ChristLife, Alpha ‘like dinner and a movie with Jesus’

Metro Detroit — Evangelization starts with a spark, and from there, it turns into a fire.

When Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron announced the Archdiocese of Detroit’s evangelization initiative in May, the goal was to bring a sense of revival, renewal and hope to southeast Michigan.

Since the announcement — and even before — many parish-level groups and initiatives have sprung up across the archdiocese to do just that, focusing on a return to the first thing Jesus established the Church to do: evangelize.

“The role of the evangelist is to provide the greatest opportunity for people to meet Christ, wherever they may be on the spiritual journey,” said Fr. Eduardo Montemayor, SOLT, associate director of evangelization and Hispanic ministry for the archdiocese. “They don’t realize they’re being evangelized. Sainthood is expensive, you have to make choice, and live with those choices. It’s all about telling people the greatest thing that could happen to them.”

The biggest success stories so far have come from the parish level, with initiatives such as ChristLife and Alpha, which focus on grassroots evangelization by talking to neighbors about the role Jesus plays in people’s lives. Another evangelization-themed series, “Come, Encounter Christ!,” focuses on preaching, Eucharistic adoration and lively music as inspiration for evangelization.

Nick Jorgenson, the archdiocese’s northwest regional coordinator for evangelization, said ChristLife has led to many conversions, but it’s too early to measure numbers.

“We have more than 20 ChristLife groups in the northwest region,” Jorgenson said. “National Shrine of the Little Flower did a ChristLife this fall, and they held them in so many places, it’s hard to get a handle on numbers.”

Evangelization isn’t meant to be measured by statistics, according to Jorgenson, but by the personal relationships centered on Christ. While most organization can produce stats and projections for growth, evangelization is a process that’s difficult to break down into empirical data.

“Sometimes, people don’t even know they’re being converted,” Jorgenson said. “Whatever opens the heart to the spirit of the Lord, it’s hard to measure. There’ve been conversations, it does happen. But whether it is a program, the atmosphere or assistance from a friend, it’s about that person finding Jesus.”

ChristLife is a seven-week course, in which participants watch a video and discuss the featured topic with others who want to talk about their relationship with Jesus Christ.

“Mostly, we come here to enrich our lives and see how Christ wants you to change and live according to his word,” said John Medel, who attends ChristLife at Ste. Anne de Detroit Parish. “This is the second ChristLife series I’ve attended. I wanted to delve deeper into my faith. I’ve had guilt about not knowing the Bible enough, and I just wanted to enrich myself with my faith.”

Another evangelization “fire” that has spread quickly in recent years is the now-national Alpha for Catholics. Geared toward Catholics who want to take their faith from “the pews to the public,” Alpha participants are encouraged to share their faith with people who may not be a part of a particular faith group.

“Alpha is about leading someone to an encounter with Jesus,” said Fr. John Riccardo, pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Plymouth. “It’s like dinner and a movie with Jesus. There’s always a meal, a time together at a table with a group. It’s designed for those who know about Him, but haven’t encountered Him. It has a very low-pressure structure to it.”

Fr. Riccardo said Alpha takes place at churches, bars, restaurants and anywhere people can gather. The conversations revolve around several big issues regarding faith and life, but Fr. Riccardo said it’s what people are searching for in their lives.

“Since you’re talking about substantive issues, you at first see people talking with their arms folded, and it can be forced,” Fr. Riccardo said. “By Week 4, or sooner, incredible things begin to happen. There’s a willingness to be vulnerable. In a time like this, in a country like this, we have so much stuff, but we’re not satisfied.

“We have people looking — they don’t even know what they’re looking for — but they want something that is real, something that’s attainable, and that’s what Alpha offers.”

While numbers aren’t ultimately what matters, Alpha has produced tremendous turnout — with 900 guests reported at Holy Family Parish in Novi and 3,000 people being involved at Our Lady of Good Counsel. Recently, the Archdiocese of Detroit became the first diocese in the United States to offer Alpha for its chancery employees.

Alpha encourages Catholics to reach out to people who don’t attend Mass and invite them to a conversation about life and faith. At the end of Our Lady of Good Counsel’s program, a special Mass is held for people who aren’t practicing Catholics, inviting them to see what it’s like to be a member of God’s Church.

“We’ve done two welcome Masses, where we invite folks who don’t go to church to come,” Fr. Riccardo said. “We had almost 500 come, and not all, but a significant number have come back to the church. Hands down, Alpha is the most effect tool I’ve seen for evangelization.”

According to Deacon Steve Mitchell of St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Lake Orion, national director for Alpha for Catholics, the key to evangelization is “radical hospitality.”

“I think the approach really resonates with people, the way it’s put together,” Deacon Mitchell said. “It resonates with people outside the Church; it first invites them into a relationship with Jesus. It doesn’t start with doctrine or the issues most people wrestle with; it all starts with Jesus Christ.

“There is no judgment; we just love them where they are at on their journey with them. It’s the non-combative, non-judgmental approach.”

Evangelization can be difficult, terrifying work, said Fr. Riccardo said, but it’s necessary to the mission of the Church. In order to ease fears Catholics might have about openly expressing their faith, Fr. Ricardo advises simply talking on a personal level.

“Evangelization is only terrifying when you talk about a topic; it’s not terrifying when you talk about a person,” Fr. Riccardo said. “If I tell you about my experience, and how Jesus has changed my life, it becomes so simple. When someone encounters Jesus, they can’t not talk about knowing Jesus. It will come natural.

“Knowing Jesus is the best gift anyone can receive, and making him known by our deed sand words is our greatest joy.”

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Evangelization programs

Visit www.aod.org/being-catholic/evangelization for more information about evangelization initiatives in the Archdiocese of Detroit.