Evangelisation begins when you accept God’s Word into your life. Then you proclaim that Word to others by living it out in service and witness.

“Those who have received the Good News and who have been gathered by it into the community … can and must communicate and spread it.”
(Pope Paul VI, Evangelisation in the Modern World. 13)

This is done most effectively through everyday evangelising.
- Everyday evangelising is everyone’s mission. By virtue of our Baptism, we are called to share our faith.

- Everyday evangelising is not a programme but a way of life. It takes place at any time, in any place, under any circumstance.

- Everyday evangelising reaches out to everyone, including active and inactive Catholics and those who belong to no faith community.

- Everyday evangelising addresses the social structures that affect us. The context of evangelising demands that the Church take seriously contemporary situations in the service of the Gospel. The practical call to evangelisation will shape the Church’s actions as She engages with the needs of men and women today, in their varying and fragmented contexts.

Everyday Evangelising in the Home

- Pray grace before and after meals.
- Show symbols of your faith.
- Have a religious calendar with the dates of Baptism, First Communions, weddings, etc.
- Establish family rituals based on the Church year.
- Celebrate Feast Days.
- Create new prayer moments in your home.
- Have a Bible in every home

Our words illuminate
Our witness illustrates

Everyday Evangelising in the Parish

- Get involved in your parish.
- Periodically sit in a different place in the church to
meet others.
- Be gracious in the car park.
- Explain rituals in advance to those who are not
familiar with the Catholic faith.
- Pray for parish leaders and each other.

Everyday Evangelising in the Workplace

- Transact all business dealings honestly.
- Offer to pray for a co-worker who has shared some personal concerns.
- Interact with co-workers who share your Christian beliefs.
- Respect other religious beliefs.
- Pray before making decisions.
- Verbalise Christ in your life.

Everyday Evangelising for Those Experiencing Stress

- Give ongoing support.
- Send a Mass card
- Make a phone call
- Send a text message or email.
- Pray with and for the person.
- Seek out agencies or support services that can address their needs.

Everyday Evangelising in All Situations

- Respond with “thank God” when someone shares good news with you.
- Carry a symbol of your faith.
- Share a story of how God works in your life.
- Ask people to pray for your intentions.
- Assist those who are searching for answers to their faith.
- Reach out those who have not been there recently or have no faith community.
- Treat everyone with dignity.
- Share a smile and personal greeting.
- Share information about your parish with neighbours.

Everyday Evangelising through Social Justice

- Help those less fortunate by sharing time, talent or money.
- Identify your own prejudices.
- Network with those who support your values.
- Watch the news with the eyes of Christ.
- Learn the facts on all sides of an issue.
- Publicly express your opinion.
- Act on your conviction.
- Learn and address the values of our government.
- Vote intelligently.

“There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel.”
Pope Benedict XVI

Everyday Evangelising through Special Days

Celebrating Days and Seasons of the Church

Advent – use an Advent wreath and calendar in your home.
New Year’s Day – make a resolution to Evangelise and Share Good News
Ash Wednesday – receive ashes and wear them proudly.
Lent – display a cross in your home – commit to acting justly in all areas of your life.
Easter – Celebrate Easter

Redeeming other days …

St. Patrick’s Day — St. Valentine’s Day — Mother’s Day Father’s Day — Holy Days — Hallowe’en —
how can we celebrate these moments better?

Text from “Everyday Evangelization” by RENEW International. Copyright RENEW International. Used with permission.

“And may the world of our time, which is searching, sometimes with anguish, sometimes with hope, be enabled to receive the Good News...from ministers of the Gospel whose lives glow with fervour.” Evangelisation in the Modern World 80

Evangelisation is holding Jesus in your heart and carrying Jesus to the hearts of others.