Evangelical Catholic:
Seeks to invigorate faith in diocese

By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

	Marcella Colbert

MADISON -- When Catholics hear the words "evangelize" or "evangelical," we often think of our Protestant brothers and sisters.

Of course, followers of Christ have been evangelists since the early church. The 12 Apostles were certainly evangelists.

But what does it mean to be evangelical? "The word evangelical means 'of the Gospel.' All Catholics are essentially evangelical," explained Marcella Colbert. She is assistant director of The Evangelical Catholic (EC), which was started about nine years ago at St. Paul's University Catholic Center in Madison by Tim and Sandy Kruse.

EC has been actively promoting an evangelical Catholic spirituality and ministry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. One of its efforts is an annual EC Institute, a weekend conference aimed at introducing Catholics from all walks of life to the principles and model of evangelical Catholic ministry. This year's institute will be held March 31 to April 1 at St. Paul's.

What is Evangelical Catholic ministry? Evangelical Catholic Ministry is a ministry model that focuses on evangelizing, establishing, and equipping Catholics in the context of small groups, large groups, one-on-ones, and discipleship training groups. The Evangelical Catholic model teaches people to: • Evangelize. • Lead a Bible study. • Teach simple prayer and Scripture reading techniques that transform lives. • Help your family, friends, and religious education class grow in faith. • Start a large or small group ministry. • Do one-on-ones. • Lead a discipleship training group. • Launch an entire Evangelical Catholic Ministry program. For information, see the EC Web site (www.evangelicalcatholic.org)

Collaboration with diocese

The Diocese of Madison's Office of Evangelization and Catechesis has recently begun a close collaboration with The Evangelical Catholic. EC is now renting office space at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center in Madison.

"In the coming months, the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis will be working closely with The Evangelical Catholic to explore ways that their wealth of experience on university campuses across the country can best be applied to parishes in the Diocese of Madison," said Eric Schiedermayer, executive secretary of the diocesan office.

"We have high hopes that this work will be helpful in fostering in the Diocese of Madison the renewal envisioned by John Paul the Great," he said.   Full story ...

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