Office of Evangelization

The Office of Evangelization for the Diocese of New Ulm assists the bishop in the implementation of all diocesan initiatives focused on evangelization, missionary discipleship, and Eucharistic Revival, helping to establish a shared understanding of authentic Catholic evangelization, equipping individuals and area faith communities to live as a disciple and be sent out as missionary disciples.

In a 2016 Lenten message, Pope Francis shared, “Christianity is a ‘true love story… [that] culminates in the incarnation of God’s Son… As the Son of God, [Christ] is the Bridegroom who does everything to win over the love of his bride, to whom he is bound by an unconditional love that becomes visible in the eternal wedding feast. This is the very heart of the apostolic kerygma… that first proclamation [of the Gospel] which we must announce one way or another throughout the process of catechesis, at every level and moment.” (Lenten Message, 2016).

“God wants to marry us.” The Gospel in five words and this should take our breathe away!

What is the problem? This is not landing with people. Catholics. Non-Catholics. Atheists. It’s not landing and it will not land unless marriage and its meaning first land. It’s not landing because we have allowed the anti-word to bore us with a false gospel that keeps us busy, isolated, distracted, tired, and questioning our own identity and belief in the truth that God is madly in love with me. It’s not landing because we’ve grown tired and frustrated with a story being proclaimed that is full of dos and don’ts and full of words like “love, freedom and marriage” that have been claimed by Satan and redefined. And many are buying into it. Others are done with being uninspired and want nothing to do with anything or anyone. This is the work of the anti-word. To destroy and disconnect meaning from words. To destroy and disconnect man from woman. Body from soul. Head from heart. Everything becomes EXCARNATED in the plans of Satan, rupturing the meaning from the body. Of course, this lie is a direct attack on the INCARNATION, God becoming flesh, and it’s no wonder why so few believe Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.

The Good News? The Good News is that this Good News of God becoming flesh is not just ordinary news. St. Paul tells us in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith…” The Greek word for power that is used here is translated into the word “Dynamite.” In other words, it’s explosive news! It penetrates the believer who knows they are part of a drama, who knows their life is not merely a one pager that is never finished or looked at again. It penetrates the believer’s innermost parts of their hearts, those who open themselves and let this news, this person Jesus Christ, change everything!

When one lets this happen, they become holy and fertile soil for the living seed of God to grow and ripen. “Mary’s maternity means that she willingly places her own substance, body and soul, into the seed so that new life can grow… Mary makes herself entirely available as soil; she lets herself be used [brauchen] and used up, in order to be transformed into the One who needs [braucht] us in order to become the fruit of the earth… What we need, then, is to abandon this one-sided, Western-activist outlook, lest we degrade the Church to a product of our own creation and design. The Church is not a manufactured item; she is, rather, the living seed of God that must be allowed to grow and ripen. This is why the Church needs the Marian mystery… There can be fruitfulness in the Church only when she has this character, when she becomes holy soil for the Word… We must once more become waiting, inwardly recollected people who in the depth of prayer, longing, and faith give the Word room to grow.” (Mary: The Church at the Source, Cardinal Ratzinger, pgs. 15-17)

May our prayer and disposition as a disciple always follow the example of Samuel, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10)

Message from Leonard:

The Great Commission is a call for all to hear and respond to. To hear more of my story and share how I can accompany you on your journey of living as a disciple and missionary disciple, please contact our office at lgutierrez@dnu.org or (507) 233-5361. Would love to meet, pray, and have meaningful conversation over a meal, coffee, or something fun!

Please check out our page periodically in the coming months for links, resources, and inspiration!

Links:

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Living the Method Modeled by the Master - Key scripture

Missionary Discipleship Resources

In St. Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Exhortation, Pastores Dabo Vobis (I Shall Give You Shepherds), the saint lays out a basic structure of pillars for the formation of priests: human formation, spiritual formation, intellectual formation, and pastoral formation. Many seminaries have adapted this and some of the most faithful and fruitful missionary apostolates used this structure for the ongoing formation of their missionaries, substituting the pastoral formation to be called apostolic formation. It is a necessary endeavor that as we pursue Christ and mirror all that he is to balance how we are continually renewing our minds and hearts, calling to mind those areas in which we need a deepening of personal relationship with our Lord, an honest look at our stories and relatability with others, an understanding of our Catholic faith, and a commitment to advance the Gospel while understanding the mission, the signs of the times, and the importance of putting our learning to action by going out!

Contact the Office of Evangelization:

Leonard Gutierrez
Director
lgutierrez@dnu.org
(507) 233-5361