Part III Continued

Part III: SPREADING THE HOLY FIRE
Vision and Collaboration are Essential

In order to succeed, the mission of evangelization requires the unified efforts of everyone involved. Evangelizing the large and richly diverse region served by the Archdiocese of Chicago depends on a strong vision and a radical commitment to collaboration. Successful evangelization will result through the combined efforts of individual Catholics, committed parishes, and ecclesial, collegial support from the ordained leaders of the Archdiocese. The ultimate vision of evangelization is the witness of the entire Catholic Church of Chicago in communion with God and with each other. This communion makes real Jesus’ statement: “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)

As Church, we embrace our collaborative responsibility to work as Jesus’ disciples to “set the world on fire.” The overarching paradigm shift suggested in Spreading the Holy Fire is rooted within the Archdiocese of Chicago itself. That vision, shared by the many organizations, offices, programs, parishes, agencies, and people is to become and make disciples of Jesus Christ. This Plan maps out how Catholics can encounter those in need of God’s redemptive love, and how they can attend to the Holy Spirit’s lead to live and proclaim the Good News.

The Plan is based on the commitment and inter-dependency of the Body of Christ: individuals, parishes, other Archdiocesan institutions, and the hierarchy. Related to the three goals of the U.S. Bishops Go and Make Disciples, A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States, the Plan addresses the individual call to discipleship, community, outreach, and transformation; the parish community's role to witness and make disciples; and the infrastructure of the Archdiocese to support and guide the evangelizing effort.

The Plan is organized into major objectives that outline what needs to be done. Each objective offers supporting strategies that suggest concrete ways of evangelizing. Finally, each objective lists visible signs that indicate that evangelizing is taking place and calls for accountability. There are three sets of objectives that are organized into “mandates.”

The Personal Mandate applies to all Catholics, no matter their age, vocation or state of life. The Personal Mandate is about becoming and being a disciple of Jesus as a practicing Catholic.

The Parish Mandate applies to parishes, the local community of disciples, who gather to worship God and continue the mission of Jesus. The Parish Mandate is about the parish community’s efforts to grow in holiness, to be a welcoming community, and to witness to the Gospel by transforming its local neighborhoods and structures.

The Archdiocesan Mandate applies to the hierarchy and the departments and agencies who assist the Cardinal-Archbishop in his ministry of evangelization. The Archdiocesan mandate is about aligning infrastructure and direction to serve the overall evangelizing mission of the Catholic Church of Chicago.

This Plan invites us to recommit ourselves to becoming and making disciples of Jesus and to loving God and each other in a renewed way. Led by the Holy Spirit, may God’s Reign continue to unfold among us and through us.