December 16, 2011
Report to the Diocese
Works of mercy emerge from four years of ‘Why Catholic?’
By SISTER HONORA NOLTY, O.P., RENEW International
Why Catholic? Journey Through the Catechism began in 2007 as a way for Catholics to deepen their understanding and appreciation of their Catholic faith. This deepening occurred through a series of small group gatherings using resource materials based on the four pillars of belief of the Church: the Creed, Sacraments, Christian morality, and prayer. Since that time, more than 5,000 parishioners in the Diocese of Evansville immersed themselves in the faith-sharing experience with additional parishioners attending the retreat and faith enrichment events held throughout the diocese.
What resulted was more than simply stronger faith lived on a personal basis but an expansion and multiplication of faith lived out in the small groups, in parishes and institutions, and across the community at large. Good news stories abound from the years of Why Catholic? — spurred on by the spiritual themes and the “Living the Good News” suggestions presented in the books themselves. Additional encouragement came from the inspired ideas of the participants, motivated by the bonds of community and the rich prayer experience.
Adult Catholics may have memorized the list of spiritual and corporal works of mercy as preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation. Why Catholic? participants truly lived out the call to put these works into action, in ways small and large.
Feeding the hungry
One notable initiative emerged out of St. Joseph and Holy Family parishes in Jasper. Tapping into a real need felt in the broader community, several of the Why Catholic? small communities in both parishes proposed offering meals to those struggling to put food on their own tables. Soon, other Why Catholic? communities heard about the idea and came on board. Eventually, all parishes in the deanery joined the effort as did other Christian churches in the area. This motivated group organized the community meal initiative which grew to a program serving over 1,000 meals three days a week through the generosity of donations and the help of many volunteers.
Mike Hagerdon, coordinator of high school faith formation at St. Joseph’s and President of the Dubois County Community Meal remarked, “It was evident to me that the Holy Spirit was very active in the Why Catholic? small groups, inspiring them to play such an important role in establishing the foundations of this vital program. We are grateful for the blessings that have flowed to both those being served and those serving.”
Visiting the imprisoned
The late Benedictine Sister Geraldine Hedinger coordinated Why Catholic? in the diocese. As the head of the Office of Adult Faith Formation, no person was outside of her view, including the imprisoned population at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility, a maximum security facility. Sister Geraldine, a dedicated group of volunteers, and the prison’s Catholic chaplain, Father Robert Nemergut, teamed up to offer Why Catholic? to interested inmates, as well as prison staff. A volunteer and an inmate worked together to lead each of the three groups. Zoe Cannon, a parishioner from Sacred Heart Church in Vincennes, volunteered her time to coordinate this effort. She commented at the time, “Bring-ing the word of God to those who are incarcerated is very rewarding. This is a privilege because we know from Christ’s teachings, that one’s actions are significant to one’s salvation. Yes, these men are in prison, but offering these teachings to them is a satisfying venture.”
The effort made a great impression on the men in the prison. One inmate affirmed the positive personal impact, “I learned a lot about all the sacraments during this last year of Why Catholic?; I have been able to see and experience unconditional love every week in Zoe and Dick, Father Bob and all the others who show up here every week and really care about us. For me, Reconciliation was the highlight. I went to confession for the first time in ten years; it was an experience I will remember for a long time.”
Counseling the doubtful
Many individual testimonies came from participants who personally experienced a strengthening of their own faith due to the prayer and sharing experienced during the Why Catholic? sessions. Members also had more confidence discussing their religious convictions with family and friends, some of whom entered the RCIA process. Occasionally, simple prayer seemed to be all that was necessary.
Barb Gehlhausen at St Ferdinand’s Parish in St Ferdinand shared an encounter that re-sulted in someone looking to return to the Church. “After a conversation at one of our sessions, our group decided we would stop at noon each day and pray for the return of a former Catholic. Personally, I felt the power of the prayer each day. To our astonishment, one of our members told how a woman she knew, out of the blue, came up to her that week and said that she wanted to get back to church but didn’t know exactly how to go about it and asked if she would help her. We had goose bumps.”
Strong support
The success of Why Catholic? and ¿Por qué ser católico? is a testament to the original vision of retired Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger who brought the process to the diocese, wrote diocesan articles on major themes, and personally visited inmates. Sup-port then stayed strong with current Bishop Charles C. Thompson. Importantly, Sister Geraldine devoted many hours to coordinating Why Catholic? to fulfill her hope and vision of parish teams of trained and empowered lay leaders. As a result of the demand generated from the Why Catholic? groups, she developed a Scripture course for Lay Leaders.
Donna Gish, interim director for the Office of Catechesis and Kay Beard, secretary, continued coordinating the program after Sister Geraldine’s death in February 2010. Gish said Sister Geraldine was always enthusiastic about Why Catholic? and was pleased so many people in the diocese participated.
Ongoing small communities
In speaking recently about the role of small Christian communities in the New Evangeli-zation, Pope Benedict remarked, “There we find people who speak of these small faith experiences at their workplace and within their circle of family and friends, and in so doing bear witness to a new closeness be-tween Church and society. They come to see more and more clearly that everyone stands in need of this nourishment of love, this concrete friendship with others and with the Lord.”
Participants and parish leaders can continue to nurture the blessings of small communities as Why Catholic? concludes. The important spiritual seasons of Advent and Lent provide perfect windows of time for small groups to gather and journey together in faith. Parish committees and ministry groups can become “communities” by setting aside a short time to reflect together on the Gospel for the coming Sunday and sharing its relevance to their group’s mission. RENEW Inter-national, the Catholic organization that worked with the diocese during the process, offers a wide variety of high quality publications for these purposes at www.renewintl.org.