdiocese of Detroit, the dynamic mission centers around the basic message of salvation, a deep experience of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and being sent on mission.
Secondly, more information will be shared in coming months, but Hurtubise said Bishop Powers is encouraging each parish to do a personal and family Eucharistic consecration via a book study to be completed on the Feast of Christ the King. Lastly, a brief description and invitation was given for the small group “cenacle” format that lay leadership, clergy and personnel in the diocese have successfully been using for a few years.
Garcia opened the afternoon session by quoting the back cover of the “Foundations for Discipleship”: “This book is a toolbox for leaders who want to walk with others in discipleship,” he read. “If you read it by yourself, it might change your life; if you use it to lead others, you might change the world.”
Moving into the topic of “going out” modeled on Jesus’ ministry, Garcia noted it is “what our life of prayer inspires us to.” He said our own personal life of prayer will always need to be primary, but a solid prayer life should prompt one to move from friendship with Christ to missionary action, in big and little ways.
“We don’t just want to be disciples,” he said, “but to go and make disciples. That was Christ’s clear commission.” Garcia referred back to the Win-Build-Send format as the framework for doing this.
He emphasized, “If we just go through the motions but aren’t being brave and bold enough to share our stories,” our neutrality itself is a response. “There are people in our lives who will only hear the Gospel through us,” Garcia said. “There are people who have been entrusted to you. How will you take the next step? How will you say yes to the high call of mission?”
Garcia was clear that this requires moments of being uncomfortable but turned to the example of Jesus for motivation. Fueled by divine intimacy, authentic friendship and clear conviction for this “little way” (of Win-Build-Send) that Jesus himself followed, he added, “What built Christianity was Jesus’ personal investment – in 12, more intentionally in three – and today we see the lineage of evangelization from the Apostles to us.”
Degen stepped back in, recognizing that not everyone “is called to be a professional evangelist,” but that we can all live out “incarnational evangelization” in daily life. He asked how many Parish Evangelization Team workshops Jesus hosted, then said, “The way Christ built his church was through individual friendships. He came to us to enter our lives, to live with us and pray with us.”
“Evangelization goes at the pace of friendship,” Degen said. This means living with a “missionary mindset” of not only praying for people but intentionally looking for opportunities, being open the Holy Spirit and praying for the courage to be bold when they present themselves. He asked participants to look again at the names they had listed in the Win-Build-Send columns and to ask the Holy Spirit might be the next step to one of the people in the “win” column.
He clarified that it is not our personal responsibility to move another person along, but with curiosity and vulnerability, sharing one’s own experience could be an encouragement. He also reminded listeners that Jesus, although he was “the perfect evangelist,” still had disciples walk away.
Listening was talked about for its importance and as an art form. That said, the presenters also clarified that “we do need to use words” at some point in every conversation.
The final session focused on best practices for small groups as a format typically used in parish evangelization ministry. These practices included having a clear goal of deep transformation but combining this with ensuring that all group members are engaged. This also includes the development of authentic friendship where group members have opportunities to connect outside the group and get to know each other. In both of these settings, group leaders should be encouraged to observe individual gifts and talents and to begin building others up by delegating and engaging what each one has to offer the group.
Workshop attendees were invited once more to look at names listed on their worksheets and, modeling Jesus, to choose just three people to invest in more deeply. Garcia and Degen concluded their presentation expressing their gratitude for the presence of all participants and their dedication.
Hurtubise concluded the workshop by sharing his own appreciation and encouragement. He shared a personal reflection on slowing down, on “finding margin” to be available to the Holy Spirit outside of our “evangelization plans” to participate in his action as well as praying for the courage to overcome personal insecurities about evangelizing.
Hurtubise finished by commenting on the scene of Jesus with the Samaritan woman in the popular TV series “The Chosen” and how visible Christ’s hunger is for the woman’s soul. “His encounter with that woman satisfies him,” Hurtubise asserted, “He wants this with each of us, and his heart is satisfied in encounter with us. The mission we were equipped for today is meant to satisfy the heart of God.”
In subsequent comments to the Catholic Herald, Hurtubise added how thrilled his office was by the turnout at these diocesan workshops. “Almost every cluster of parishes in the diocese sent at least a few folks to attend, and many sent a big group.
“I think what inspired me the most was that Tyler and AJ empowered us to actually go out on mission. A few days after the weekend, I talked to an attendee from Park Falls that came to the Saturday session. She shared that she’d been inspired by the formation but didn’t know if she’d ever have an opportunity to actually share the good news and invite someone into a deeper relationship with Christ and his church. She then said it came the next day, and she was ready!”
