More and more Catholics at Mass are burning with zeal to bring the Good News of Jesus to the world when they leave Mass.
At the end of every Mass, the priest commissions the Catholic faithful by saying some form of “Go”.
A child might simply be thankful that this boring ritual has ended.
An adult who is less mature in their faith may have similar sentiments.
But more and more Catholics are awake to the true spirit of this command.
We are called to go into the world to make disciples, to bring light to darkness, to find the lost, and to bring them home to the safety of a life with Jesus.
Deeply formed
Last year, more than 2,800 Catholics were deeply formed in discipleship and equipped to reach out to people in their circles of influence.
They all completed a three-month training process called Reach More by the Evangelical Catholic.
Reach More is led on a local level by parishes and campus ministries in order to train lay people to evangelize in the world.
Participants in Reach More training groups develop a daily prayer life.
They learn how to fast and pray in an apostolic way for their friends, family, and co-workers.
They practice sharing about how Jesus has been Good News in their lives.
They gain an understanding of what people need to hear about Jesus at various stages of spiritual openness.
Finally, they learn how to facilitate Scripture-based discussions in both one-on-one and small group settings that help people open up to more of what God wants to show them.
Christ the King Pastorate, covering the Monroe and Belleville region of the Diocese of Madison, has just started their first Reach More training group.
Ann O’Leary, pastorate director of evangelization, is excited to see the fruits of this group.
So far, the process of discerning and inviting parishioners to the training group has been “very fruitful”.
O’Leary appreciated the insights of their parochial administrator, Fr. David Carrano, in this process as he was fairly new to the pastorate but already excited to call people into mission.
Discerning parishioners to invite to the first training group has also made her “more aware of the Holy Spirit moving in the parish”.
Although they are preparing to launch their first Reach More training group, around 115 people from Christ the King Pastorate earlier this year participated in Lenten small groups.
A team of parishioners used a process similar to Reach More to discern 15 small group facilitators to lead these groups.
At the suggestion of its Reach More consultant from the Evangelical Catholic, the pastorate hosted an Easter potluck for all small group participants.
One parishioner said this was “the best church event [he] had been to in a long time” because it brought so many people from around the pastorate together.
Prepared to ‘go’
O’Leary is looking forward to Reach More small groups to bring more community and connection to people all over the pastorate.
When priests tell Catholics at the end of Mass to “go,” leaders trained by Reach More know what to do.
They know how to have intentional conversations, build trusting relationships, and share their faith with the world.
If you want more people in your parish to respond to the call to “go,” visit calendly.com/mission-
advancement and schedule a call with someone from the Evangelical Catholic to see how Reach More can transform your parish.