New campaign launched to evangelize the Catholic faith

London, England, Sep 5, 2006 / 22:00 pm

Catholics must not be afraid to speak out about their faith, says a new national campaign that will be launched across England and Wales this month.

“All of us are being challenged to reflect and think again about the witness that we give to Christ on a daily basis,” said Bishop Malcolm McMahon of Nottingham, who is spearheading the campaign.

“Do not be afraid to spiritually 'die to self', so as to celebrate, proclaim and live your faith.”
 
The campaign will be launched officially on Home Mission Sunday, Sept. 17, reported The Universe. It encourages Catholics to daily engage in charitable acts, speak about their faith, pray, and share their time and talents.

“In this way God can do his evangelizing work in and through us,” said Msgr. Keith Barltrop, director of the Catholic Agency to Support Evangelization (CASE).

CASE has sent more than 4,000 resource packs to every parish and religious house in England and Wales. Each pack includes a poster, children’s liturgy materials, an evangelization resources catalogue and an Evangelization Directory, The Universe said.

The directory contains more than 250 entries on the diocese, welcoming people back to the faith, materials for young people, and web links. It is also available online.
 
The campaign has the full backing of the Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, archbishop of Westminster and primate of the Church in England and Wales.

“Jesus Christ was not afraid to proclaim who He was and to share His message in a loving and respectful way with all those that He met, even if it led to suffering, rejection and death,” the cardinal said. “In these times, as a Catholic community, we too must, in our own and very different ways, do the same.