PROGRAMME FOR NEW EVANGELIZATIONPROGRAMME FOR NEW EVANGELIZATION
INTRODUCTION
1. Since receiving the Lord’s apostolic mandate (cf. Mt 28:19-20), the Church has always evangelized. Many fruits came with the passing of centuries and the present generation has the duty of passing on the faith. As in other times, now also a vigorous process of de-Christianization is unfolding in many spheres, bringing with it grave losses for humanity. . Women are poised to bring their maternal influence to society and champion the cause of a new evangelization. God has always sent saints to the Church who, with their word and their example, have been able to lead souls back to Christ. Pope St John Paul II reminded women of their very important role as formators in society and the Church.
Pope Benedict XVI’s address to young people at the World Youth Day applies to us as well, “…bear witness to the faith wherever you are, even when it meets with rejection or indifference. We cannot encounter Christ and not want to make him known to others. So do not keep Christ to yourselves! Share with others the joy of your faith. The world needs the witness of your faith, it surely needs God’’
In order to achieve the above mandate, there is need to draw up a programme for reorientation of CWO activities towards reevangelising society, protecting our rich christian heritage, and realising our baptismal vocation.
The New Evangelisation will among other activities address five aspects of formation: human, spiritual, doctrinal-religious, apostolic and professional.
In human formation, there is need for work on development of character, acquisition and improvement of human virtues that constitute the basis for the supernatural ones.Work on virtues relating to social customs, honesty, justice, obedience, courage and kindness.
In spiritual formation, encourage progress in the Christian virtues of faith, hope and charity, especially in charity, which is the essence of perfection. Work should be done on inculcating the true meaning of the Cross in our lives.
In doctrinal-religious formation, work should be done on growth in knowledge of God and of revealed doctrine. Effort should be put into education in the teachings of the Church.Formation in conformation of the intellect, will and heart with the mysteries of the faith, and its assimilation in greater depth should be encouraged.
In apostolate, preparation is required to proclaim the love of Christ and the teachings of the Church in new ways and new environments. Women should be encouraged to study the new communication technology to facilitate evangelisation of the youth.
There is an urgency to this duty of evangelization now. Pope Paul VI exhorts us, ‘‘Evangelization is not an option but the vocation proper to the people of God, a duty incumbent upon it by the command of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.’’[EvangeliNuntiandi no 10]
Pope St John Paul II also tells us ‘The moral and spiritual strength of a woman is joined to her awareness that God entrusts the human being to her in a special way. Of course, God entrusts every human being to each and every other human being. But this entrusting concerns women in a special way – precisely by reason of their femininity – and this in a particular way determines their vocation.’[ Mulieris Dignitatem no 10]
We propose the following topics to be taken within the period of one year. Sacraments:
- Sacraments
- Baptism
- Penance
· Eucharist
· Matrimony
· Confirmation
· Holy orders
· Anointing of the sick
2. Devotion to the Holy Spirit
3. Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
It is hoped that members will be better acquainted with the Church’s teaching of the sacraments by the end of the year.
TOPICS ON IMPROVING HUMAN VIRTUES AND HUMAN TONE INCLUDE:
Order and good use of time
Sanctification of ordinary work
Keeping bright and cheerful homes
Parenting as a vocation
Financial planning of the family
Assisted Reproductive Technology and Napro Technology
Christian Marriage and Family
The Church
The Holy Mass
Papal Encyclicals and CBCN communiqué
FOR YOUTH
1. Personal development
2. Key virtues to be learnt;
· Temperance
· Spirit of service and generosity
· Fortitude
· Detachment from material things
· Sincerity
· Perseverance
PROCEDURE
Each meeting is expected to last 2hrs.
Meeting should start with the rosary once 2 or 3 persons arrive.
The CWO anthem is sung after Rosary
Gospel reading of the day with short commentary – 5mins
· Reading of the minutes of the last meeting and matters arising there of.
· Catechism – 20mins
· Meeting of the day 1hr 30mins
· Meeting will be conducted in such a way as to conserve time.
· Members will be encouraged to buy copies of Compendium of Catechism of the Church and the Penny Catechism and bring both to meetings.
· Points will be read out and explained to the members.
· The meeting ends with a closing prayer and CWO anthem. The Marian prayer of Cardinal Newman can be adopted.
Doctrine topics will be uniformly assigned for each month starting with November 2017;
November – Baptism
December- Penance
January- Eucharist
February- Matrimony
March – Confirmation
April – Holy Order
May- Devotion to Blessed Virgin Mary
June- Devotion to The Holy Spirit
July-Anointing of the sick
August- Articles of the Creed
Topics on improving human tone can be discussed on the remaining months considering the prevailing situation in the parish and the relevant virtue thus needed. The topics already discussed can be repeated depending on prevailing local circumstances.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
- Quarterly seminars will be organized on the topics listed above and the ones below for improving human tone possibly in April, July and October, on public holiday when available.
· A seminar will be organized for youths during the long vocation by CWO on topics listed above.
· Each parish and diocese will have an evangelizer who will be wholly responsible for coordinating the evangelization programme. The officer has the duty of appointing the resource person to teach cathechism during meetings and the person so appointed has to prepare the topics well and ahead of time.The Evangelizer has to vet the contents of the teaching. She will have to attend short courses on theology to enhance her work. She has to attend the national conferences in order to step down the conference discourse.
Suggested topic for CWON Seminars
- On Family
- Budgeting and Financial Planning in the Family.
- The family in the Social Teaching of the Church.
- Family challenges in the contemporary society.
- The vocation of the family.
- Striking a balance between Professional Work and Family (what matters most?).
- On Parenting
- Parenting as a vocation.
- Revisiting parenting styles for the sake of modern children.
- How can parents save their children from sexual abuse; Education in human sexuality.
- Extended Relatives in the home.(Who matters most?).
- Raise happy children raise them virtuous and raise them saints.
- On Virtues
- The Home, the domestic church.
- Virtue and faith are necessary for success in the 21st century.
- The family, the school of love.
- Passing on the faith in a neo pagan era.
4. On Womanhood
- Nigerian Woman and Christian feminism.
- Behind a successful woman.
- Womanhood: The dignity and sacredness of the sexuality of the Christian female.
- A Woman’s work , a the hindrance to the actualization of her potentials?.
- Dressing elegantly in the 21st century.
THE MARIAN PRAYER OF CARDINAL NEWMAN
O Mother of Jesus, and my Mother, let me dwell with you, cling to you and love you with ever-increasing love.
I promise thee honour, love, and trust of a child. Give me a mother’s protection, for I need your watchful care. You know better than any other the thoughts and desires of the Sacred Heart.
Keep constantly before my mind the same thoughts, the same desires, that my heart be filled with zeal for the interests of the Sacred Heart of your Divine Son.
Instil in me a love of all that is noble, that I may no longer be easily turned to selfishness.Help
me dearest Mother, to acquire the virtues that God wants me .
To forget myself always,
To work solely for him, without fear of sacrifice.I
shall always rely on your help to be what Jesus wants me to be
I am His, I am yours my good Mother.
Give me each day your holy and maternal blessing until my last evening on earth, when your Immaculate Heart will present me to the heart of Jesus in heaven, there to love and bless you and your divine Son for all eternity. Amen.
TOPICS AND REFERENCES
References are points in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
BAPTISM
NO 1246 – 1255 Who can receive Baptism
NO 1256 – 1261 Who can baptize and the necessity of Baptism
NO 1263 – 1272 The grace of Baptism
CONFIRMATION
NO 1286 – 1289 Conformity in the economy of salvation
NO 1293 – 1301 The signs and rite of confirmation.
NO 1302 – 1311 Effects of confirmation and who can receive the sacrament.
NO 1321 – 1314 Minister of confirmation.
ANOINTING OF THE SICK
NO 1500 – 1511 Its foundation in the economy of salvation.
NO 1514 – 1516 Who receives and who administers this sacrament.
NO 1517 – 1522 Mode of its celebration and the effects of this sacrament.
NO 1524 – 1524 Viaticum.
HOLY ORDERS
NO 1539 – 1553 Holy Orders in the economy of salvation.
NO 1554 – 1571 The Three degrees of the sacrament of Holy Orders.
NO 1581 – 1589 Effects of the sacrament of the Holy Orders.
HOLY PURITY
No. 1652-1654 The openness to fertility
No. 2337-2350 The vocation to chastity
No. 2360-2379 The love of husband and wife
No. 2520-2527, 2533 The battle for purity
THE EUCHARIST
No. 1373-1381 The presence of Christ by the power of his word and the Holy Spirit.
No. 1382-1401 The Pascal Banquet.
No. 1402-1405 The Eucharist, “pledge of the glory to come”
ORDER AND USE OF TIME
No. 672,1007,1041 Use of time
No. 2184-2188 Sunday, a day of grace and rest from work.
SANCTIFICATION OF ORDINARY WORK
No. 307 God entrusted the world to man .
No. 533 Nazareth, school of work.
No. 2427-2428 Work in the life of man
No. 2460 Work, participation in the work of creation
No. 2834 Prayer and work.
MORTIFICATION
No. 2015 Need for mortification
No. 1430-1433 Interior penance.
No. 1434-1439 The many forms of penance in Christian life.
DEVOTION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
No. 683-689 I believe in the holy Spirit.
No. 737-741 The action of the Holy Spirit in the soul.
No. 1830-1832 the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit.
HUMAN VIRTUES
No. 1803 The Virtues.
No. 1804-1809 The Cardinal Virtues.
No. 1810-1811 The Virtues and Grace.
DOCTRINAL AND RELIGIOUS FORMATION
No. 94 Growth in understanding the faith
No. 2036-2037 The Magisterium of the Church and the formation of the Christian
No. 2651 Prayer and formation.
THE HOLY VIRGIN MARY
No. 484-507 The Virgin Mary in the plans of God.conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.
No. 721-726 The all-holy ever-virgin mother of God. Rejoice you who are full of grace.
No. 963-975 Mary, mother of Christ, mother of the Church.
No. 2617-2619 The prayer of the Virgin Mary
No. 2673-2679 In communion with the Holy mother of God.
THE CHURCH
No. 758-679 The Church’s origin, foundation, and mission.
No. 781-989 The Church: the people of God, the Body of Christ, the temple of the Holy Spirit.
No. 2032-2040 Moral life and the Magisterium of the Church.
THE MASS
No. 1322-1327 The Holy Eucharist is the source and summit of ecclesial life.
No. 1333-1344 The Eucharist in the economy of salvation.
No. 1345-1355 The liturgical celebration of the Eucharist.
No. 1356-1372 The Sacramental Sacrifice: thanksgiving memorial, presence.
SACRAMENTAL CONFESSION
No. 1430-1433 Interior penance.
No. 1440-1449 The Sacrament of Penance and reconciliation.
No. 1450-1460 The acts of the penitent.
No. 1468-1470 The effects of this sacrament.
No. 1846-1876 Sin.
FAITH AND HOPE
No. 1814-1816 The theological virtues of faith.
No. 2087-2089 Sins against faith.
No. 1817-1821 The Virtue of hope.
No. 2090-2092 Sins against hope.
HUMILITY
No. 525 The Christmas mystery – The humility of Christ.
No. 2096-2097 Adoration of God, act of humility.
No. 2559,2779 Living and asking for humility
No. 489,724 The humility of Mary
FORTITUDE
No. 1808, 2473, 2848 Fortitude
No. 2473-2474 Martyrdom – supreme witness given to the truth of the faith.
No. 2848 The struggle against Temptation.
SINCERITY AND SIMPLICITY
No. 1848 Conversion requires recognizing sin.
No. 2465-2474 Living in the truth and to bear witness to the truth.
PERSEVERANCE
No. 162,1821,2016 Perseverance in faith.
CHRISTIAN MATRIMONY
No. 1601-1620 Marriage in God’s plan.
No. 1621-1624 The Celebration of Marriage
No. 1625-1637 Matrimonial Consent
No. 1638-1642 The effects of the sacrament of matrimony
No. 1643-1655 The goods and requirements of conjugal love.
No. 1655-1658 The Domestic Church
DEDICATION TO THE FAMILY
No. 2197-2200 The fourth Commandment: Presentation.
No. 2201-2206 The family in God’s plan.
No. 2232-2233 The family and the Kingdom.
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