The Church exists to evangelize' Evangelii nuntiandi, 14

1
I sense that the moment has come to commit all
the Churchs energies to a new evangelization and
to the mission ad gentes. No believer in
Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid
this supreme duty to proclaim Christ to all
peoples. Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris
missio, No. 3 (1990)(On the permanent validity
of the Church's missionary mandate)
Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
2
Who Has Been Entrusted To Our Care?
The Whole World!

• Practicing (and Quasi-Practicing) Catholics
• Inactive Catholics
• The Unchurched
• Other Christian Believers
• Non-Christian Believers
• Agnostics, Atheists, New Agers

Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
3
Who must we reach?Target Audiences according
toDegree of Participation in and Relationship
with the Church
Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
4

•  
• Practicing (and Quasi-Practicing) Catholics
• 23 of US Population is Catholic
• An estimated two-thirds of Catholics in the
  United States
• stop practicing their faith
• for a portion of their lives.
• (Center for Applied Research in the
  Apostolate-CARA 2005)
• Some never return

Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
5

•  
• Inactive Catholics
• In the United States,
• the second largest body of Christians is
  comprised of
• Catholics who no longer practice their faith,
• an estimated 17-21 million.
• Many of these are people who are dear to us
• former parishioners, neighbors,
• relatives and friends

Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
6

• The Unchurched
• Population in the U.S.

Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
7
The Catholic Population in the U.S.Churched and
Unchurched

• Catholic population
• 23 of the U.S. population 69,135,254
• Number of Unchurched
• 43 of Americans are unchurched (Gallup Poll,
  September 2005)
• Not members, have not attended church, synagogue,
  mosque in past 6 months
• Number of Inactive Catholics
• Approximately 21,000,000 of the unchurched in
  America are inactive
• Catholics. (18)
• New Adult Catholics 154,501 in 2006 (0.06 of
  population slow growth)
• (The American Religious Identification Survey
  2001 Graduate Center of the City University of
  New York.)

Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
8
The Population in the U.S.

• This analysis is based on responses to the
  question, How often do you attend church or
  synagogue
• at least once a week, almost every week, about
  once a month, seldom, or never?
• Responding to this question in Gallup Poll
  surveys between January 2004-March 2006
• Americans who said they attended church,
  synagogue, mosque
• 31 once a week (Practicing)
• 11 almost every week (Quasi-practicing)
• 13 once a month (Quasi-practicing)
• 27 seldom (Inactive, Unchurched)
• 16 never (Inactive, Unchurched)
• Practicing and Quasi-practicing
• 42 said they attend weekly or almost weekly.
• 55 if you add the once-a-monthers.
• Inactive and Unchurched 43 seldom or never
  attend Church, synagogue, mosque.
• Church Attendance Varies by State Church
  attendance is highest in the South and
• lowest in New England. Attendance varies widely
  by state. Five states with the highest
• weekly/almost weekly church attendance are
  Alabama (58), Louisiana (58), South Carolina
  (58),

Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
9
The Catholic Population in the U.S. Churched and
Unchurched

• Decline in Weekly Mass Attendance
• Declined from 75 in the 1950s to about 34 in
  2005
• (Dr. Mary Gautier of CARA). The 34 percent figure
  is derived from phone surveys of 875
• lay Catholics in 2005 by the Gallup Organization.
  American Catholics from John Paul II
• to Benedict XVI by William V. DAntonio, Dean
  Hoge, James Davidson, and Mary Gautier, The
• National Catholic Reporter, September 30, 2005)
• Increase in Those with No Religion
• An increasing number of adults in the U.S. do not
  identify with any religion.
• 1972 5.1 of the adult population did not
  identify with any religion.
• 1993 9.0
• 2002 13.8
• (Winter 2006 issue of The CARA Report published
  by the Center for Applied Research in
• the Apostolate, Georgetown University)

Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
10
The Catholic Youth Population in the U.S

• The Religious Experience of Catholic Teens
• 10 of Catholic teens say religious faith is
  extremely important in shaping their daily life
• 11 respond that their faith is extremely
  important in shaping their major life decisions.
• 9 of Catholic teens say they feel extremely
  close to God.
• Compared both to official Catholic norms of
  faithfulness and to other types of Christian
• teens in the United States, contemporary U.S.
  Catholic teens are faring rather badly.
• On most measures of religious faith, belief,
  experience, and practice, Catholic teens as
• a whole show up as fairly weak. (National Study
  of Youth and Religion.)
• The study is reported in the Fall 2005 issue of
  The CARA Report published by the Center
• for Applied Research in the Apostolate,
  Georgetown University.

Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
11

• The Unchurched (inside and outside Catholicism)
• more pressing than ever in our postmodern age
  the need is felt for a new evangelization, which
  needs masters of faith andappropriately trained
  heralds and witnesses of the Gospel.
• The Church's evangelizing mission requires, not
  only that the Gospel message be spread
  everywhere, but that it penetrate deeply into
  the way people think, into their criteria for
  making judgments and their behavior.
• In a word, the entire culture of modern man must
  be permeated by the Gospel.
• Pope Benedict XVI,
• Greeting to Students of the Roman Pontifical
  Universities, St. Peter's Square (October, 2007)

Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
12

• Parishes have to recognize their capacities to
  evangelize.
• Welcome, invitation and
• intentional evangelization outreach
• must be hallmarks of all our parishes,
• where there is
• Consistent evangelization of active Catholics.
• Consistent invitation to inactive Catholics.
• Consistent invitation to those without a church.
• Caring invitation to other believers.

Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
13
Who are they?
Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
14
Why Catholics Become Inactive or Leave the
Church? Bishop Michael Saltarelli In the United
States, the second largest body of Christians is
comprised of Catholics who no longer practice
their faith - over 17 million. Some of these are
our relatives and friends people who are very
dear to us.   In January of 2001, Bishop Michael
Saltarelli gave Nine reasons why Catholics leave
the Church (Origins, 2001)     Reason 1 Did not
experience the power or presence of God in
Catholicism.    Reason 2 Did not experience
warm, personal, caring relationships. Services
seemed boring.     Reason 3 Did experience the
complex religious system as unrelated to their
lives.    Reason 4 Were hurt in some way by
Catholics, clergy or laity, and have not been
reconciled.     Reason 5  Are in conflict with
the teaching of the Church onmatters of faith
and morality.    
Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
15
Why Catholics Become Inactive or Leave the
Church?Bishop Michael Saltarelli Nine reasons
why Catholics leave the Church (Origins, 2001)

• Reason 6  Never knew their faith well or were
  ignorant of the
• basics.  Easily misled.
•  
• Reason 7 Away because of a marriage outside the
  Church.  
•  
• Reason 8 Got lazy. Got busy. Did not make the
  time to be involved.  
•  
• Reason 9 Moved and never got around to finding a
  church.
•   Unless we reverse the tide,
• there is likely a large number of Catholics who
  do come to church that could one day fall into
  one or more of these same categories.  
•  
• We who are passionate about the Catholic faith
• need to do something about this.

Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
16
Where do we find them?Quasi-Practicing, Inactive
Catholics
Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
17
Where do we find them? Inactive Catholics,
Unchurched, Other Believers and Non-Believers
Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
18
How are we to serve them?What are we to do when
we encounter them?
Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
19
How are we to serve them? What are we to do when
we encounter them?
Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
20
How are we to do this?
Go and Make Disciples A National Plan and
Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the
United States USCCB
Goal Two To invite all people in the United
States, whatever their social and cultural
background, to hear the message of salvation in
Jesus Christ so they may come to join us in the
fullness of the Catholic faith.
Goal Three To foster gospel values in our
society, promoting the dignity of the human
person, the importance of the family, and the
common good of our society, so that our nation
may continue to be transformed by the saving
power of Jesus Christ.
Goal One To bring about in all Catholics such
an enthusiasm for their faith that, in living
their faith in Jesus, they freely share it with
others.
Goal Two To invite all people in the United
States, whatever their social and cultural
background, to hear the message of salvation in
Jesus Christ so they may come to join us in the
fullness of the Catholic faith.
Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
21
How do we reach them?

• With (ATTITUDE / SPIRITUALITY)
• Respect
• Caring
• Understanding
• Knowledge
• Contagious faith
• Enthusiastic hope
• Undying love for God and neighbor

Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
22
How do we reach them?

• Through (PEOPLE / MINISTERS)
• Everyday Evangelized Evangelizers
• Parish staff
• School staff
• Preachers priests and deacons
• Liturgical ministers
• Religious educators
• Youth ministers
• Parents
• Peers

Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
23
How do we reach them?

• Through
• (CONTENT / FORMATION)
• Convincing kerygmatic proclamation
• Sound catechetical instructional
• Ongoing discipleship

Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
24
How do we reach them?

• Through
• Our Preaching
• Our Teaching
• Our Congregating
• Our Worship
• Our Ministering
• Our Service
• Our Training

Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
25
How do we reach them?

• Via (MEANS / PROGRAMS)
• Christian initiation and sacramental life
• Well-planned liturgical celebrations, especially
  Mass
• Vibrant community life and support systems
• Meaningful prayer and retreat experiences
• Classes, talks, and seminars
• Practical Bible studies

Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
26
How do we reach them?

• Via
• (MEANS / PROGRAMS)
• Mailings
• Phone calls
• Home visits
• Festivals and recreational events
• Parish Missions
• Books, CDs, DVDs
• Internet
• Counseling

Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
27

• Office for Evangelization
• Helping the Archdiocese of San Antonio become an
  increasingly
• evangelized and evangelizing community of faith!
  
• Equipping Catholics to become everyday
  evangelized evangelizers!

Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
28
The Church exists in order to
evangelize. Pope Paul VI, Evangelii nuntiandi,
No. 14 (1975)
Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.
29
Questions for Discussion

• What would I identify as the greatest
  evangelization needs in the Archdiocese?
• What kind of evangelization is most effective in
  my parish at this time?
• What things should we... START, STOP, and KEEP
  doing in order to reach our target audiences in
  the most systematic and effective way?

Prepared by Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Director
for Evangelization, Archdiocese of San Antonio
210-734-1668 / mfernandez-sardina_at_archsa.org /
www.archsa.org/evangelization.