Evangelization at St. Francis of Assisi

It’s about an ENCOUNTER! Evangelization is sharing with others a personal encounter with God!

It’s not about a single program or event!

We are beginning with formation of key people in the parish with hopes it will create a ripple effect. Staff PSR Catechists Ministry Leaders Adult Faith Those already in pews Ripple Effect!

Formation Efforts Staff-annual staff day retreat and afternoon of reflection where all parish staff including day school employees can grow spiritually and continue to be exposed to the mission of discipleship PSR Catechists-annual afternoon of reflection to help with spiritual formation Adult Faith-provide activities which continue to support the overall mission and move to more small group formation

Formation Efforts Ministry Leaders-nights of reflection to provide spiritual growth and empower leaders of the parish to share the mission with the organizations they lead Parishioners already in the pews-enhance the Sunday experience and empower them to invite others back to Mass through Christmas and Easter invitations, homily series provided by priests

Take advantage of captive audiences!

Parents of Children Preparing for Sacraments In place of a meeting, at SFA we host Parent Nights of Reflection For First Reconciliation, First Communion & Confirmation.

Baptismal Encounter Baptismal preparation includes catechesis taught by priest or deacon as well as a personal witness by a set of parents who serve as mentors to the parents preparing for Baptism for their children.

RCIA RCIA has changed to include Symbolon as well as small group discussion with each class and includes personal witness as part of each night of teaching.

Start of School Year Parent Opportunities PSR Parent Night of Reflection-night to help cultivate spiritual growth of parents to help empower them to pray with and lead their children to God Home & School Meeting-at first meeting of the year time is set aside for parent witnesses about the joys and struggles of raising children with the Church

Outreach Efforts Dinner with the Pastor for New Parishioners-hosted by seasoned parishioners who prepare and serve the meal and join the new parishioners for dinner Easter and Christmas invitations-all parishioners are encouraged the week before to hand deliver their invitation to at least one person inviting them to Mass Thank you notes to visitors-postcard includes upcoming events, Mass & Confession times and website information Evangelization page-on parish website

Remain connected to the Archdiocese Of St. Louis

Dynamic Catholic We have embraced the Dynamic Catholic 4 year challenge and have united our efforts with surrounding parishes to do some experiences together! Year of Prayer Staff Retreat focus was on forms of prayer Parish-wide Lenten social media challenge to focus on prayer Lectio Divina Parish Day of Reflection (along with neighboring parishes) Easter gift book on prayer

Dynamic Catholic Year of Study Stump the Associates (along with neighboring parishes) Easter gift CD on Confession

Parish Missionary Disciples Our parish team recently completed training and we are excited to begin using the things we’ve learned both in our personal lives and also in our parish.

Things we’ve done well Understanding the overall mission of evangelization and communicating it in all levels of the parish Focusing on doing a few things really well rather than doing a lot of things with less effort Being bold in trying something new in spite of occasional resistance within the parish

Things we could do better Recognize evangelization is more like a marathon than a sprint and be content with slow but steady results Focus more on providing a quality encounter than number of people Provide more small group faith opportunities Trust God more and remember He converts hearts and we just get to be part of the experience