VERONA — The Go Make Disciples evangelization initiative has challenged all parishes, leaders, and individuals to not only grow in faith as a parish but also as individuals. Parishes across the Diocese of Madison have been rethinking, relearning, and rebuilding how they approach evangelization.
Susan Swanke, the adult faith coordinator at St. Christopher Parish in Verona, shared what her parish has been doing to help build up a community of disciple-makers.
Following a map
Swanke shared that what has helped St. Christopher Parish in its growth as a community, is “knowing what our role is as parish staff, and what is the role of the parishioners.”
The parish has developed a “Discipleship Roadmap” that highlights four spiritual needs that everyone has: Encounter, accompaniment, community, and mission.
Using these four spiritual needs, St. Christopher’s staff members have been able to better discern what they can offer to help meet these needs, and what role parishioners play in these opportunities.
“As parish staff our main focus is on Mission, using our gifts to better support parishioners so they can encounter Jesus themselves, accompany others, and help build a good parish community,” said Swanke.
St. Christopher Parish helps form parishioners through sacramental prep, homilies, various forms of communication, and inviting parishioners to events.
One such event is called Encounter Night. St. Christopher hosts four of these events each year which include Adoration, Confession, and a parishioner sharing their testimony, with a social event following.
This not only gives parishioners a chance to encounter Christ but to invite others to encounter Him.
Swanke said these Encounter Nights “help serve as a way to encounter Christ in a low-key environment.”
The event is organized so as to be accessible to someone who hasn’t been to church in a long time, or ever.
Pastor Fr. Rob Butz and staff encourage parishioners to invite others to come with them to these events and to use these invitations as a tool for their own disciple-making.
Another aspect of the way the staff supports the need for mission is to host quarterly Evangelization Gatherings as well as a 12-week training.
Evangelization Gatherings, which are open to all parishioners, are focused on a particular topic with time for practicing skills and prayer together.
These gatherings are designed to further form parishioners in catechesis, communication skills, talking about the Gospel “in plain English,” and much more.
The 12-week training the parish offers is provided by the Evangelical Catholic (EC), whom the parish has partnered with for almost ten years.
The EC is an organization that helps train parishioners to discern their personal apostolate and create discipleship environments where others can encounter God.
More than 40 parishioners have already been through the training, some of whom lead small groups, among many other types of disciple-making.
In supporting the parishioners, the staff can take a step back and not feel like they must control everything.
Swanke beautifully described the work of evangelization as a battle. “We have soldiers on the front lines, but when they encounter the enemy, they don’t look back to ask what to do.”
Impact on parishioners
Swanke has seen beautiful things happen at St. Christopher as parishioners are given creativity in their apostolate with support from the parish. She shared how parishioners are evangelizing and the joys and struggles they’ve had along the way.
Jenny, a mother of six, invited some of her co-workers to an Encounter Night and fasted and prayed for three days beforehand as an intercession for them.
She shared that the small groups have really helped to build her confidence and influence those close to her.
She said that at first, she feared inviting others to an event that could make people feel uncomfortable, especially if they are not familiar with Catholicism. But after her co-worker shared that she enjoyed the event, Jenny shared she is “now more confident with taking risks in my walk with Jesus. I have increased trust that he is in control and just wants me to do my small part.”
Steve, a long-time parishioner of St. Christopher, runs a small group at the parish.
Many of his small group attendees vary in age and are working through the Gospels together.
He shared that at first, he feared that he wouldn’t be able to manage both the small group and all his other responsibilities.
But he said “I decided to focus on the aspect that is unique to me and my style. The more I learn, the more I feel comfortable speaking. Then I feel more comfortable with bringing others into the Church.”
Through learning and becoming more involved with the Church, Steve finds that “even though I was an altar boy and got Confirmed, I’m still learning. Every time I learn something, it makes me totally closer to Christ. I pray for things, and sometimes he answers those requests. Every time that happens, I know that he loves me, and it enhances my love for him.”
While each of these parishioners’ apostolate is different, each leads people to an encounter with Christ in a beautiful and unique way that only that parishioner can do.
St. Christopher Parish welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with other parishes in this call to evangelization.
If you have questions or would like to talk more about St. Christopher’s Go Make Disciples initiatives, contact Susan Swanke at the parish office at 608-845-6613 or at sswanke@saintchristopherparish.com