Mention “Vatican II” and more than likely you will get the attention of any Catholic within hearing distance. But mention the “New Evangelization” and probably not so many ears will perk up. Yet the two are intrinsically connected.
One of the reasons Pope John XXIII called Vatican II was to address the growing problem of Modernism. He felt a renewal of the Church was needed for the sake of evangelizing a world that was slowly giving in to modernism and becoming more and more secularized.
As Dr. Scott Hahn noted on EWTN’s “Catholic Answers Live” program a couple years ago, “the culture is awash in secularism and it’s not getting better but worse.”
Ten years after the close of Vatican II, on December 8, 1975, Pope Paul VI issued his Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi (Evangelization in the Modern World). It called for the renewed effort in evangelization that was at the heart of Vatican II. (Note that CS quotes from Evangelii Nuntiandi in its Mission Statement.) Pope St. John Paul II continued the call, as did Pope Benedict XVI, and as has Pope Francis.
The New Evangelization
In his 2013 book The Urgency of the New Evangelization Dr. Ralph Martin describes how Pope St. John Paul II took up the mantel from Paul VI. He says (pg. 13), “Starting in 1983 Pope John Paul II began to frequently call for a “new evangelization.” He made it clear that he wasn’t calling for a new gospel, but a new effort, characterized by new “ardor, methods and expression,” and directed in a new way, not only to those who have never heard the gospel before, the traditional “mission territories,” but now also to the lukewarm and de-Christianized traditionally Christian Western nations.”
It is only fitting that Dr. Ralph Martin be one of the six presenters in a new, free, online course being offered by Sacred Heart Seminary. The course is entitled “Theology of the New Evangelization.”
The course goes live July 6 and runs through August 9. Course and registration information can be found HERE.
Having taken a couple of Sacred Heart Seminary’s online courses I highly recommend them. I can honestly say they are worth the time. The way they are structured also enables you to take each module when it’s convenient for you.
Each module includes:
- A Lecture Video (~20 minutes)
- Optional Supplemental Reading Material (~30-minutes)
- An Online Discussion Forum
- A Personal Assessment Quiz
As the course information states: “The goal of the course is not to deliver a high level of rigor or stress.” Rather, it is aimed at exposing “any Catholic who wants to learn more about the New Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship.” The course should be considered “a retreat experience for the lay faithful, done at your own pace.
“This is an opportunity to grow a deeper relationship and spend time with the Lord.”
Six Modules over Six Weeks
The course ties into Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron’s call to “Unleash the Gospel,” but it is really aimed at Catholics throughout the world.
In the first module Paco Gavrilides, STL, Instructor of Homiletics, will introduce the course. He provides a foundational understanding of the New Evangelization and the call to missionary discipleship. In module two, Dr. Robert Fastiggi, Professor of Systematic Theology, will show why our deepest Christian identity is to be found in evangelizing according to Pope St. Paul VI’s Evangelization in the Modern World (Evangelii Nuntiandi).
In module three Dr. Donald Wallenfang, Professor of Theology/Philosophy, will explain Pope Francis’ call of all Christians to “missionary discipleship” in The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium). Dr. Mary Healy, Professor of Sacred Scripture, will then unpack the theology of the new evangelization behind Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron’s call to “unleash the Gospel” in module four.
In module five Fr. John Vandenakker, Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology & Director of Graduate Pastoral Formation, will share practical advice and several tips for answering the call to a New Evangelization. Dr. Ralph Martin, Professor of Theology & Director of Graduate Programs in the New Evangelization, wraps things up in module six with a call to action, by highlighting the urgency of the New Evangelization and our role as the Catholic Faithful.
Evangelizing the Baptized
As Dr. Martin said on “Catholic Answers Live,” shortly after The Urgency of the New Evangelization was released, “The root problem of human life is alienation from God and the root solution is reconciliation with God.” And as Dr. Hahn said in the Catholic Answers program mentioned earlier, “Now we find ourselves in the awkward situation of needing to evangelize the Baptized, needing to re-evangelize the sacramentalized, as well as – and this is where apologetics comes in – sacramentalizing those who were evangelized.”
As I said recently here at CS: “Catholics are called to be disciples and to evangelize. Now would be a good time to get started.” This free, six-week course will give Catholics the tools they need to get started evangelizing.
