Parish leaders embrace new evangelization strategies at first-ever convocation

It’s not a call to work harder, but to work differently. On Tuesday, parish leaders throughout the archdiocese gathered at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Northglenn for the first-ever Convocation for Parish Leaders. This was the largest gathering of parish leaders since the Covid-19 pandemic. The goal of the convocation? To learn how to build and equip missionary disciples. The Office of Evangelization and Family Ministry of the Archdiocese hosted the event and invited André Regnier and Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO) to present its mission to lay and clergy leaders. Based in Canada, CCO is a university student movement dedicated to evangelization and challenging young adults to live in the fullness of the Catholic faith. Every seat was taken by parish leaders from across the archdiocese. The room was filled with inspiration, learning and a collaborative spirit, aiming to strengthen leadership within parishes and enhance community engagement. Andrew McGown, Executive Director of Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Denver, hopes the event will breed hope in parish leaders to see how their ministries can bear more fruit. “I hope that our parish leaders take away excitement and desire to explore the concept of intentional accompaniment more seriously in their context. We are so excited by the fruit we've seen as we've piloted this way of doing ministry,” he said. CCO's strategy for evangelization in the new apostolic age is based on three pillars: proclaim, equip and commission. CCO’s primary method of evangelizing builds upon these pillars and equips missionaries to walk alongside individuals and make relevant connections between their lives and the Gospel. To describe this, they’ve coined the term "intentional accompaniment." Bishop Andrew Cozzens proposed a similar challenge to the pilgrims at the National Eucharistic Congress, as they were asked to go home and intentionally choose one person to walk with throughout the rest of the year. Tyler Duffy, Director of Evangelization at St. Thomas More in Centennial, attended the National Eucharistic Congress and said hearing this challenge twice was impactful. “Something that was reinforced was this idea to ‘walk with one,’ which is the idea of choosing one person in your life who you can walk with and help them encounter Christ," Duffy shared. “I think it goes well with what we’ve heard today about intentional accompaniment," he continued. "Especially because it’s possible for everyone. Whether you’re a child, teenager or adult, you can choose one person to walk with. So, I think it all ties together what we’ve been hearing during this Mission Year.” Beth Spizarny, the Director of Ministry Operations for the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan, who spoke at the convocation, highlighted the crucial role of the Holy Spirit in evangelization, reminding attendees, “The Holy Spirit is the principal agent of evangelization.” This perspective underscores the importance of cultivating a deep relationship with the Holy Spirit, fostering an openness to his guidance and allowing his power to animate the Church's mission. By acknowledging the Holy Spirit’s central role, Spizarny called on parish leaders to rely on the Spirit’s wisdom and strength in their evangelistic efforts. The convocation concluded with a reflective closing session focused on the archdiocesan mission anchors, given by Dr. Scott Elmer, the Archdiocese's Chief Mission Officer. This session offered attendees a thoughtful look at the key components that support and drive the archdiocesan mission, providing valuable insights for future endeavors. McGown said the purpose of ending the event with this session was to promote transparent communication between the Archdiocese and parish leaders. “Our parish leaders deserve an opportunity at least yearly to network with one another, receive a meaningful update on the heart of the archbishop and his pastoral priorities and to receive equipping for the work of their ministry,” McGown said. The event and the ongoing equipping offered parish leaders through the efforts of the archdiocesan evangelization team would not be possible without the faithful's generous support of the Archbishop's Catholic Appeal, McGown said. “Without the support of the faithful through the Archbishop's Catholic Appeal, none of this would be possible. The appeal makes an enormous difference in the archdiocese's work and our efforts to spread the Gospel and equip the faithful to share the faith. Thank you for partnering with us in this mission!”, he concluded. +++ To help support the efforts of the Office of Evangelization and Family Life Ministries along with more than 40 ministries across northern Colorado, consider making a donation to the Archbishop's Catholic Appeal here.