Part III

The Archdiocese of Chicago

The Archdiocese of Chicago is a microcosm of the cultural diversity found in the United States and the international scene. Our neighborhoods and parishes brim with people of every race and economic background, with immigrant Eastern Europeans, Hispanics, Africans, African Americans, Native Peoples, Asians, and many others. Yes, we are a part of the global village and are engaged in conversations regarding the issues of justice, peace, racism, ecology, and bioethics. We are attentive to family and education, the arts and human rights. We minister through a variety of offices, we speak through a cacophony of voices, and we labor through multi-faceted programs to bring about a “culture of life.”

In the Decisions Document written by the late Cardinal Bernardin and wholeheartedly endorsed by Cardinal George, three priorities were identified for the Archdiocese: Evangelization, Catholic Education, and Ministerial Leadership. Issues related to Catholic Education have been addressed by a special task force and continue to be addressed. Special programs for the recruitment and the promotion of vocations needed for ministerial leadership in the Archdiocese have been launched. Now, the Cardinal is asking this local Church to focus more intentionally on evangelization, the essential mission of the Church.

We have entered the third Christian millennium with a greater understanding of and commitment to evangelization as the essential mission of the Church. We have come to know that evangelization is doable and we feel a little more comfortable in sharing faith. All of us are becoming better disciples as we grow in our personal relationship with the Lord in the community of the Catholic Church. Our lives are richer and deeper, we are closer to the Lord, His Church, and each other.

At the invitation of Pope John Paul II in Novo Millennio Ineunte and trusting in the words of Jesus, we “put out into the deep.”