RITE AND REASON: The year-long cross-denominational Power to Change campaign has come to an end. Paddy Monaghan believes that, overall, it was a success
Pope John Paul II wrote these challenging words 12 years ago: "The new evangelisation demands that you present, with fresh enthusiasm and new methods, the eternal and unchanging content of the heritage of our Christian faith. It is not a matter of merely passing on a doctrine, but rather of a personal and profound meeting with the Saviour."
Power to Change (PTC) is over. It is now 12 months since this all-Ireland evangelisation initiative, with which I had the privilege of being involved as project manager, was launched.
It was aimed at mobilising Christians to share their faith by taking advantage of a media campaign in September/October 2002.
It was led by lay people, Catholic, Protestant and Pentecostal, who sought to present the claims of Jesus with fresh enthusiasm, making use of the media in a way not seen before in Ireland. Media ads and 420 billboards featured men and women whose lives had been changed through a "personal and profound meeting with the Saviour".
For example, Michael McGoldrick, able to forgive the loyalist group who had murdered his son, and Clodagh O'Connor, a student from Maynooth who, at a time of personal trauma, experienced the saving power of Jesus.
The four main Church leaders welcomed PTC as a "potentially significant North-South initiative for evangelisation and reconciliation". The National Conference of Priests commended PTC as an "opportunity for all to see Jesus Christ as the source of meaning and purpose for life and as a significant ecumenical effort".
Cardinal Desmond Connell, in his letter to Dublin parish priests, said "this is an opportunity to refocus on essentials and the very heart of our faith, which is our relationship as individuals and as a community with the person of Jesus Christ". I know of many people who came to a "personal and profound meeting with the Saviour" through PTC.
Overall the initiative was successful, in spite of some organisational problems in certain areas. Some statistics:
- 160,000 people accessed the two websites, browsing for 13 minutes on average;
- 10,500 (39 per cent in the 21 to 40 age group) requested the free book/CDRom from the call centre;
- 85,000 PTC book/CDRoms were purchased by churches/parishes;
- 1,010 churches/parishes registered with PTC, of which 410 were Roman Catholic;
- 10,000 people attended three-hour training seminars;
- 1,000 special events were organised around the country;
- 100,000 homes received the PTC door hanger.
Two hundred training seminars were held all over Ireland from January to September last year e.g., in Shankill parish, Dublin, 100 people attended, while in Letterkenny there were 77; Tuam 68; Cappoquin 65. Prior to some training seminars, PTC workers shared, during Sunday Masses, how they came into a personal faith in Jesus.
In April 2003, parish priests from 148 of the participating Catholic parishes were asked how PTC had affected their parish. I was very encouraged to learn that 28 per cent said the impact was very positive, 50 per cent thought it was moderate and 22 per cent considered it had no impact for various reasons. It was great to see that PTC led directly to new initiatives like the Alpha Bible course being run in many parishes.
Parishes which had a heart for evangelisation really embraced PTC and saw it having a major impact. Banners erected outside 180 churches encouraged lay people in the parishes.
In Coolock, Father Jim McElroy PP hosted a training seminar, erected a banner and was "very grateful to PTC for all it has done and all that it has opened up" in his parish. He has recently appointed a faith development youth worker.
In Kilmurry, Co Cork, Father Tim O'Sullivan set up a prayer group after the training seminar. It is clear that those parishes that had active prayer or cell groups got a lot more out of PTC.
Evangelisation needs to be pushed up the agenda of the Catholic Church in Ireland. It was refreshing to hear the new Coadjutor Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, (The Irish Times, August 30th) state that his "major hope would be to redirect resources to evangelisation".
In September, Catholic Bishops in England and Wales launched a new agency called CASE, Catholic Agency Supporting Evangelisation. Surely it is time for the Hierarchy to set up a similar agency in Ireland. Perhaps at that point it might be right to run PTC again, with the blessing of all the churches.
I believe that Ireland can again be a light to the nations as in St Patrick's time. Out of darkness can come real renewal and revival.
I really enjoyed the experience of working together with other Christians in PTC and I know if evangelisation is to be successful it must be carried out together. Let us not be afraid of learning from one another and build real bridges of friendship between Christians.
• Paddy Monaghan is secretary of the Evangelical Catholic Initiative.
evancat@ eircom.net