He said Emmaus Teams would consist “of a coach who specializes in organizational health and another who will have a great expertise in the art of evangelization. “The Lord comes into their midst and walks together with them, and the Lord doesn’t send us out to do this work alone, he sends us two-by-two,” the archbishop wrote. The episode of the disciples on the road to Emmaus has for many become the model of accompaniment, and with good reason. Lori first announced the plan for the Institute for Evangelization in his pastoral letter, “A Light Brightly Visible 2.0” in January 2021, he noted that the Emmaus Teams concept “is quite novel but not without biblical foundations. The goal is to help parishes make missionary disciples. Some of that support is still provided through the institute’s Office of Family, Youth and Young Adult Ministry Office of Life, Justice and Peace and Office of Divine Worship.īut the Office of Parish Renewal strives to do more than just programs or parish planning. In the past, the Department of Evangelization focused on creating archdiocesan or regional programs for various catechetical and formation programs in parishes, and supporting parish ministers. Croix said, she is already receiving calls from other dioceses around the country about the new model of supporting parish evangelization. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Crofton, reacts to conversation during a Feb. Few dioceses really operate this way.”Įmily Gretz, a faith formation leader at St. Croix, director of the Office of Parish Renewal within the archdiocesan Institute for Evangelization, said Emmaus Teams do a wide range of things to assist parishes, and the team members bring varied experience.Įdward Herrera, director of the Institute for Evangelization, called the new structure a “dramatic shift, organizationally, for the archdiocese. Hipley admits the job is part retreat leader, part strategic planner, part organizational trainer and part wrangler, ensuring that a parish has the resources it needs from the archdiocese to survive, thrive and help its members become missionary disciples. Leading a retreat such as this one is just one component of the work done by the Office of Parish Renewal and its Emmaus Teams, which are designed to support parishes and their staff with a wide variety of resources. While some parishes might need more staff development, Father Sparklin asked for something more spiritual. He designed it to meet the staff’s needs. Wayne Hipley, one member of the Emmaus Teams in the archdiocesan Office of Parish Renewal, led the retreat Feb. He believes that if the staff can connect better to each other, they can better serve the parish. The storytelling was an important aspect of the retreat, which Father Sparklin hoped would give the staff – which includes several new members after turnovers last year – an opportunity to get to know each other better. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, Crofton, Feb. Wayne Hipley, center, with the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Office of Parish Renewal and its newly formed Emmaus Teams, leads a parish retreat for the staff of St.
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