From 1986 until the year 2000, Evangelization 2000 was described as "A Project Promoting a Decade of Evangelization in Anticipation of the Great Jubilee Year." Now that the Jubilee has come and gone with such spectacular fruits, the Holy Father allows no time for resting our oars. With words like these, he challenges us to push further into the deep: "Let us go forward in hope! A new Millennium is opening before the Church like a vast ocean upon which we are obliged to venture" (NMI #58). Only by involving all Christians in the mission of making Christ known can we cast our nets in ways that reach to the very ends of the earth.


What Evangelization 2000 is:

  • A service of PRAYER, PROCLAMATION AND FORMATION;
  • A Response to the call of Pope John Paul II who continues to challenge us
    to a NEW EVANGELIZATION;
  • A concrete way to foster the Church's primary and universal mission of Evangelization (Evangelii Nuntiandi, #14.

What Evangelization 2000 is NOT:

  • An initiative identifiable with any single personality, movement or ideology within the Church;
  • Another new movement;
  • Another Superstructure within the Church;
  • On some parallel course with the Church or in any way outside Church authority on local and regional levels.

The ultimate and overall goal of Evangelization 2000 remains the same:
to serve the Catholic Church by working to
“Incorporate evangelization into the Catholic conscience”

The specific effort of EVANGELIZATION 2000, as the Jubilee Year ushered us into the Third Millennium, is to offer the Church a service of :

• PRAYER
• PROCLAMATION
• FORMATION


P R A Y E R

Because we are in need of divine power for accomplishing our supernatural mission, EVANGELIZATION 2000 remains dedicated to promoting an international Prayer Campaign for world evangelization by:

  • Placing emphasis on the absolute need for prayer in all our efforts of evangelization;
  • Seeking to incorporate into our campaign: contemplative communities, prayer groups, the sick and elderly, parish associations, lay movements and various other groups throughout the Church;
  • Making creative and imaginative use of media, with special emphasis on the potential of the internet in maintaining a persevering commitment and ongoing interest in Intercessory Prayer;
  • Being constantly alert to utilize every preaching and teaching opportunity for instilling an intensified commitment to prayer.

 


P R O C L A M A T I O N

The Gospel must be proclaimed as a message of hope, and as the most relevant and practical response to our modern needs and wants. In attempting to do this, Evangelization 2000 hopes to specifically serve:

  • Priests, Religious and Seminarians, in order to bring about a more faithful and convincing proclamation of Gospel truths;
  • The lay faithful who serve in roles of formation and leadership, in order to improve the spiritual content, technical quality and holistic impact of their presentations and evangelistic efforts.

 


F O R M A T I O N

EVANGELIZATION 2000 is committed to:

  • A world-wide proliferation of Catholic Schools and Centres of Evangelization;
  • The ideals of enculturation respecting and supporting the styles, techniques and distinctive charismas of the various schools;
  • Making such Schools available on a diocesan and parochial level in order to foster the vital Evangelistic ministry of the lay faithful, and empowering them in "imparting the word of truth without deviation" (2 Tim. 2:15);
  • Maintaining an ecumenical character to these efforts on inter-faith, inter-religious, inter-cultural levels;
  • Developing and employing new efforts and techniques in the area of fund raising, to guarantee the extended future of the schools and their outreach.



Monday, December 2, 2002 0:28 AM