The Sunday mass is a sacred moment where the faithful are called to enter into the mystery of God’s love and worship Him with their whole being. By creating an environment of peace, prayer, and adoration, the parish can help the faithful and visitors to more fully participate in the divine mysteries and experience the beauty and transformative power of the liturgy. This is particularly important in an evangelization context where those being evangelized and invited to the church need this environment to help them encounter Christ.
Pastors and liturgical committees play a key role in fostering such an environment. There are several approaches that can be taken
- Use homilies, faith formation classes, and other platforms to teach about the value of silence, prayer, and meditation.
- Pastors can encourage parishioners to observe silence before Mass, fostering an atmosphere of reverence and preparation for communion with God.
- Consider having the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament before Mass as a way to foster an atmosphere of prayer and meditation. This practice can help prepare parishioners’ hearts and minds for the liturgy and deepen their communion with God.
- Children may pose challenges during the mass if their behavior or crying disrupt the prayerful atmosphere. The answer is not to exclude them, but to educate the faithful about the practice of temporarily removing children from the assembly if they cause disturbance to others.
- A church that is clean, well-maintained, and beautifully adorned can enhance the prayer experience. Pastoral and liturgical councils can ensure that the church environment is conducive to prayer and meditation, making it a place of communion with God.
Pope Francis has eloquently said, “The Church evangelizes and is herself evangelized through the beauty of the liturgy.” (EG 24) And he also said: “The Church is called to be the house of the Father… the Church is not a tollhouse; it is the house of the Father, where there is a place for everyone, with all their problems.” (EG 47). Therefore, it is important that we strive to create an environment that is not only conducive to prayer, meditation, and communion with God but also extends a warm and inclusive welcome to all who enter our churches.
Our goal should be to foster a sense of belonging and acceptance, rather than judgment or criticism, especially in those moments when disruptions may occur. In so doing, we can provide an experience of God to all who enter our churches, both through the liturgy and the love of our community.
Pierre-Alain Giffard, Director of Pastoral Work
Articles on evangelization and parish revitalization:
- Prayer to be baptized in the Holy Spirit
- Jesus is Thirsty for Souls
- Praying And Sharing The Good News With God’s Redemptive Names
- Embracing the Call to Evangelize
- What is Most Pleasing to God? Bringing Souls to Christ
- The Growth of the Church of the Nativity (Fr. Michael White)
- Deliverance Prayer, by Fr. Stephen J. Rossetti (AUDIO – mp3)
- The Growth of Saint Benedict Parish (Fr. James Mallon)
- Five Pillars of the Christian Life
- Encountering Christ: The Path to Transformation
- What does it mean to have a personal relationship with Jesus?
- Unleashing The Evangelization Potential of Your Parish
- The Ultimate Goal of Evangelization
- God’s Longing for Love and our Mission to Make it Known
- A prayer for those whom we wish to encounter Christ
- Memorable Sundays
- Fr. Bedard’s Three-Step Blueprint for Evangelisation
- Guide for The Missionary Transformation of Parishes
- Divine Encounters: A Practical Guide for Small Evangelization Groups
- The Missionary Transformation of Sant’Eustorgio Parish
- Creating Vibrant Faith Communities: Insights from ‘Excellent Catholic Parishes’
- Sharing The Gospel According to People’s Needs And Receptivity
- A Prayer for Inviting Others to Evangelization Meetings and Services
- Welcoming Church Guests and Visitors: Dos and Don’ts
- Various Dimensions of Evangelization
- The True Measure of Success
- Pope Francis on Evangelization
- Revitalizing the Rural Parish for Mission
- Factors Leading to Christian Conversion
- Evangelizing Through Random Acts of Kindness
- Questions To Start Spiritual Conversations
- Three Feet From Gold
- Spreading the Gospel One Act at a Time
- Gather, Witness and Invite
- Prayer to Receive the Spiritual Gifts of The Holy Spirit
- The Language of Evangelization
- Key Factors for Parish Growth According to Rich Birch
- How to defeat Satan?
- Bringing Love, Hope and Healing Through the Gospel
- Love: Our Fundamental Vocation
- Touched by the Master
- A Man, a Dog, and the Ultimate Love
- The essence of evangelization: Loving God and our neighbours
- Loving Our Enemies and Reconciling with Others
- A Powerful Prayer for Healing: You Are The LORD Who Heals Me
- Living a Life of Love: Mother Teresa’s Legacy
- Living a Life of Love: Lessons from the New Testament
- In The Shadows Of Darkness, A Powerful Force Is At Work
- 19 Pastoral Orientations for Parish Renewal and Growth
- The Missionary Renewal of Catechesis
- Characteristics of missionary parishes
- Powerful healing prayer attributed to St. Padre Pio
- We are called to share our faith with others
- Should we seek to grow the Church?
- Find a Need and Fill It – Revealing God’s Heart in the Community
- 15 Habits to Evangelize on a Daily Basis
- The Church’s Mission
- Three Barriers to Building An Invitational Culture In Your Parish
- The Relational Evangelizer
- Doing Church at Home
- The Blind Girl
- A Group of Frogs
- The Elephant Rope
- A Shared Faith is a Growing Faith
- In The Shoes Of The Unchurched
- Parish Evangelizing Cells
- Six Unique Features of Missional Parishes
- Steps Towards Becoming A Missional Parish
- What Is Evangelization, And How Should It Be Carried Out?
- Discussion And Self-Assessment Questions For Parish Evangelization
- A Missional Church Is A Church That Prays
- The Jesus Prayer: A Method To Pray At All Times
- What can help children raised Catholic continue practicing the faith as adults?
- An Example of a Missionary Parish: Phoenix First Assembly of God
- Satan’s Tactics
- Learning to Be a Missionary
- When we cry out to God, he answers
- Presence and Proclamation
- Saving those who are lost
- Saint-Nazaire Parish: The story of a missionary transformation
- Small Groups and Evangelization
- Evangelizing By Inviting People To Receive Jesus As Lord And Saviour
- You Will Receive Power…
- Have You Heard About the Law of Three Hearings and Seven Touches?
- Three Habits of a Fruitful Christian Life
