by Matt Karr
The church is issuing a call for a major work of evangelization during this Year of Faith.
In order for faith to be awakened (and it needs to be awakened even in those of us who are longtime Catholics), the Gospel must be proclaimed with renewed vigor and enthusiasm. This enthusiasm and passion can only come from a living encounter with Jesus Christ and through the grace of the Holy Spirit!
The bishops of the world recently completed a month-long synod in Rome with the theme, “The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Faith.”
This synod was focused primarily on how the Gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed in areas, cultures, and among people who were formerly Christian, but have lost a living sense of the faith.
In addition to the bishops, there were a number of other participants in the synod. Two of the participants have a direct link to our archdiocese through our Kansas Maryvale Center. Petroc Willey and Dr. Caroline Farey both serve at the Maryvale Institute in England and have helped to found our Maryvale Center in the archdiocese. They were asked to participate in the synod because of their personal expertise in catechesis as it relates to the new evangelization.
It was a tremendous honor and certainly an affirmation from the Vatican and the bishops around the world of the Maryvale Institute (and our Maryvale Kansas Center!) and the institute’s work in evangelization and catechesis.
If you did not know, the Kansas Maryvale Center offers courses on catechesis, evangelization, art and beauty, and a master’s degree in catechesis. In fact, both Caroline and Petroc make regular trips to Kansas City to teach in the Kansas Maryvale Center’s programming.
During this Year of Faith, the Kansas Maryvale Center will be offering a number of courses to help Catholics in the archdiocese and beyond grow in their faith.
In January, we will begin another Maryvale Certificate in Catechesis course. This course is designed for priests, religious, and laity who have a desire to learn more about the foundational teachings of Christ and how to hand them on to others.
The Certificate in Catechesis course meets for four Saturdays per year for two years. Participants are required to attend each of these study days and complete additional work from home to acquire the certificate. It is open to any Catholic in the archdiocese.
You can learn more about the program by visiting the website at: www.archkck. org/Maryvale. A description of the certificate course can be found there. An application packet is also available to be downloaded.
If you prefer to talk to someone directly, contact Kimberly Rode at (913) 647- 0357 or by email at: ecat2@ archkck.org in our office and she would be delighted to answer any questions and send you more information.
