In 1977, the Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle (the Paulist Fathers

Paulist Fathers

The Missionary Society of Saint Paul the Apostle, better known as the Paulist Fathers, is a Roman Catholic religious society for men founded in New York City in 1858 by Servant of God Fr. Isaac Thomas Hecker in collaboration with Fr. George Deshon, Fr. Augustine Hewit, and Fr. Francis A. Baker....

) established the Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association (PNCEA). Its mission then and now is to equip Catholics to evangelize, that is, to witness to and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ

Gospel

A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...

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PNCEA carries out its mission by:

• Raising awareness and educating clergy, religious and laity for the evangelizing mission of the Church.
• Producing contemporary publications and programs for sharing the Gospel.
• Offering training programs and resources to equip Catholics for effective evangelization.
• Providing evangelization consulting services to dioceses and parishes.

Founder

Fr. Alvin A. Illig, CSP, established the Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association as an apostolate arm of the Paulist Fathers

Paulist Fathers

The Missionary Society of Saint Paul the Apostle, better known as the Paulist Fathers, is a Roman Catholic religious society for men founded in New York City in 1858 by Servant of God Fr. Isaac Thomas Hecker in collaboration with Fr. George Deshon, Fr. Augustine Hewit, and Fr. Francis A. Baker....

. Fr. Illig served as the director from 1977 to 1991 as well as the first Executive Director of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Evangelization from 1977 to 1982. In 1983 Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II

Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...

awarded Fr. Alvin Illig with the Pro Ecclesia et Pontiface medal for his excellent service to the Bishops’ Committee on Evangelization. During his time at PNCEA, Fr. Illig focused on evangelization to inactive Catholics and the unchurched Americans. At the funeral of Fr. Illig in 1991, Roger Cardinal Mahoney stated: “Father Alvin Illig is surely this country’s modern apostle of evangelization. No one has done more than him to revitalize a spirit of evangelization among Catholics in these United States."

Awakening Faith

Awakening Faith equips a parish to help inactive Catholics reconnect with the Catholic Church. It consists of six weekly sessions of conversations around the topics of spirituality, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, God's Mercy, the Mass, and the Church. The sessions include reflection, discussion, and prayer in a setting of hospitality and confidentiality.

Best Practices for Parishes

BPP is a ready-to-use tool to assess the quality of seven dimensions of parish life using best practices statements from church documents, pastoral experiences, and ministry experts. The assessment results become the basis for action planning. The seven workbooks are Prayer and Worship, Catechesis, Evangelization, Justice and Charity, Stewardship, Family/Pastoral Care, and Community Building.

Catholic Faith Inventory

CFI is an online survey instrument to assist individuals in understanding their experience of the Catholic faith. CFI is a questionnaire in which participants respond to a little more than 100 questions. Each of the questions in the Inventory pertains to a certain aspect of the Catholic Faith. Answers to these questions will produce a "picture" of their faith.

Disciples in Mission

Disciples in Mission is a three-year process that integrates Sunday liturgies, small faith-sharing groups, catechesis, family activities, teen groups, planning, and follow –up activities into a coordinated parish wide experience of Evangelization. Since 1996 over 4,500,000 Catholics in over 3,600 parishes across the United States have benefited from Disciples in Mission.

ENVISON

ENVISION is a comprehensive, results-driven parish planning process that fully engages parishioners in developing and implementing a faith-based vision for their parish.

Paulist Evangelization Training Institute

PETI is learning program that uses an online classroom where students view narrated presentations by the instructor, answer weekly discussion questions, and engage in insightful conversations with fellow classmates. PETI offers several different topics including: The Evangelizing Catholic, Go and Make Disciples, Outreach to Inactive Catholics, Forming Teen Disciples, Faithful Celebration of Mass, Good News and Religious Pluralism, Faithful Citizenship, From Maintenance to Mission, and Spiritual Grandparenting. Courses range in length from 4 to 12 weeks.

Evangelization Exchange

E-Exchange is a free electronic newsletter that is published 10 times per year. The newsletter provides evengelization leaders information on new opportunities and resources as well as emerging trends.

Prison ministries

PNCEA Prison Ministries provides chaplains and volunteers ministering in correctional facilities with Bibles, newsletters (Let's Talk! and ¡Hablemos!), prayer cards, and other Catholic religious materials. Our material is available at no cost in both English and Spanish. PNCEA Prison Ministries is entirely supported by donors who share concern for the spiritual needs of prisoners.

Further reading

• The Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association Information. PNCEA Archives, 3031 Fourth Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017
• Proclaims, Invites, Trains, & Equips. PNCEA Archives, 3031 Fourth Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017
• Hecker Award: The Joseph and Katherina Illig Family. Rev. Kenneth Boyack, CSP. 19 Jun 2008, Washington, DC.

External links

• Tenth Anniversary of “Go and Make Disciples.”Bishop William Houk. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: Committee on Evangelization. 13 Sept. 2002 Oakland, CA Document
• National Catholic Evangelization – Programs. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: Committee on Evangelization. Washington, DC. Site
• National Catholic Evangelization & Reconciliation Organizations. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: Committee on Evangelization. Washington, DC. Site
• About PNCEA. Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association. Washington, DC. site
• EVANGELII NUNTIANDI. Pope Paul VI. 8 Dec. 1975 Document
• What We Do: Evangelization. Paulist Fathers. Washington, DC. site