It certainly has been far to long since I have made a blog post. I do apologize. However, there has just been a lot going on as of late. They say that priesthood is an adventure, and indeed it is. Never seems to be a dull moment, and the past few weeks have invited several changes for me.
For those who do not know, I am not in Florida at present. Bishop Dewane has given me the opportunity to participate at the ground level of a new and unique program for a postgraduate degree. Right now, I am at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit taking classes toward an STL or a Licentiate in Sacred Theology with an emphasis on the New Evangelization.
Which, I’m sure begs some questions, which I will attempt to answer:
What is a Licentiate?
A Licentiate, (or a License) is a postgraduate degree offered by Pontifical institutions (certain Catholic intuitions that are directly under the authority of the Holy See.) In this case, the degree will be conferred by the University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, aka, The Angelicum (though all classes will be taken at Sacred Heart in Detroit.) This degree enables a person to teach in his field at any Catholic university or seminary in the world. However, I have aspirations to do neither, I just believe this study will help make me a better priest in proclaiming the gospel.
This program will only require me to be gone for five weeks during the summer. This term, I will be gone from July 3rd through August 9th. Additionally, I will be taking classes online during the fall and winter terms. The scope of this unique program is four years.
What is the New Evangelization?
The word Evangelize means to proclaim the gospel. Of course, there is nothing new about that, the Church was mandated by Our Lord to do that in the beginning. However, as St. John Paul II observed:
There is an intermediate situation, particularly in countries with ancient Christian roots, and occasionally in the younger Churches as well, where entire groups of the baptized have lost a living sense of the faith, or even no longer consider themselves members of the Church, and live a life far removed from Christ and his Gospel. In this case what is needed is a "new evangelization" or a "re-evangelization. (Redemptoris Missio)
My own experience here as seen this need as well. We have so many Catholics out there who do not have the first idea what the basic message of salvation is, let alone having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. So many of my parishioners have asked me to pray for their children and grandchildren who have “left the Church”. All the time when about town I meet people who “used to be Catholic”. This is a distinct audience for the New Evangelization. I will be looking at better ways to reach those who have wondered from the fold. Also with the New Evangelization comes new and more effective ways to spread the gospel in the modern world, to do as our Lord said and “Put out into the deep and lower your nets for a catch.” (John 5:4) The latter verse of course, is a personal motto of mine.
The New Evangelization is new in four main aspects:
- The Audience: We are looking at Catholics who have been baptized, yet do not know the Lord.
- The Evangelizers themselves. It is the duty of EVERY CATHOLIC (not just the clergy) to spread the Gospel. The laity needs to be empowered to spread the word of God.
- The New Evangelization seeks to use different ardor, different methods and different approaches to Evangelization. We cannot keep doing what we have done, we must use new ways and engage the culture. (The use of social media would be one example of this)
- Obviously, we live in a unique culture that must be engaged in new ways.
In an sense, it could be said like this. The game is the same, but the field, the players, the audience, the equipment have been changed. And, kind reader, hear that only as an analogy, friends, it’s no game. It’s the salvation of souls! As Jesus told us : “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” (Luke 10:2)
So, yeah, it’s a cool and exciting field! Also, I have the opportunity to study under some of the leading experts in this field. This semester, I am being taught by Dr. Ralph Martin and, next week will take two classes with Dr. Janet Smith. Both are incredibly well published and have served on Pontifical councils.
On another unrelated-yet-related note, some of you may recall this image from my ordination cards:
This is the scene that features Jesus giving St. Peter and his brother St. Andrew the command to “Put into the deep.” This phrase reminds me of my priestly mission to spread the gospel, but also, connects me with the apostles, who like my ancestors down to my father, were fishermen. From this line, Jesus has called me to be a fisher of men. I have always felt a connection to St. Peter for this reason. The Lord has indeed confirmed that St. Peter is one of my patrons. I was informed shortly before leaving for Detroit that I am leaving Ss. Peter and Paul the Apostles to be appointed a Parochial Vicar at San Pedro parish in North Port.
Though it’s sad to be leaving my first parish family, it is exciting to be starting a new adventure with a new family. I have been praying for this new family as I anticipate my arrival there in August.
So, as I said, life has been pretty crazy lately. But, it’s always an adventure. And I would, not for one moment, have it any other way.
