February 6, 2002
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information, Contact:
Bud Bunce (503) 233-8373
bbunce@archdpdx.org
CATHOLICS CONTINUE EVANGELIZATION IN WESTERN OREGON
More than 15,000 Catholics throughout Western Oregon will be meeting each
week during the Lenten season to share
their faith, concerns and hopes for their parish.
The Archdiocese of Portland begins its
second year of Disciples in Mission: An
Evangelization Experience to enrich Catholic
faith, faith sharing with others and to
transform the world around them.
In July 1999, Archbishop John G. Vlazny adopted the Disciples in Mission
process
for use in the Archdiocese of Portland.
Developed by the Washington, DC based Paulist
National Catholic Evangelization Association,
Disciples in Mission helps dioceses
implement the United States Bishops' national
plan and strategy for Catholic
evangelization: Go and Make Disciples.
Disciples in Mission is a process, which
integrates Sunday liturgies, small faith-sharing
groups, catechesis, family activities, and
parish planning into a parish-wide experience
of evangelization.
The Archdiocese of Portland invited every Catholic parish in Western Oregon
to
join Disciples in Mission and begin a
four-year process. Ninety-four parishes, the
Catholic deaf community and the Catholic
Multnomah County Prison Ministry
joined this effort. These participating
parishes represented 74% of all Archdiocesan
churches, and more than 90% of the registered
Catholic households in Western
Oregon. Parishioners were able to participate
in the Disciples in Mission process in one
or more ways during the first year of
parish implementation in 2000 - 2001.
Beginning with Advent 2000, just before Christmas, each parish began the
prayer
campaign for the success of Disciples
in Mission. After Christmas 2000, more than
1,380 parishioners came forward in participating
parishes to lead small faith sharing
groups. Parishes reported that 11,250
people participated in the small faith sharing
groups during Lent 2001. Eight parishes
reported more than 300 individuals
participated in the groups. The average
number of participants per parish was 150. In
addition to these groups, a number of
parishes had faith sharing groups for teens.
Parishes reported that 3,000 families
picked up the family activity books for use at
home. In some parishes the Sunday homily
during Lent integrated the Disciples in
Mission process, and in many of the parishes,
a Sunday bulletin insert was used for all
parishioners to incorporate the Disciples
in Mission process in their own lives, whether
or not they were able to participate in
the faith sharing groups. Disciples in Mission is
designed to be both multicultural and
inclusive. Materials were available in English,
Spanish and Vietnamese.
After Easter 2001, participating parishes held a "reflection day," which
in part
served to evaluate how well the Disciples
in Mission process had met its goals. Through
this reflection process, the parishes
developed a "Parish Evangelizing Profile." The
profile summarized the top objectives
for their parish community and the ways that
they recommended implementing those objectives.
Major objectives identified were:
> To involve parishes and local service
groups in alleviating the immediate needs of
people in their areas (42 parishes).
> To instill a renewed understanding of the faith among Catholics (41 parishes).
> To effectively welcome back those who have left the Church (41 parishes).
> To foster the importance of the family (39 parishes).
> To help every Catholic feel comfortable
about sharing his or her faith (31
parishes).
> To involve Catholics on every level in
areas of public policy, in the media and in
questions of economic systems (31 parishes).
> To make every Catholic institution more welcoming (30 parishes).
> To foster a greater appreciation of God's word in our lives (29 parishes).
> To create small group experiences of prayer and study (29 parishes).
> To highlight the evangelizing dimensions
of the Sunday Eucharist, the power of
God's word in worship and our recognition
of Christ's presence in the sacraments
(28 parishes).
> To foster greater appreciation of cultural and spiritual diversity (28 parishes).
[Note: a summary of the final report
of the first year of the Disciples in Mission process
is available on the Archdiocesan web site:
www.archdpdx.org/disciples-in-mission.]
The objective of effectively welcoming back Catholics who have left the
faith led
the Archdiocese of Portland to pilot another
program, Landings: Welcoming Returning
Catholics. The Landings program was recently
piloted in the Archdiocese at 13
parishes: Our Lady of the Lake - Lake
Oswego, St. Jude, St. Mark, St. Peter and St.
Mary parishes in Eugene, St. Joseph and
Queen of Peace in Salem, St. Mary - Corvallis,
St. Anthony - Tigard, St. Henry - Gresham,
St. Joseph - Roseburg, St. Pius X - Cedar
Mill, and at St. Therese - Portland. The
underlying basis of Landings is that there be a
small group of active Catholics who provide
a "safe harbor or landing place for returning
Catholics to explore their faith and their
future with the Church." For returning
Catholics, they find a supportive community
within which he/she can ask questions,
discuss issues and deal with difficulties.
It provides an opportunity to be with ordinary
Catholics who are trying to live their
faith, and provides a safe environment to come to
terms with recent changes within the Church
and themselves. The Landings process
will be made available to more parishes
throughout the Archdiocese of Portland this
year.
The first year of Disciples in Mission was very successful. According to
Deacon
Thomas Gornick, Archdiocesan Director
of Evangelization, "Disciples in Mission has
brought a new spirit of renewal and promotes
community outreach in parishes." The
challenge for parishes in Year II is to
build upon the success of the first year, increase
participation and to begin outreach to
the broader community. Lent begins with Ash
Wednesday on February 13, 2002.
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