Forming Intentional Disciples
Forming Intentional Disciples

Author: Sherry A. Weddell

Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor

Published: 2015-11-30

Total Pages: 179

ISBN-13: 1612789439

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How can we transmit a living, personal Catholic faith to future generations? By coming to know Jesus Christ, and following him as his disciples. These are times of immense challenge and immense opportunity for the Catholic Church. Consider these statistics for the United States. Only 30 percent of Americans who were raised Catholic are still practicing. Fully 10 percent of all adults in America are ex-Catholics. The number of marriages celebrated in the Church decreased dramatically, by nearly 60 percent, between 1972 and 2010. Only 60 percent of Catholics believe in a personal God. If the Church is to reverse these trends, the evangelizers must first be evangelized-in other words, Catholics-in-the-pew 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, a book designed to help Church leaders, parish staff and all Catholics transform parish life from within. Drawing upon her fifteen years of experience with the Catherine of Siena Institute, Sherry Weddell leads readers through steps that will help Catholics enter more deeply into a relationship with God and the river of apostolic creativity, charisms, and vocation that flow from that relationship for the sake of the Church and the world. Learn about the five thresholds of postmodern conversion, how to open a conversation about faith and belief, how to ask thought-provoking questions and establish an atmosphere of trust, when to tell the Great Story of Jesus, how to help someone respond to God's call to intentional discipleship, and much more. And be prepared for conversion because when life at the parish level changes, the life of the whole Church will change.

Becoming a Parish of Intentional Disciples
Becoming a Parish of Intentional Disciples

Author: Sherry A. Weddell, Editor

Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor

Published: 2015-01-15

Total Pages: 106

ISBN-13: 1612783791

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"It is not the same thing to have known Jesus as not to have known him, not the same thing to walk with him as to walk blindly, not the same thing to hear his word as not to know it.... We know that with Jesus life becomes richer."-Pope Francis, The Joy of the Gospel In her first book, Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus, Sherry Weddell, cofounder of the Catherine of Siena Institute, captured the attention of Catholics across the globe as she uncovered the life-changing power that accompanies the conscious decision to follow Jesus as his disciple. Now, in the groundbreaking Becoming a Parish of Intentional Disciples, she has gathered together experienced leaders and collaborators whose exceptional field-tested wisdom and enthusiasm for transforming Catholic parishes into centers of discipleship and apostolic outreach is both inspiring and practical. The authors consider: The role of intercessory prayer in parish transformation How "fireside chats" can help a pastor connect with his parishioners and call them to personal discipleship and mission The co-responsibility of lay people andpastors in the work of making disciples The revolutionary impact of a discipleship approach to youth ministry How one parish successfully fostered a culture of intentional discipleship, and much more As Sherry asks in her own chapter, "Are we willing to answer the call and pay the price necessary to become a new generation of saints through which God can do extraordinary things in our time?"

Intentionally Catholic
Intentionally Catholic

Author: Gloria Scoyola

Publisher: Outskirts Press

Published: 2023-05-12

Total Pages: 109

ISBN-13: 1977264921

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Being Catholic. Are you: • A cradle Catholic born into the faith and a regular participant in Sunday Worship yet unable to defend your faith? • A lukewarm, pew Catholic going through the motions? • An inactive Catholic, believing but barely attending Mass except for Easter and Christmas, weddings and funerals? • A Fallen Away Catholic, angry at the Church for a slight, real or otherwise? • A Catholic who has left the Church to enter into another religious affiliation because Mass was boring? • A new Catholic, wondering if you fully understand what you have professed? • Thinking about becoming Catholic but not sure if you can accept or live with what the Church teaches? • An intentional Catholic, openly living and sharing the joy, doctrine and dogma of the Church that has endured for centuries. There are over a billion Catholics in the world. How many Catholics actually live and love their faith may be in question but those who are intentionally Catholic are united every day in the struggle to live and understand the teachings and traditions instilled in this universal identity since Jesus Christ first appeared on the scene. Some have died for the faith and others walk away when called to defend it. Some identify with the crucified Christ and others with the resurrected Christ. Some deem obedience the crucial element needed to be true, while others consider love to be essential in the teachings of the Catholic faith. Many spend their whole lives devoted to the Church answering when called to serve, supporting the Church in all her needs, savoring the joys that can be found therein. Whoever you are, Ms. Scoyola invites you to enter into her experience of thirty plus years in the service of the Church. She returned to the faith after an absence of twenty years, guilty but repentant and found reconciliation and redemption. In her years of serving in several parishes of the Archdiocese of Galveston Houston in Texas, she directed the formation of hundreds of adults and children asking to be initiated or welcomed into the Catholic Church through the RCIA ministry. In doing so she learned to become Intentionally Catholic.

Will Many Be Saved?
Will Many Be Saved?

Author: Ralph Martin

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 2012-08-20

Total Pages: 343

ISBN-13: 1467436321

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The question of whether and how people who have not had the chance to hear the gospel can be saved goes back to the beginnings of Christian reflection. It has also become a much-debated topic in current theology. In Will Many Be Saved? Ralph Martin focuses primarily on the history of debate and the development of responses to this question within the Roman Catholic Church, but much of Martin's discussion is also relevant to the wider debate happening in many churches around the world. In particular, Martin analyzes the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, the document from the Second Vatican Council that directly relates to this question. Contrary to popular opinion, Martin argues that according to this text, the conditions under which people who have not heard the gospel can be saved are very often, in fact, not fulfilled, with strong implications for evangelization.

Discipleship Parenting
Discipleship Parenting

Author: Kim Cameron-Smith

Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor

Published: 2019-11-12

Total Pages: 189

ISBN-13: 168192353X

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As Catholic parents, we have one fundamental mission: to raise children who know and love God, and who are so in love with Christ that they can't help but share his message. We are called not only to be disciples ourselves, but to be discipleship parents, evangelizing our children so they become disciples, too. That sounds great, but we know this is not always easy. The culture often stands in the way of our raising whole and holy children. Sometimes our own failures, wounds, and weaknesses make it difficult to pour ourselves fully into the mission. Even if we are working to plant the seeds of faith, how can we ensure that the soil is cultivated so the seeds can grow and flourish? In Discipleship Parenting, Kim Cameron-Smith provides tools and insights to help parents foster seven ideal growing conditions in the home: Love Balance Play Merciful Discipline Empathy Radiant Faith A Strong Marriage Raising children to know and love Christ, and to share that love with others, is the most important work we will ever do. Let's join together in Discipleship Parenting and respond to God's call and mission for all our families. Click here to register for the related webcast ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kim Cameron-Smith is the founder of the Intentional Catholic Parenting online ministry and the host of the Gentle Catholic Parenting Podcast, where she explores the intersection between Catholicism and the science of parenting. She is a licensed attorney and a member of the California state bar. She holds a B.A. from Wellesley College, an M.Phil. from Oxford University, a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard University, and a J.D. from U.C. Berkeley. Kim lives in Northern California with her husband and four children.

The Urgency of the New Evangelization
The Urgency of the New Evangelization

Author: Ralph Martin, with a Biblical Perspective by Mary Healy

Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor

Published: 2013-10-02

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13: 1612783309

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"No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples."-- Blessed John Paul II With the encouragement of Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, discover a renewed urgency and growing enthusiasm for sharing the Gospel with those in your life, both non-believers and those who are no longer practicing their faith. In The Urgency of the New Evangelization: Answering the Call, Ralph Martin explains: It's not just a churchy buzzword It's not just for priests and missionaries to carry out YOU and every individual Catholic play a role It is literally a matter of life or death for everyone in your life And... it's not as hard as you think

Single for a Greater Purpose
Single for a Greater Purpose

Author: Luanne Zurlo

Publisher: Sophia Institute Press

Published: 2019-11-19

Total Pages: 156

ISBN-13: 1622826574

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In these fascinating pages, author Luanne Zurlo shows that, contrary to popular opinion, single life is often a holy, joyful vocation lived out, sometimes in a hidden way, by souls who have had an authentic encounter with Christ. Here she sheds light on this little-understood vocation discerned and embraced by a growing number of single persons who neither marry nor enter religious life. These souls are joyfully single for a greater purpose, nourishing both the world and the Church with the unique spiritual strengths and graces that God gives to souls who deliberately remain single for Him — in the world but not of it. Read these pages to learn: Why dedicated single life is uniquely suited to our times How it builds on our baptismal vocations The special role that dedicated singles have in the Church How the dedicated-single vocation complements marriage and religious life How celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom yields a fruitful spousal relationship with Christ How dedicated singles can follow the evangelical counsels of obedience and poverty without the structured life of a religious community The vows that singles can take to dedicate themselves to such service of God within the world In the face of mounting difficulties within our world and our Church, God is now calling for an army of dedicated singles — laymen for the Kingdom of God — nourished from within and empowered by an authentic, personal encounter with Him alone.

Life in Christ
Life in Christ

Author: Steve Harper

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Published: 2020-09-01

Total Pages: 151

ISBN-13: 1791004717

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E. Stanley Jones observed that people “know everything about life except how to live it.” We humans have acquired immense knowledge and achieved great things. We are enlightened, Jones said, but not necessarily enlivened. Steve Harper has been mulling over this human situation for a few decades and offers his profoundly inspiring conclusions in Life In Christ. Harper helps us recognize our tendency to search for life through rules and dogmas rather than in relationships with other people and with God. By living in relationship, we live as enlivened Christians, the abundant life God intends for us and the life we long for. He encourages us to see the spiritual life as a movement, where we are always on the way, taking steps forward to continually align our lives with Christ. He shows us how Christ can be the goal and pattern for our lives, motivating us to live as God’s beloved and as instruments of God’s love. Harper provides a wealth of helps, including a set of questions for reflecting on each chapter, a discussion guide for conversing about the book in a group, and extensive reading lists for further enrichment.

Why Catholics Leave, What They Miss, and How They Might Return
Why Catholics Leave, What They Miss, and How They Might Return

Author: Bullivant, Stephen

Publisher: Paulist Press

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 184

ISBN-13: 1587687860

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The results of a project in the UK that invited Catholics who no longer regularly practice their faith to share their story. Why they left and what could be done to change this are two of the questions explored.