Two women pray over another woman during the ChristLife training conference Sept. 12-13 at SS. Cyril & Methodius Parish in Sterling Heights.Sterling Heights — If the turnout was any indication, parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit are more than hungering for a new way to evangelize.
More than 250 participants from 68 parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit took part in the first ChristLife training conference in September, where parish leaders were introduced to a new program that aims to reintroduce the Gospel through a three-step process of encounter, discipleship and evangelization.
“It is important to share a practical way for parishes to evangelize,” Fr. Alex Kratz, OFM, regional coordinator for evangelization for the archdiocese, told conference participants at SS. Cyril and Methodius Parish Sept. 12-13 in Sterling Heights. “Most Catholics have not been trained, and are still new just to the concept of evangelization.”
ChristLife, an apostolate that began in Baltimore in 1995, was introduced to the Archdiocese of Detroit in February after a handful of Detroit-area parishes had implemented it and reported success in bringing people back to the sacraments and church participation.
Those signed up for the voluntary training conference represented nearly one-third of all parishes in the archdiocese, a sign the program offers something exceptional, said Fr. Eduardo Montemayor, SOLT, associate director of evangelization for the archdiocese.
“This conference is an important step in transforming the culture of our parishes,” Fr. Montemayor said.
The program is presented in three parts — “Discovering Christ,” “Following Christ” and “Sharing Christ” — that build upon one another to present a simple way to evangelize, catechize and commission parish members to spread the Gospel. Each part consists of seven weekly sessions of prayer, teaching and group discussion, plus a daylong retreat.
Dave Nodar, national director of ChristLife, told The Michigan Catholic in February that the format is “very doable” for Catholics.
“We’re not trying to proselytize others,” Nodar said. “We want to simply tell others how Jesus has changed my life and why I’m part of the Church.”
