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Sending Forth on Mission
Confirmation Class
Overview
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Empowered for Evangelization
What the Church Teaches
Opening Ritual
Bold Witness for Christ
Filled with the Holy Spirit
Evangelization
Three Goals of Evangelization
Mass
Dismissal Prayers
Living at Witnesses for Christ
How the Church Lives the Faith
Living the Faith
Empowered for Evangelization
 The Jews longed for centuries for one who was anointed
by God whose mission was to save his people
• Jesus recognized himself as that “Anointed One”
 Christians recognized they had to continue the mission
and ministry of Jesus
 Pope Paul VI which reminded us that the Church exists
in order to evangelize
 Once Confirmed and “sealed” with the gift of the Holy
Spirit, you will continue the mission and ministry of
Jesus
The Church Teaches …
The Good News of Jesus Christ must
be carried forth to every person and
every nation so that it may penetrate
the heart of every person and renew
the human race
Ref: National Directory for Catechesis 17A, page 46
Opening Ritual
 Turn to page 108 for the Opening Ritual
 Need four volunteers (readers) in the Opening Ritual
• Apostles 1:6-8
• Apostles 2:38-41
• Apostles 3:2-10
• Apostles 5:27-32
 Show reverence during the ceremony and during the
Sending Forth on Mission ritual
 Once finished with the Opening Ritual have a seat
Opening Ritual
What was your experience as you
listened to the public witness during
the opening ritual?
From your experience, what is the
most effective way that a person
can publicly witness to their
faith in Jesus?
Bold Witness for Christ
 In Luke it attests the disciples encountered the Risen
Lord and to the amazing effect those encounters had
on the disciples after they received the gift of the Holy
Spirit on Pentecost
• These same disciples ran away from Jesus in fear during
his final hours were suddenly filled with courage
• In the Acts of the Apostles, the apostles performed
miraculous cures and casting out demons, just as Jesus
went about “doing good and healing those oppressed by
the devil, for God was with him”
(Acts 10:38)
Filled with the Holy Spirit
 After curing a crippled man, Saint Peter and Saint John
were arrested and brought before the Jewish leaders in
the Sanhedrin
 They were eventually released and returned to their
people
• The people in their communities rejoiced and joined them
in prayer
• As the people prayed, the place where they were
gathered shook, and they were all filled with the holy
Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with
boldness (Acts 4:29-31)
Define what it means to be “Bold”
How were the disciples bold?
What is evangelization?
Evangelization
Faith Vocabulary
The central work of the Church for which she exists;
the Church’s work of sharing the Gospel with all
people so that it may enter the hearts of all people
and renew the face of the earth
Our Mission as Evangelizers
 Giving public witness to Jesus Christ and the Gospel is
the heart of the work of all the baptized
 The heart of our vocation as Christians lies in our
mission to announce the gift of Salvation and to bring
the Gospel of Jesus to the entire world (evangelization)
• Evangelization is the Church’s work of sharing the
Gospel with all people “so that it may enter the hearts
of all people and renew the face of the earth”
Journey of Conversion Exercise
 Break into groups of three
 Read the story of Saul’s conversion found in Acts of the
Apostles 9:1-28
 Answer the questions on your handout
“New Evangelization”
 Evangelization is not a task reserved for a select few
within the Church, such as missionaries
• Evangelization is the task Jesus has given to each of us
 Pope John Paul II described a “new evangelization” as
a commitment to spread the Gospel that would be new
in the fervor with which it is pursued
Go and Make Disciples
 In 1992 the US Catholic bishops wrote an important
national plan and strategy for evangelization
• Go and Make Disciples, helps Catholics get a better
sense of the meaning of evangelization and how they
can make it real in their own lives
Three Goals of Catholic Evangelization
Goal #1: “To bring about in all Catholics such an
enthusiasm for their faith that, in living their faith in
Jesus, they freely share it with others”
Describe a practical way you can live out this goal.
Three Goals of Catholic Evangelization
Goal #2: “To invite all people in the United States,
whatever their social or cultural background, to hear the
message of salvation in Jesus Christ so they may come
to join us in the fullness of the Catholic faith: Our
bishops encourage us to invite, not to force our ideas on,
others who are unwilling to hear them
Three Goals of Catholic Evangelization
Goal #3: “To foster gospel values in our society,
promoting the dignity of the human person, the
importance of the family, and the common good of our
society, so that our nation may continue to be
transformed by the saving power of Jesus Christ.” We
must work to change our society to become more as
Jesus would have it be
Describe a practical way you can live out this goal.
What is the definition of “Mass?”
Mass
Faith Vocabulary
A word meaning “sent forth;” the main sacramental
celebration of the Church at which we gather to listen
to the Word of God and celebrate the Eucharist; the
name given to the Eucharistic celebration coming
from the Latin words of one of the closing dismissals,
“Ite, missa est” (Go it has ended)
History of “Ite, Missa Est”
 Early in Church history, the weekly gathering of
Christians on Sunday was called “The Lord’s Supper”
or “the breaking of the bread” or the “Eucharist”
 The name “Mass” came to be used centuries later after
the language of worship shifted from Hebrew and
Greek to Latin
History of “Ite, Missa Est”
 The Church’s liturgical use of Ite, missa est (Go, it is
ended) can be traced back almost to the fifth century
• It was a phrase of telling the people they could leave
• Over time, the notion that the assembly is “sent forth”
became a highly symbolic and significant element of the
liturgical celebration
Dismissal Prayers
 Today there are three forms of dismissals used at Mass
• “The Mass is ended, go in peace”
• “Go in the peace of Christ”
• “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord”
Living as Witnesses for Christ
 When you are confirmed, the final words of the liturgy
will be words of dismissal – a formal sending forth
• You are sent forth to take part in the Church’s mission of
evangelization
Living as Witnesses for Christ
 During the rite of Confirmation the bishop will extend
his hands over the newly confirmed and the entire
assembly and pray one of two blessings
 One of the prayers:
• “God our Father, complete the work you have begun and
keep the gifts of the Holy Spirit active in the hearts of your
people. Make them ready to live the Gospel and eager to
do his sill. May they never be ashamed to proclaim to all
the world Christ crucified living and reigning for ever and
ever”
The Church Lives the Faith
 The Paulist National Catholic Evangelization
Association (PNCEA) was established in 1977
• PNCEA inspires and helps Catholics to bring the light of
Christ to their families, workplaces, and neighborhoods
• They provide user-friendly resources to Catholic
dioceses, parishes, and individuals
PNCEA Resources
 Disciples in Mission – 3-year, parish-wide experience of
evangelization
 ENVISION – Christ-centered pastoral planning process that
engages all parishioners in developing and implementing a
faith-bases vision for their parish
 I am E3 – A parish resource that stimulate one-on-one faith
sharing through the use of conversation-staring faith stories
 Invite – Equips member of Catholic parishes to reach out
and invite people who have no Church family to consider
joining the Catholic faith
PNCEA Resources
 Catholics Reaching Out – Equips members of Catholic
parishes to reach out and invite inactive Catholics to return
to the active practice of the faith
 The Reconciling Community – Helps Catholics invite inactive
Catholics to consider returning to the Sacrament of Penance
 Parish Mission – Brings a mission team of a priest and a
religious or laywoman to parishes for a weeklong experience
in evangelizing spirituality
 Prison Ministries – Helps prison chaplains and volunteers
provide inmates with solid Catholic teaching through the use
of newsletters, Bibles, adult faith education books, and
prayer cards
For More PNCEA Information
 Visit PNCEA online at www.pncea.org
 PNCEA will send you a free catalog of their resources
Living the Faith
 Goal 1: To live and share our faith enthusiastically
with others by word and witness
• Name a quality of a person of enthusiasm.
• How can you grow in making that quality part of who
you are?
Living the Faith
 Goal 2: To invite others to know Jesus Christ
• Name a quality of a person of Christian hospitality
• How can you grow in making that quality part of who you
are?
Living the Faith
 Goal 3: To help transform the world in Christ
• Review the “Basic Principles of Catholic Social Teaching”
on page 116 of your Faith First book such as …
• All human life is sacred
• The human person is principle, the object, and the
subject of every social group
• How can you make the principles of Catholic Social
Teaching part of your everyday life?
Summary
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Empowered for Evangelization
What the Church Teaches
Opening Ritual
Bold Witness for Christ
Filled with the Holy Spirit
Evangelization
Three Goals of Evangelization
Mass
Dismissal Prayers
Living at Witnesses for Christ
How the Church Lives the Faith
Living the Faith