DATE: January 24, 2000

                                                                                     NEWS RELEASE
                                                                                    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                                                                    For More Information, Contact:
                                                                                    Bud Bunce (503) 233-8373

ARCHBISHOP VLAZNY WELCOMES Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association TEAM TO THE ARCHDIOCESE OF PORTLAND

        Archbishop John Vlazny welcomed Father Kenneth Boyack, CSP, and Michael Scarpato from the Paulist
National Catholic Evangelization Association to the Archdiocese of Portland. Father Boyack and Mr. Scarpato have begun training diocesan and parish leadership teams for the implementation of the Disciples in Mission
evangelization process that the Archdiocese is beginning. Disciples in Mission is a process that brings together the Sunday liturgies, small faith-sharing groups, catechesis, family activities, and planning and follow-up activities into a coherent parish evangelization experience. Its goal is to foster spiritual renewal and places the missionary dimension at the heart of the faith community.

        Archbishop Vlazny, with the support of the priests of the Archdiocese, invited the Paulist National Catholic
Evangelization Association to the Portland Archdiocese to begin what will be a five-year process of renewal and enrichment. The year 2000 will be a time of training of diocesan and parish leadership teams. The year 2001 will be the start of lectionary based, faith-sharing groups in parishes with activities for families and catechetical inserts in parish bulletins for all parishioners.

        There are 37 members on the Archdiocesan Leadership Team for Disciples in Mission. The team
members participated in an extensive weekend training session conducted by Fr. Boyack, Michael Scarpato, and Deacon Thomas Gornick, Director of the Archdiocesan Evangelization Department. The training session included the history and context of Catholic evangelization, an overview of the Disciples in Mission process, awareness building of the multicultural diversity of the Church, the why and how of Catholic evangelization and the goals and the process for implementing the Disciples in Mission process in the parishes in Western Oregon.

        On Monday 150 representatives of parishes attended a session on Creating an Evangelizing Parish. They were then introduced to the Disciples in Mission process as a way to foster evangelization in their parishes. A series of introductory sessions on Disciples in Mission will be given for parishes by the newly trained Archdiocesan Leadership team. All parishes in the Archdiocese are being encouraged to participate in the Disciples in Mission process.

        Rev. Kenneth Boyack, CSP, serves as director of the Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association in Washington, DC. He earned an MA in Theology and a Doctor of Ministry degree from The Catholic University of America. Fr. Boyack is the author or editor of ten books, including The New Catholic Evangelization (editor) and Creating the Evangelizing Parish (co-authored with Rev. Frank DeSiano, CSP). As a consultant to the National Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Evangelization, Fr. Boyack served as general coordinator for the development of Go and Make Disciples: A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States.

        Michael Scarpato serves as the Director of Training Programs for the Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association in Washington, DC. He earned an MA in Religious Education/ Catechesis from The Catholic University of America. Michael has over 8 years experience with parish implementation of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and is a national speaker on the General Directory for Catechesis.

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