PROVIDENCE — On March 18 and 19, the Office of Faith Formation of the Diocese of Providence hosted its 55th annual Faith Formation Convocation.
The two-day event, entitled “Filled with Joy” (a reference to Psalm 126:3, “The LORD has done great things for us; we are filled with joy”), focused on the theme of how to evangelize more effectively. While open to all, its main audience were teachers, catechists, clergy, and others who do work with parishes.
Day 1 of the convocation began at 7 p.m. in the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul with an opening prayer led by Ed Trendowski, director of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Providence, who, along with Assistant Director Michelle Donovan, organized the annual event.
Marcel LaJeune and Hector Molina served as the keynote speakers for the Friday night and Saturday sessions respectively.
LaJeune previously served as the associate director of Campus Ministry at Texas A&M University and the director of Campus Ministry at St. Elizabeth’s University Parish. He currently works as an author, public speaker and president and founder of the organization Catholic Missionary Disciples.
He delivered a presentation titled “Our Mission: What is Evangelization?”
His lecture emphasized the infinite dignity of each individual and how each person was created by God for the sake of heaven, noting that all the beauty of nature and man-made structures are “absolutely nothing compared to the beauty of the person sitting closest to you, who was created in the image and likeness of a God, Who loves us with unfailing love, Who holds us in the palm of His Hand, Who has given us meaning and purpose.”
“Evangelization rests mainly in making this reality known to others,” he said.
LaJeune noted how many Catholics have a misunderstanding of what constitutes evangelization, often conflating it with activism, social uplift, or popular institutional programs, which, while constituting part of evangelization, do not take the place of person-to-person relationships by which we lead people to Jesus.
He said that Catholics should keep in mind the core of evangelization, which is summed up with particular clarity in the USCCB document “What is Evangelization?” Go and Make Disciples” as “bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ into every human situation and seeking to convert individuals and societies.”
Adoration and Benediction followed, celebrated by diocesan Vice Chancellor Father Nathan Ricci.
Benediction was accompanied by the Office of Compline, which was chanted by the schola of Our Lady of Providence Seminary, under the direction of Henri St. Louis.
Day 2 began at 8:30 a.m. with Holy Mass led by Msgr. Anthony Mancini, cathedral rector.
Talks for the day, held in McVinney Auditorium, were preceded with a moving performance by the Ascension Music Project, an organization of Catholic musicians who perform praise and worship music.
Molina, a public speaker, podcaster, and former staff apologist for Catholic Answers, served as Saturday’s keynote speaker. He is also the founder and current president of Upper Room Studios, as well as the current CEO of Casting Nets Ministries.
Molina’s first presentation, “Our Motive: Why Do We Evangelize?” began with a sentiment similar to that expressed in LeJeune’s lecture:
“The Church exists to evangelize, to propagate the faith, to make Christ known,” Molina said.
“It is the modus operandi of the Church. It is baked into her DNA … But it’s quite ironic that of the 1.3 billion Catholics around the world, the vast majority of us are still mystified by this.”
He said that people don’t have a proper understanding and grasp of the fundamental nature and mission of the ekklesia, noting that the Church, now more than ever, needs to proclaim the kerygma forcefully and vocally.
Molina said that the lack of willingness to evangelize, or a lack of proper understanding of what it means to evangelize, is born out of the fact that many in the Church have not had an intimate personal encounter with Jesus, noting that “evangelization is born out of discipleship.”
He concluded by stating that evangelization is fundamentally motivated by the desire to share with others the experience of how Christ changed your life, thereby drawing them into a similar experience.
Molina’s second lecture was preceded by an impromptu testimony given by a woman in the audience.
Deborah Giannini, a local realtor and parishioner, spoke of a series of events in her life that she felt brought her closer to God. After being paralyzed for a time, she spoke of how she experienced what she believed to be a miraculous healing brought about by the prayers of a local pastor.
That same pastor, in a chance meeting much later, told her that she would receive great blessings from the Holy Spirit. As her career continued to advance, she attributed her success, like her healing, to the Holy Spirit, which created a strong urge to bring her faith into her professional life.
Over the course of her testimony, Giannini spoke of how Molina’s presentation gave her the tools to continue in her mission more effectively.
In an interview after the lecture, Giannini commented on her upbringing and how it prepared her for the future.
“I always had all the ingredients – I was raised Catholic, I went to Catholic school – so it was always in my DNA, but I wasn’t engaged,” Giannini said. “My faith was really strong without me even knowing it.”
“Just pay attention,” she advised. “You actually have everything you need; you just have to put it in order.”
In his second lecture, “Our Message: What is the Good News?” Molina presented the Catechism’s definition of evangelization as “the proclamation of Christ and His Gospel by word and testimony of life in fulfillment of Christ’s command.”
He noted how evangelization includes both presenting the message of Christ and His Church as well as introducing people to the Person of Christ. Molina put forward several points which he sees as defining the Gospel message, an understanding of which helps us to encounter the Person of Christ, including the reality that humans were created for the sake of union with God in heaven and the necessity of repentance.
After lunch and a brief performance by members of the Ascension Music Project, LaJeune delivered his second lecture: “Our Method: How Do We Evangelize?” He emphasized that the most effective means of evangelization are not overly-broad processes or plans, but getting to know individuals and responding to their spiritual needs.
The second day ended with a Q&A Session with LeJeune and Molina, followed by Adoration. The presentations were coupled with a series of Spanish-speaking events led by Dr. Rita Ceballos, professor at the Mother and Teacher Pontifical Catholic University in the Dominican Republic; Dr. María del Pilar Silveira, author and visiting professor of pastoral theology at Boston College; and Magalie Torres-Rowe, CSJ Associate and a professor at the Charismatic Renewal Training School of Boston. On Friday evening and Saturday morning, Dr. Ceballos delivered a two-part lecture reflecting on the ongoing Synod on Synodality taking place in Rome. This was followed by a presentation on the relationship between Christian values, education and the family by Torres-Rowe. The day concluded with a lecture by Dr. del Pilar Silveira on ways in which Catholics could address the sociological and familial impact of the pandemic.
