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September 28, 2022
Being an evangelizing church is one way that we can more fully live the vision of the Diocese of London. We want to form disciples of Jesus, and to do that, they have to know Jesus!
One of the most simple ways to evangelize is to speak about Jesus and to invite people around you to speak about Him too. That can be tricky, even for someone who works for the Church. The team at Amazing Parish recently shared a webinar about the Simple Discipline of Evangelizing and suggested one practice that is simple and effective: Ask people, “What’s going on in your life and how can I pray for you?”
Simply asking this does a few things:
- It builds relationships with people by investing in their life;
- It puts us in the listening seat;
- It invites the other to answer in what ever way they’re comfortable;
- It gives us an opportunity to lift each other in prayer, and if the time and setting is right, praying together; and
- It lets the other know that you are open and willing to have a conversation about prayer, faith, or Jesus, even if it’s not right then.
How do we put this action into practice?
- Start at the office.This week! Ask your co-workers, parishioners who come in, the FedEx guy. A Catholic Church office is a safe place to begin!
- At Mass. Invite parishioners to turn to a neighbour before Mass and ask this question. Ask it at parish meetings and invite participants to do the same. Share in a homily about your experience asking this of others or of stories you’ve heard as you begin doing it.
- In the Community. Once you’ve practiced in the church, challenge your faith community to bring this question outside the walls of the church. Start close to home – in our families and friend groups. Then the sky is the limit. Who could we ask? Our neighbours, our kid’s teachers, our colleagues, our doctor, our grocery store clerk.
Imagine if this were happening daily in your community. What would change if people were asking about the lives of others and praying with and for each other on a regular basis? It’s simple, but this one action can change our community not in years, but in weeks and months!
Watch the full webinar replay here.
Important Dates in October 2022
Click the links for more information about the saint or occasion.(S=Solemnity, F=Feast, M=Memorial, OM=Optional Memorial)
1 - St. Thérèse of Lisieux (M)
2 - National Catholic Healthcare Week (ends Oct. 8)
4 - St. Francis of Assisi (M)
5 - St. Faustina Kowalska (OM)
6 - Bl. Marie-Rose Durocher (OM)
7 - Our Lady of the Rosary (M)
10 - Thanksgiving Day
11 - St. John XXIII (OM)
12 - Bl. Carlo Acutis (OM)
15 - St. Teresa of Jesus (M)
16 - World Food Day
17 - St. Ignatius of Antioch (M)
18 - St. Luke (F)
22 - St. John Paul II (OM)
23 - World Mission Sunday
28 - St. Simon & St. Jude (F)
Great Things We Found On The Internet This Month:
- Make a Fresh Start at Work without Changing Jobs
- When Faith Doesn't Make Sense - Why One Person Stays
- Cancel Culture vs. Redemption Culture
- 5 Ways to Renew Your Prayer Life this Fall
Upcoming Webinars from Helpful Ministries:
- "DDMS Best Practices for Encounter"- Diocese of London Nurturing Joy Initiative (September 23)
- "Stop Doing, Start Leading" From the Trenches - Divine Renovation (October 4 and others presented monthly)
- "Grow Deeper, Get Disciples" - Rebuilt (September 28 and others presented weekly)
- "Kerygmatic Catechesis" - Catechetical Institute (September 28
It is good news when even one person from the Diocese of London lives out their missionary call as a disciple of Jesus. This is a good news story of five young people who are doing that.
NET Canada is committed to challenging young Catholics to love Christ and embrace the life of the Church. They do this through dynamic Catholic youth ministry and the work of young adult missionaries. This year there are five young people from the Diocese of London serving as NET Canada Missionaries. We are so proud to see these young people embracing the Lord’s call in Matthew 28: 19-20 to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” These young people are currently completing their training and will be commissioned and sent out at the end of September.
NET Canada sends out two types of teams: Retreat Ministry and Discipleship Ministry. The Erie Shores South Catholic Family of Parishes is excited to welcome one of the Discipleship Ministry teams to serve in their community for the next two year. We’ll be sure to check in on this exciting initiative as the team settles into their ministry.
We will also welcome a Retreat Ministry Team to our diocese this year. The team will be here April 26th until May 6th, 2023 and are available to facilitate retreats for Catholics in grades 6-12 within our parishes or schools. The available retreat dates are limited, so if you would like to reserve a date, please contact Christine Coyle (ccoyle@dol.ca) as soon as possible.
Please pray for these young people and all they will encounter in their ministry!
Joe Bezzina - Director of Pastoral Services
Claire Bondy - Director of Ongoing Formation & Lay Ecclesial Ministry
Chrisandra Skipper - Pastoral Services Coordinator
Christine Coyle - Family and Youth Ministry Specialist
Olwyn Supeene - Administrative Assistant
Outreach Ministries: Refugee Office
Migrant Ministry
Ministry for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Holy Family Retreat House
Diocese of London Pastoral Services:
1070 Waterloo St
London, ON N6A 3Y2
Canada
We'd love to hear from you. Any good news you'd like to share with Pastoral Services? Read a good article lately? Send it our way: pastoralservicesadmin@dol.ca
Good News Notes is now available on a dedicated web page if you would like to access it at a later time or share it with others.
