Recordings from the October 2022 Evangelise conference are now available publicly, through the new online video resource library, Evangelise Plus (www.evangeliseplus.com.au).
Visitors to the site can watch each of the five plenary sessions and the 21 keynote sessions from the conference at no cost, allowing those who were unable to participate in the event to benefit from the material presented.
Parishes and communities are encouraged to explore Evangelise Plus, as the high-quality presentations will support evangelisation efforts and provide opportunities for formation. They will be a stimulus for prayer, learning, dialogue and discernment for parishes or faith communities seeking to grow missionary discipleship.
To assist parishes and communities, the National Centre for Evangelisation (NCE) has prepared a document outlining how to make best use of the videos available on Evangelise Plus, which includes sample program formats for three different settings:
Conversation starter prior to a parish meeting (under one hour)
Parish life usually involves many meetings. Often, these meetings become focused on maintenance questions (what times will we offer Christmas and Easter Masses?, what is our enrolment policy for the new school year?, when will the Sacraments be offered? etc). While such planning is essential, parishes can lose sight of what they are primarily called to do – that is, to share the Good News of Jesus.
Consider starting your meeting with a video from Evangelise Plus. You can choose something that fits in with your current initiatives or expands your vision of how to make evangelisation a priority.
Half-day seminars or short retreat (3-4 hours)
The busy lives of parishioners mean it is often difficult for them to give up a whole day, let alone a whole weekend for a parish activity. Half-day seminars or short retreats offer busy people something much more manageable.
Consider offering a seminar once a month, for example, on the first Saturday of the month – this way parishioners get into a regular habit of attending. If your parish comprises many young families who have Saturday sport, consider afternoons or even a twilight session and add Mass. You might also consider offering child-minding.
Night/Day Parish Assembly (9-10 hours over 2 days)
A parish assembly is a considerable commitment, so plenty of notice is required for your attendees. What can you do to make attendance “easy” for people to attend? For example, can child-minding be offered? Hospitality is important; try to engage volunteers whose main task is to cater and clean.
This example requires a strong core team to bring the process together. You also need to ensure that if actions are going to arise from this assembly. Who is going to do the follow-through?
Prior to hosting an event, parishes and communities should select the videos most relevant to their context and needs. The NCE has prepared a detailed video catalogue, which summarises each video, provides a biography of the speaker and proposes discussion questions to help your parishioners in their dialogue and discernment.
Video content produced in conjunction with the Life, Marriage and Family Network for the 2022 World Meeting of Families is also available on Evangelise Plus, as well as the five sessions from the 2021 Catholic Men’s Gathering.
Evangelise Plus provides high-quality Australian content for all those serving the Church in the task of evangelisation. Visit the site at www.evangeliseplus.com.au.
Resources
How to use the 2022 Evangelise Conference resources in your parish or community
Video Catalogue – Evangelise Conference
Words: NCE Team