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The ARCHDIOCESAN Mandate: Becoming an Evangelizing Church

Archdiocesan Objective One: Commitment

The Archdiocese will orient the mission of all of its departments and agencies and their ministries around evangelization, the essential mission of the Church.

Strategies

  • Offer regular prayer for the power of the Holy Spirit to anoint the Archdiocesan Episcopal leadership, the Archdiocesan vicariates and their Episcopal vicars, and all parishes and ministries in their mission of evangelization and their discipleship in Jesus Christ.
  • Conduct workshops/seminars on evangelization and the three goals of Go and Make Disciples, A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States at Saint Mary of the Lake and Saint Joseph Archdiocesan Seminaries.
  • Begin archdiocesan and other meetings with prayer and a reading from the Sacred Scriptures.
  • Include evangelization in the formation regimen of the permanent deacons.
  • Encourage all Archdiocesan agencies, departments, and vicariates to align their mission statements with the Cardinal's primary focus of evangelization.
  • Establish a yearly “Evangelization Sunday” in the Archdiocese.
  • Make evangelization a line item on budgets for all vicariates, departments, and agencies.
  • Utilize the website of the Office for Evangelization to raise consciousness of the evangelizing dimension of all of our Church ministries and life.
  • Meet with Episcopal vicars and Archdiocesan leadership and their staffs to explain the plan for evangelizing and invite their support.
  • Create and execute a parish survey that polls individual Catholics and evaluates parish ministries in the light of the essential mission of evangelization.
  • Establish a regular pattern of gathering information from the agencies and departments of the Archdiocese to increase collaboration in the mission.
  • Organize all archdiocesan vicariates, departments, and agencies around evangelization.
  • Create and provide guidelines for Parish Evangelization Teams.
  • Organize all archdiocesan vicariates and deaneries to collaborate in supporting local parish initiatives.
  • Build evangelization into the life and operation of the Archdiocese by focusing the diverse evangelization efforts already underway and by providing a sufficient infrastructure.
  • Continue to develop the Archdiocesan Advisory Board for Evangelization by adding representation from the vicariates so that they can have an active role in the development of evangelization efforts.
  • Offer an in-service day for all Pastoral Center and satellite agencies to raise the awareness of the evangelization dimension of their ministry.
  • Organize, publish, and update an Archdiocesan Evangelization Resource Guide that lists the support and resources available through Archdiocesan departments and agencies.
  • Include evangelization formation in the Orientation Program for new employees.
  • Implement the evangelization aspects of the U.S. Bishops Pastoral Letter: Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response (1993).
  • Provide opportunities for faith-sharing and small faith groups in the Pastoral Center, essentially evangelizing the Center itself.

 

Visible Signs

  • The Cardinal and auxiliary bishops provide Episcopal leadership, collaboration, and support to all parishes and archdiocesan offices in the mission of evangelizing the Archdiocese.
  • Evangelization is perceived not as the sole responsibility of the Office for Evangelization and its Director but as the responsibility of everyone. A collaborative, enthusiastic partnership emerges as proof that the Archdiocesan leadership itself has been evangelized.
  • The Archdiocese allocates adequate personnel and resources to carry out the mission of evangelization. Evangelization is perceived as an investment and not a cost.
  • The Pastoral Center and its satellite agencies are a “welcoming” community of faith.
  • All agencies and departments define their ministry and work in terms of evangelization and support the evangelization efforts of the parishes. Evangelization is moved from the “take-it-or-leave-it" margins into the "must-do" core.
  • Seminarians begin their priesthood firmly committed to nurturing evangelization within the parishes they serve and throughout all of their ministrations to the Church’s institutions.
  • All departments and agencies have a greater sense of common mission. Departmentalism and “turf wars” give way to collaboration.
  • The Archdiocese consistently and continually promotes the mission of evangelization in all internal communications among its own agencies, departments, and parishes.


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Archdiocesan Objective Two: Believe

The Archdiocese will lead, encourage, and support initiatives guiding Catholics and their parishes into a deeper holiness and a continuous personal conversion toChrist.

Strategies

  • Provide formation on evangelization for pastors, pastoral associates, and parish staff.
  • Develop parish-based faith formation materials and resources.
  • Collaborate with the Office for Divine Worship in providing resources for liturgical planning and environment and in encouraging innovative approaches to celebrating the Sunday Eucharist.
  • Create a list of speakers for parish missions, days of recollection, parish retreats, etc.
  • Conduct workshops and provide information on "“how to pray." Offer materials for seasonal and regular prayer services, prayer groups, and other means to encourage individual and group prayer.
  • Offer guidelines and resources for evangelization-based parish missions.
  • Collaborate with the Office for Catechesis in developing and offering formation classes to parishes to assist them in implementing parish-based Scripture study and reading.
  • Publish a calendar of retreat opportunities at retreat centers within the Archdiocese of Chicago.
  • Lead, encourage, and support parish initiatives to offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation to as many Catholics as possible.
  • Develop, promote, and provide resources for parish-sponsored small faith-sharing groups and small Christian communities.
  • Offer Vicariate and deanery reflection days and updates to pastors, pastoral associates, and permanent deacons as to how to evangelize through sacramental preparation.
  • Collaborate with the Office for Catechesis in developing resources to form catechists to teach the Church’s traditions and history for all age levels and life situations.


Visible Signs

  • Archdiocesan agencies and departments are providing materials and resources for parish pastors and staffs that support parish efforts to evangelize.
  
  • Archdiocesan agencies and departments network with parishes in support of programs, retreats, missions, and groups that foster spiritual renewal and personal conversion.
 
  • “Ordinary” Catholics recognize and appreciate that church leaders themselves are nurturing their own spirituality and are modeling a commitment to the study of Sacred Scripture, prayer, and an ever-deepening bond with Jesus Christ.
  
   

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Archdiocesan Objective Three: Share

The Archdiocese will lead, encourage, and support parish programs that reach out to share the Good News of Jesus with everyone, especially the inactive Catholics, the marginalized, and the unchurched.

Strategies

  • Offer Vicariate and deanery parish training workshops on how to articulate and share faith.
  • Help parishes to implement the initiatives of Dwell in My Love (Cardinal George’s pastoral letter on racism) and Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity (U.S. Catholic Bishops).
  • Offer ideas, training, and formation as to how to implement hospitality and welcoming ministries in the parish.
  • Offer ecumenical prayer services, social events, and joint work projects.
  • Develop networking among parishes to share ideas and to mentor others about social events and home visitations.
  • Assist parishes in targeting and inviting Christmas/ Easter Catholics to renew the practice of their faith by participation in their local parishes.
  • Offer hospitality events like the Vicariate Meetings to foster collaboration among parishes and their staffs.
  • Assist parishes to sponsor an outreach to inactive Catholics in the local community.
  • Promote the racial justice and ethnic sensitivity workshops sponsored by the Office for Racial Justice.
  • Assist parishes to invite dialogue with unchurched individuals and families.
  • Offer multicultural prayer services, liturgical celebrations, and social events.
  • Offer catechesis to update the faith understanding of inactive Catholics.
  • Assist parishes in their outreach to Catholics in times of birth, separation, illness, divorce, re-marriage, death, and other such life transitions.
  • Use Archdiocesan communication media to invite the unchurched to learn about the Catholic Faith.


Visible Signs

  • The Archdiocese reviews, promotes, and supports programs that invite inactive Catholics to return to active participation in the Church.
  
  • Hospitality permeates the Pastoral Center and its satellite offices. Upon entering any Archdiocesan environment, the stranger feels welcome.
  
  • The Archdiocese encourages all parishes to become places of welcoming and hospitality through their witness of service.
  
   

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Archdiocesan Objective Four: Transform

The Archdiocese of Chicago will lead, support, and participate in multifaceted efforts to transform local and national society through its own vigorous commitment to live out the Gospel.

Strategies

  • Orient all activities of its Family Ministries Office to assist parishes in serving family faith and life.
  • Encourage the use of only such contemporary media and entertainment that witness to Gospel of Life values.
  • Develop outreach ministries to the needy of the local community and encourage parish participation.
  • Encourage all Catholics to represent the Catholic perspective on modern issues within the boardrooms, press confabs, political arenas and workplaces to which they have access.
  • Lead and encourage parish participation in sharing parishes.
  • Partner with programs and organizations, both faith-based and secular, to actively support human rights and social justice.
  • Clarify and promote the Church’s social teachings and provide direction for parishes and Catholics regarding their implementation. (Resource: Guidelines for Catholic Political Activity, U.S. Catholic Bishops)
  • Encourage parishes to value the arts and assist them to discern the evangelizing potential of the arts.

Visible Signs

  • The Archdiocese plays a leadership role in supporting efforts to eradicate racism, economic inequality, and injustice on multiple fronts: internally, locally, and globally.
  
  • The Archdiocese guides and supports parishes as they collaborate in addressing community issues that call for charity, justice, and peace.
  
  • The Archdiocesan workforce reflects the racial and ethnic diversity of the Archdiocese.
  
   


Reflection Questions

  • Of what importance is the Archdiocesan Mandate? How does the Archdiocesan Mandate support the Personal and Parish Mandates?

  • What resources should the Archdiocese provide to sustain evangelization?

  • What visible signs appeal to you most? Why?

 


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