Evangelise Plus offers digital resources for all Catholics, from those seeking to learn more about Jesus and the Catholic faith, to those in ministry and leadership roles. A podcast recently updated by the National Centre for Evangelisation (NCE) supports both audiences as they are involved in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).
Initially developed in 2011, Hearing Gods Call has now been revised and relaunched as a podcast with updated new leadership resources available on Evangelise Plus.
Dr John Francis Collins was the author of the Catholic Enquiry Centre (CEC) book Call and Response and the Hearing God’s Call resource. Now a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Parramatta, Dr Collins said the original text used the Catechism of the Catholic Church as its main reference point.
“The situation that gave rise to Call and Response was an attempt to communicate the basics of the Catholic faith to those who were making enquiries about the faith,” said Dr Collins.
“The actual process of writing included consultation with experts in the field of adult faith education from across Australia.”
Hearing God's Call resources were later developed at the request from Fr Peter Carroll MSC, leader of the national network of prison chaplains, to produce an audio resource with accompanying workbook/journal based on Call and Response.
Now revised and updated in 2023, this new edition of Hearing God’s Call is provided in a more current and user-friendly format as a podcast with accompanying resources on Evangelise Plus, or as a standalone podcast on other services such as Spotify.
About the resource
Hearing God’s Call is a 30-session program exploring the stories of saints and heroes from the Bible and the history of the Church. It then examines some core Catholic beliefs, prayer and the Church in the modern world. While each audio recording is about 10 minutes in length, the questions and prayer in the companion guide provide further reflection. The suggestion of a movie title in each session allows the seeker to consider the topic in a deeper way. The resource can be used by individuals; however, a richer experience will be gained if the seeker finds local accompaniment, possibly within a small group setting.
The audio series can be found on Evangelise Plus, and there are two new accompanying documents.
- Hearing God’s Call Companion Guide provides teaching notes, questions for discussion, texts for prayer and a summary of the suggested movie.
- Hearing God’s Call Companion Guide Summary is a condensed version of the above document.
Suggestions for using Hearing God’s Call
For people serving in pastoral ministry, especially in adult formation, we recommend getting to know the resource first. By familiarising yourself with the material, you will be able to determine if the resource is a good fit for the people you are serving in your parish or faith community.
Hearing God’s Call is a useful tool for the RCIA process. Enquirers can be provided with the link to the series on Evangelise Plus so that they can start exploring the material on offer. A local parishioner could then regularly check in with them to see if they have any questions and/or to have a general chat about the material they have been going through. The sessions could also be used to supplement in-person catechesis sessions. RCIA teams might consider a movie night followed by a meal where a discussion about the movie could take place.
Parishes, especially those with limited resources, could run a series of formation gatherings where a few of the audio sessions could be played and then followed up with some time for dialogue, using the provided questions as a basis. This would be ideal for youth and young adult groups or for small gatherings in nursing homes.
Catholic schools are encouraged to share the resource through their newsletters to parents and via social media. Recommending Hearing God’s Call is a simple and effective way of evangelising parents and older students.
There are many ways this revitalised resource can be used effectively. If you have further questions about the resource, please contact the NCE via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Links
Evangelise Plus
Call and Response
Becoming Catholic
Words: NCE Team