I always seem to have an overarching "theme" to my life, and, every once in a while, it transitions. My focus shifts and I begin to hone in on a new idea, something specific. From a particular school of philosophy one year, to a school of theology the next, then from biblical theology to pastoral ministry. I even watched it shift from Christology to parenting once (yes, I had a taste of that war); then from youth ministry to the Catechism - and now, clearly, I'm delving into the call for a New Evangelization.
I've been researching my new "theme," and I'm sitting at my desk with a giant stack of resources in front of me. As I look through them all, I'm asking myself, "What book would I recommend to someone as a basic introduction to the New Evangelization?"
It probably wouldn't be the foundational encyclicals and other magisterial documents, as important as they are:
(Click on titles to read and/or explore further)
Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in a Modern World), Vatican II
Ad Gentes (Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church), Vatican II
Evangelii Nuntiandi (On Evangelization in the Modern World) by Paul VI
Redemptoris Missio (On the Permanent Validity of the Church's Missionary Mandate) by Pope John Paul II
Catechesi Tredendae (Catechesis in Our Time) by Pope John Paul II
General Directory for Catechesis, from the Congregation for the Clergy
National Directory for Catechesis, USSCB
Probably not these latest magisterial documents written in light of the above titles either:
Instrumentum Laboris (The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith), 2012 Synod
Go and Make Disciples: A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States, USCCB
Disciples Called to Witness: The New Evangelization (This is a decent introduction and a must read!)
I definitely learned a lot from these three:
I've been researching my new "theme," and I'm sitting at my desk with a giant stack of resources in front of me. As I look through them all, I'm asking myself, "What book would I recommend to someone as a basic introduction to the New Evangelization?"
It probably wouldn't be the foundational encyclicals and other magisterial documents, as important as they are:
(Click on titles to read and/or explore further)
Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in a Modern World), Vatican II
Ad Gentes (Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church), Vatican II
Evangelii Nuntiandi (On Evangelization in the Modern World) by Paul VI
Redemptoris Missio (On the Permanent Validity of the Church's Missionary Mandate) by Pope John Paul II
Catechesi Tredendae (Catechesis in Our Time) by Pope John Paul II
General Directory for Catechesis, from the Congregation for the Clergy
National Directory for Catechesis, USSCB
Probably not these latest magisterial documents written in light of the above titles either:
Instrumentum Laboris (The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith), 2012 Synod
Go and Make Disciples: A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States, USCCB
Disciples Called to Witness: The New Evangelization (This is a decent introduction and a must read!)
I definitely learned a lot from these three:
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And, just typing "new evangelization" into Amazon's search engine, here's some new titles I haven't read yet:
The Evangelization and You: Be Not Afraid, by Greg Willits
The New Evangelization: Overcoming the Obstacles, ed. by Steve Bugaslovski and Ralph Martin
The New Evangelization. Responding to the Challenge of Indifference, by Reno Fisichella
Jesus the Evangelist: A Gospel Guide to the New Evangelization, by Allan F. Wright
(hmmm, the following are tempting...)
The New Evangelization: What It Is and How It Affects the Life of Every Catholic, by Ralph Martin
The Parish Guide to the New Evangelization: An Action Plan for Sharing the Faith, by Robert Hater
The list goes on...
But, at this point, I think my number one recommendation as a basic introduction to the New Evangelization is:
The Evangelization and You: Be Not Afraid, by Greg Willits
The New Evangelization: Overcoming the Obstacles, ed. by Steve Bugaslovski and Ralph Martin
The New Evangelization. Responding to the Challenge of Indifference, by Reno Fisichella
Jesus the Evangelist: A Gospel Guide to the New Evangelization, by Allan F. Wright
(hmmm, the following are tempting...)
The New Evangelization: What It Is and How It Affects the Life of Every Catholic, by Ralph Martin
The Parish Guide to the New Evangelization: An Action Plan for Sharing the Faith, by Robert Hater
The list goes on...
But, at this point, I think my number one recommendation as a basic introduction to the New Evangelization is:
New Evangelization: Passing on the Catholic Faith Today
by Cardinal Donald Wuerl
It's a quick read. It's simple and straight forward. And what I like most about
it is that Cardinal Wuerl wrote it just after attending the 2012 Bishops Synod on the New Evangelization. He's basically relaying everything "right from the horses mouth," if you will, and with far more synthesis and relatability than the Synod document itself. Only $4.46 on Amazon right now!
by Cardinal Donald Wuerl
It's a quick read. It's simple and straight forward. And what I like most about
it is that Cardinal Wuerl wrote it just after attending the 2012 Bishops Synod on the New Evangelization. He's basically relaying everything "right from the horses mouth," if you will, and with far more synthesis and relatability than the Synod document itself. Only $4.46 on Amazon right now!
Publishers are being flooded, as we speak, with new manuscripts on the New Evangelization. I certainly don't have the time to read them all. What would you recommend? Are there any gems I should add to my list?
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