Saints for the New Evangelization:

Living Up to Our N.A.M.E. (New Ardor, Methods, Expression)

Antique stores are filled with furniture and objects

that people have gotten rid of, thinking they were old, worn out, and of no value.

Antique collectors, on the other hand, recognize that they can restore these valuable objects so

that they look as good as new.

In a similar way, many people in our world today have tossed aside the Gospel of Jesus Christ,

thinking that it is old, worn out, and of no value.

The Church recognizes, however, that the Good News of Jesus is more valuable today than ever before. The New

Evangelization is the Church’s call to restore our proclamation of the Gospel so that it is fresh and relevant.

When he served as pope, St. John Paul II said that there are three areas in which the New Evangelization needs to be New:• Ardor (enthusiasm)• Methods• Expression

Throughout the ages, the Church has been blessed with many heroic people who have proclaimed the Gospel with new ardor, methods, and expression. We call these people saints. Let’s look

at nine saints who can inspire us to live up to our N.A.M.E.

New Ardor

We need to proclaim the Gospel with a new enthusiasm and boldness as the apostles did when they were filled with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. These three saints showed the same enthusiasm.

Ardor

Mother Cabrini, as she became known, was known and loved for her cheerfulness and was admired for her tireless energy and enthusiasm, most notably when she was establishing schools, orphanages, and convents. In 1946, she became the first United States citizen to be named a saint.

“I will go anywhere and do anything in order to communicate the love of Jesus to those who do not know him or have forgotten him.”

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850–1917)

Ardor

Mother Teresa served the poorest of the poor in the streets of Calcutta and always did so with joy and tender compassion. St. John Paul II said, “Mother Teresa of Calcutta is a good example of modern missionary enthusiasm.”

“It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.”

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (1910–1997)

By Robert Pérez Palou (http://www.robertperezpalou.com/)[CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Ardor

Isaac Jogues was a Jesuit missionary who traveled to the New World to work with Native Americans. Although he went back home to France after a brutal attack by Mohawk Indians, in which he lost two fingers, Isaac Jogues returned to the New World to work with the Mohawks and was later martyred.

“Our single endeavor should be to give ourselves to the work and to be faithful to God, and not to spoil his work by our shortcomings.”

St. Isaac Jogues (1607–1646)

LotR at en.wikipedia [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

New Methods

Since our world is rapidly changing, we need to find new methods of bringing God’s Word to people. These three saints found new methods for proclaiming the Good News.

Methods

St. Paul experienced a powerful conversion that turned him from a persecutor of Christians to the greatest Christian missionary in Church history. To spread Jesus’ teachings at a time before mass publication was available, St. Paul discovered the power of the pen and wrote numerous letters to proclaim the Good News to the whole world.

“I write this while I am away from you, in order that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority which the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.” (2 Cor. 13:10)

St. Paul (circa 5–65 A.D.)

Methods

Archbishop Fulton Sheen, originally from Peoria, IL, recognized the power of radio and television to reach people with the Good News of Jesus Christ. His weekly TV show in the late 1950s and early 1960s drew upwards of 30 million viewers and earned several Emmy awards.

“Never once did our Lord tell these witnesses of his to write. He himself only wrote once in his life, and that was on the sand. But he did tell them to preach in his name and to be witnesses to him to the ends of the earth, until the consummationof time.”

Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen (1895–1979)

By Fred Palumbo, World Telegram staff photographer [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Methods

Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first native-born American to be canonized, established the first free Catholic school in America, the first American Catholic orphanage, and the first American religious community for women, the Sisters of Charity.

“The first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills it; and thirdly, to do it because it is his will.”

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774–1821)

New Expression

In the past, the Church relied primarily on priests and religious women to evangelize. Today, the New Evangelization is primarily

the role of lay people.

Expression

While a student in Paris, Frederic Ozanam often listened to professors and fellow students mock the Catholic Church. Frederic decided that words alone were not sufficient to respond. As a result, with a group of friends, he founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to serve the needs of those who were poor.

“The earth has become a chilly place. It is up to us Catholics to rekindle the flame of human warmth going out.”

Blessed Frederic Ozanam (1813–1853)

Expression

Together with her friend Peter Maurin, Dorothy Day established the Catholic Worker Movement to serve the poor and homeless, and to bring about social justice through nonviolent action.

“The greatest challenge of the day is:how to bring about a revolution of the heart, a revolution which has to start with each one of us?”

Servant of God Dorothy Day (1897–1980)

By New York World-Telegram & Sun Collection (New York World-Telegram & Sun Collection) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Expression

When Ignatius founded the Society of Jesus as a lay person, he decided that the Jesuits, as they became known, would not live secluded in monasteries but would live and work among the laity as “contemplatives in action.” “Go forth and set the world on fire.”

St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556)

These saints, among others, are saints for the New Evangelization, showing us how to proclaim the Gospel with a new ardor, methods, and expression.

May each one of us live up to our N.A.M.E. and become the next generation of saints for the New

Evangelization!