The New Evangelization

[Todd_Mills]

What exactly is it and what was wrong with the Old Evangelization? Seems like it was working with the full seminaries and increased Mass attendance. Maybe closed and consolidated parishes are one of the fruits of the new Evangelization.

 

[phil19034]

What exactly is it and what was wrong with the Old Evangelization? Seems like it was working with the full seminaries and increased Mass attendance. Maybe closed and consolidated parishes are one of the fruits of the new Evangelization.

Historicly, the Church officially evangelized one of two ways:

1. “to the nations” by sending missionaries to unchurched areas. i.e. with the Apostles did and what the Spanish & Portuguese missionaries did in the 15th and 16th centuries, or the Irish did in Africa during the 1800s
2. Pastoral evangelization – one on one evangelization between Priest and parishioner(s). This was done at during the sermon at Mass, Confession, Holy Hours, social gatherings, appointments, etc.

So you had “organized evangelization” targeting the unChurched and mission areas, plus organized evangelization to the Baptized who were coming to Church

The “New Evangelization” targets the Baptized who are NOT coming to Church. Or the ones who come from time to time, but are not truly evangelized (i.e. don’t attend confession, disagree with Church teaching, etc)

St. John Paul II realized that it was necessary for the Church to officially dedicate resources, missionaries, etc to target Baptised Christians because so many have lost their way and historically Catholic/Christians nations were becoming secular.

So there was now a third category… Baptised people/nations who are not living the faith.
When St. Pope John Paul II coined the phrase, he had actually said “… it is time for a new evangelization.” The name “New Evangelization” stuck. But in reality it’s really a “third evangelization”

I pray this makes sense.

NOTE: “Organized evangelization” doesn’t include individual lay Catholics evangelizing people on their own, which we are all called to do. Organized refers to what the Church and her official apostolates are doing in the name of the Church.

 

[PJM]

What exactly is it and what was wrong with the Old Evangelization? Seems like it was working with the full seminaries and increased Mass attendance. Maybe closed and consolidated parishes are one of the fruits of the new Evangelization.

REALLY

And the evidence of this is where?

Attendance at religious services among Catholics

% ofhttp://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/religious-tradition/catholic/ Catholics who attend religious services…

1. Trends
   39% “at least once a year”

40% “once or twice a month /a few times a year”

20% “seldom or never”

CENTER FOR APPLIED RESEARCH IN THE APOSTOLATE

cara.georgetown.edu/frequently-requested-church-statistics/
EDITED for space see the entire report HERE

Clergy, Religious, and Lay Leaders; Leaders in Formation 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

Total priests 58,632 59,192 58,909 58,398 57,317 52,124 49,054 45,699 41,399 39,993 37,578

Priestly ordinations 994 805 771 593 533 595 511 442 454 459 515

**Graduate-level seminarians 8,325 6,602 5,279 4,197 4,063 3,658 3,172 3,474 3,308 3,483 3,650

**

Permanent deacons na na 898 4,093 7,204 9,356 10,932 12,378 14,574 16,649 18,082

Permanent deacon candidates na na 2,243 2,514 2,263 1,980 2,026 2,497 2,342 2,445 2,051

Religious sisters 179,954 160,931 135,225 126,517 115,386 102,504 90,809 79,814 68,634 57,544 48,546

Religious brothers 12,271 11,623 8,625 7,941 7,544 6,721 6,535 5,662 5,451 4,690 4,200

Lay professional ministers (lay persons; excluding vowed religious) – – – – – – 10,674 17,315 20,379 20,660 23,448

Enrollment in Lay Ecclesial Ministry formation programs – – – – 10,500 – 21,800 31,168 16,037 17,935 22,145

Parishes and the Catholic Population 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

Parishes 17,637 18,224 18,515 18,794 19,244 19,620 19,331 19,236 18,891 17,958 17,337

Parishes without a resident priest pastor 549 571 702 791 1,051 1,812 2,161 2,843 3,251 3,353 3,533

**Canon 517.2 parishes where a bishop has entrusted the pastoral care of the parish to a deacon or some other person (e.g., a religious sister, religious brother, or other lay person) na na na na 93 249 314 447 553 469 431
**

Percentage of diocesan priests active in ministry 94% 90% 88% 85% 84% 80% 76% 74% 70% 68% 66%

**Active diocesan priests per parish 2.0 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.0 1.0 1.0
**

Catholic population (The Official Catholic Directory; parish-connected Catholics) 46.3m 47.9m 48.7m 50.5m 52.3m 55.7m 57.4m 59.9m 64.8m 65.6m 68.1m

Catholic population (self-identified, survey-based estimate)
48.5m 51.0m 54.5m 56.8m 59.5m 62.4m 65.7m 71.7m 74.0m 74.6m 81.6m

Foreign-born adult Catholics (survey-based estimate) – – 4.7m 4.1m 4.8m 5.6m 7.0m 10.9m 15.8m 13.2m 22.8m

**Former Catholic adults: Those raised Catholic (native- and foreign-born) who no longer self-identify as Catholic (survey-based estimate). As the largest religion in the U.S., Catholicism has the largest number of former members (some later return as reverts). Catholicism has a higher retention rate than most other religions in the U.S. (including allProtestant denominations).

7.5m 8.6m 8.0m 10.3m 17.3m 17.9m 19.1m 26.8m 25.0m**

Religious Education 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
Primary school-age children in parish religious education 3.448m 4.175m 3.880m 3.417m 3.106m 3.144m 3.287m 3.592m 3.438m 2.952m 2.631m
**

Secondary school-age teens in parish religious education 1.357m 1.280m 1.009m 959,935 831,331 736,188 749,377 760,644 787,033 656,722
635,17**0

Catholic elementary schools 10,667 9,366 8,414 8,022 7,764 7,395 6,964 6,793 6,122 5,889 5,302

Catholic secondary schools 1,527 1,986 1,624 1,549 1,425 1,324 1,280 1,297 1,325 1,205 1,200

Students in Catholic secondary schools 689,264 1.008m 884,181 838,136 774,216 606,000 638,440 653,723 653,226 611,723 583,885

Sacraments and Rites 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
Baptisms of infants in previous year. The number of infant baptisms year-to-year is closely correlated to thenumber of births.

1.310m 1.089m 894,992 943,632 953,323 986,308 981,444 996,199 929,545 806,138 693,914

Baptisms of adults in previous year 126,209 84,534 80,035 88,942 87,996 85,600 66,886 77,578 76,605 41,600 42,751

Receptions into full communion in previous year – – – – – – 76,176 95,003 73,402 70,318 67,140

Confirmations in previous year – – – – – 491,360 555,767 630,465 610,282 597,402 566,143

First Communions in previous year – – – – – 849,919 794,576 881,321 807,066 802,300 726,887

Marriages in previous year 352,458 426,309 369,133 350,745 348,300 326,079 294,144 261,626 207,112 168,400 148,134

Annulments initiated in previous year 60,691 72,308 57,018 49,973 33,727 26,025 23,302

Funerals in previous year 387,739 417,779 406,497 417,047 446,822 452,526 455,477 472,789 445,616 417,387 391,131

Mass Attendance. Prior to 2000, 55% 48% 42% 41% 41% 39% 35% 22% 23% 24% 24% END QUOTES

The New Evangelistic IS a CALL to very much needed Discipleship. EVERY Cathlic has a necessary role to participate in.

God Bless you

Patrick

 

[phil19034]

It depends on the Diocese. In places where they have really embraced the New Evangelization and where they have orthodox vocation directors focused on bringing orthodox young Catholics into the faith, it’s working.

In diocese where they don’t have orthodox vocation directors, orthodox Newman Centers, orthodox Catholic Schools, etc… they are hurting.

The Diocese of Lincoln and the Diocese of Alexandria are examples of where its working.

REALLY

And the evidence of this is where?

Attendance at religious services among Catholics

% ofhttp://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/religious-tradition/catholic/ Catholics who attend religious services…

…

The New Evangelistic IS a CALL to very much needed Discipleship. EVERY Cathlic has a necessary role to participate in.

God Bless you

Patrick

 

[PJM]

It depends on the Diocese. In places where they have really embraced the New Evangelization and where they have orthodox vocation directors focused on bringing orthodox young Catholics into the faith, it’s working.

In diocese where they don’t have orthodox vocation directors, orthodox Newman Centers, orthodox Catholic Schools, etc… they are hurting.

The Diocese of Lincoln and the Diocese of Alexandria are examples of where its working.

I absolutely agree with that:thumbsup:

But that was not specified by the OP:shrug:

God Bless you

Patrick