EVANGELIZATION AND CATECHESIS

“Entire groups of the baptized have lost a living sense of the faith, or even no longer consider themselves members of the Church, and live a life far removed from Christ and His Gospel.  In this case what is needed is a new evangelization or a re-evangelization.”
Mission of the Redeemer, Pope John Paul II, 1990, #33 also General Directory for Catechesis, 1998, #58

“In addition it [evangelization] must always be directed (especially today when conditions causing dechristianization are on the increase) to the many who have been baptized but live completely out of touch with Christian life, be they simple people who have some faith but hardly any knowledge of its fundamentals, or intellectuals…”
Evangelization in the Modern World, Pope Paul VI, 1975, #52

“The new evangelization is directed to the Church herself:  to the baptized who were never effectively evangelized before, to those who have never made a personal commitment to Christ and the Gospel, to those formed by the values of the secularized culture, to those who have lost a sense of faith, and to those who are alienated.”   —National Directory for Catechesis, 2005, p.47

“With renewed courage, the proclamation of the Gospel to those alienated or who live in religious indifference must be planned.”   —General Directory for Catechesis, 1998, #258

“The church of God is to knock at every door, especially that of the average man.”   —Pope John XXIII

“The Church must be in the streets: seek the people, go to homes, visit families, go to the outskirts.” – Pope Francis

“Primary proclamation is addressed to…those living in religious indifference…is part of that ‘Go’ which Jesus imposes on his disciples; it implies, therefore, a going out, a haste, a message.”   —General Directory for Catechesis, 1998, #61

“Over and above the public proclamation of the Gospel which is addressed to all without distinction, the other form of communication—from one individual to another—will always be valid and important.  The Lord himself often followed this method….  We cannot allow the need of bringing the Good  News to multitudes of men make us forget this form of evangelization in which the individual’s conscience is touched by the special words another addresses to him.”
—Lineamenta for the 2012 Synod on New Evangelization, #16, quoting Evangelization in the Modern World, Pope Paul VI, 1975

“The pastor…is to make every effort…to bring the gospel message also to those who have ceased practicing their religion….”   —Canon Law, 1983, #528.1

“The pastor…is to visit families, sharing the cares, worries, and especially the griefs… strengthening them in the Lord, and correcting them prudently if they are wanting in certain areas….  He is to make a special effort to seek out the poor, the afflicted, the lonely, those exiled from their own land, and similarly those weighed down with special difficulties; he is also to labor diligently so that spouses and parents are supported in fulfilling their proper duties, and he is to foster growth in the Christian life within the family.”   —Canon Law, 1983, #529.1

“There are indeed many gravely disadvantaged children who lack adequate religious support in the family, either because they have no true family, or because they do not attend school, or because they are victims of dysfunctional social conditions or other environmental factors.  Many are not even baptized; others do not bring to completion the journey of initiation.  It is the responsibility of the Christian community to address this situation by providing generous, competent and realistic aid, by seeking dialogue with the families, by proposing appropriate forms of education and by providing catechesis which is proportionate to the concrete possibilities and needs of these children.”   —General Directory for Catechesis, 1998, #180

“Today…catechesis must often take the form of the primary proclamation of the Gospel because many who present themselves for catechesis have not yet experienced conversion to Jesus Christ.”   —National Directory for Catechesis, 2005,     p. 57

“The Church’s mission of evangelization is permeated by catechesis.  While catechesis and evangelization cannot be simply identified with one another, ‘there is no separation or opposition between catechesis and evangelization….’  Catechesis is so central to the Church’s mission of evangelization that, if evangelization were to fail to integrate catechesis, initial faith aroused by the original proclamation of the Gospel would not mature….”   —National Directory for Catechesis, 2005, p. 67 quoting Catechesi Tradendae #18.

“Catholic adults…who have been baptized but who have not received a comprehensive catechesis or who no longer practice their faith need to be renewed through…a vibrant re-evangelization.”   —National Directory for Catechesis, 2005, pp. 187-188

“Effective organization of parish catechetical programs for children should also include enthusiastic evangelization and recruitment efforts in order to reach families whose children do not participate in parish catechetical programs….  Warm personal invitations can be employed to  reach out to parents who may be on the margins of the Church and have little or no understanding of their duty to provide their children adequate catechesis or the Church’s ability to assist them.”   —National Directory for Catechesis, 2005, pp. 261-262 

“Catechesis of the marginalized….  The solemn word of Jesus, which acknowledged, as done to him, any good work done to ‘the least of the  brethren’ guarantees the grace needed to work well in difficult environments.  Permanent signs of the strength of catechesis are its capacity to identify different situations, to meet the needs and questions of everyone, to stress the value of generous and patient personal contact, to proceed with trust and realism, sometimes turning to indirect and occasional forms of catechesis.”   —General Directory for Catechesis, 1998, #190