Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

Dave “He Stole My Eggo” VanVickle and I are coming up with answers faster than the dusty magic 8-ball that’s probably still in your attic somewhere. We’re addressing your quick questions about parish life and evangelization including: What’s the deal with stewardship parishes (parishes where your salary is on record so they’re sure you’re tithing fully)? How can I make discipleship tracks in my parish? How can I talk about Jesus when talking in general is hard enough? ... (I'm an introvert) And how can I be a good witness when the first contact I have with someone is about sexual morality? Snippet from the Show “It’s easier to give money than it is to give your whole life.” Five Practical Takeaways Look for ways to bring the Holy Spirit into your daily job or hobby. Look at local events and go to one of each: Kerygma, Catechesis, and Conquer. Kerygma event - retreat or a speaker at your parish Catechesis event - Bible study or other learning opportunity Conquer event - outreach event at your parish, or volunteering opportunities Five Minute Exercise: Go on YouTube and find videos that fall into the Kerygma, Catechesis, and Conquer categories above and maybe send them out. Ascension Presents has some good ones for you! Intercessory Prayer: Prayers for Catholics involved in OBGYN and family medicine. Introverted ways to evangelize: Do it online! Head over to Brandon Vogt’s Strange Notions and read up, or consume “Classical Theism Podcast” and share it out there on your social feeds. We want to hear from you! Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com with your story, question, or comment—or if you’ve got a new nickname for Dave.Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

Dave "Skull Crusher" VanVickle and I talk about seven common pitfalls of evangelization that we see at parishes around the country. Recognize any? Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

Dave “The Dutch Shnauzer” VanVickle and I (Michael “Gomer” Gormley), tell you how to start catalyzing parish evangelization and how not to make the kinds of mistakes we made when we were but young, eager, parish evangelization greenhorns. Snippet from the Show This is not the time for good priests, good bishops, and good Catholics; it is a time for heroic priests, heroic bishops, and heroic Catholics. Shownotes Listener Feedback from Amanda Last week I met with a local parish priest to talk about the possibility of creating an evangelization position at his parish. I'm a former campus missionary (Brew City Catholic, I think Gomer spoke at one of our annual conferences!) and Father wanted to invite me to help him convince his parish and finance councils that creating a dedicated Director of Evangelization position would benefit the parish. In order to do this, he asked if I'd be able to develop something like a 5 year plan. As soon as I left that meeting I searched "Parish evangelization podcasts" which is how I came across the two of you! In the past week, you've become my favorite podcast. I love the practicals! My question for you is this: where should I start? Do you have any resources that I could explore as I begin to develop this plan? My "Step One" as it were is simply to start an intercessory prayer group, but I'm rather intimidated by what is a very daunting task. If we succeed in convincing the council that this position is worth it, I would in fact be the only full time person on staff. Our religious education program is through a different parish. It would be the pastor and I starting almost essentially from scratch. This is a vague request, but I appreciate any wisdom you can share! 8 Things to Consider When Developing a Parish Evangelization Plan ADULTS NEED CONVERSION: Most Catholic parish employees and volunteers do not think adult Catholics need evangelization, but they desperately do. Evangelicals convert adults. They target adults and they get them. We don’t because we just make assumptions about faith and conversion. STUDY OF EVANGELIZATION: Your parish council and finance council needs to understand the Church’s vision of evangelization and Catholic discipleship. You need to study the heck out of this so it becomes second-nature to you and you can educate the staff, the councils, and any key stakeholders. START AT THE END OF CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP: List the qualities of a Catholic disciple in your parish. What are the different aspects of following Christ that matter most. Then ask yourself, “What do we currently offer and what new things need to come into being that will lead people to this end goal of discipleship?” THE PITCH NEEDS A TIMELINE: Your councils want practicals. Your case becomes stronger when you offer a timeline and your strategic initiatives to them to consider. SOW THE SEEDLINGS YOUR FIRST YEAR: Councils want to see the sizzle, “What are you offering us now?” They want to see where the money goes quickly, but you need the time to build up discipleship. So, create seedling programs that are short and sweet that will perhaps later be developed into full-blown ministries or processes. This demonstrates your are building something and you take away their anxiety. THE FORMALIZED GOAL OF ONE-ON-ONE MINISTRY: Part of my job is meeting one-on-one with people and working with them. Start with the classes and funnel them down to the small group. From the small group, try to connect with them one-on-one. Also, the people in the office and the pastor and the councils and any other stakeholders need to see that meeting one-on-one is an essential part of your ministry. Others will gossip incessantly that you aren’t doing your job because you aren’t in your office. But meeting with people is your job. PARTNER WITH ALREADY EXISTING MINISTRIES: The lowest hanging fruit is partnering with the ministries and groups that already exist at your parish. Your job will be to change the culture toward evangelization, constantly holding evangelization up to them and showing them how central it is to the Catholic life. Offer retreats, days of reflection, brief talks, testimonies, whatever it takes to these groups to spread the gospel. TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE PARISH’S CULTURE: Do not, for the love of Christ, try to put a round peg in a square hole. Understand your parish’s culture and specific ministries’ cultures before you start imposing your approach onto them. Realize culture is expressed through things like schedules and priorities at the parish. Do your best to work within the culture to change the culture, but don’t think you'll be successful if you blindly start throwing things around. Nothing will stick. Nothing will change, unless you’re patient! Five Practical Takeaways Pray for the Councils who will make these decisions. And listeners, let’s all pray a Hail Mary right now for Amanda, her pastor, and her parish. Meet regularly with a group of like-minded people in the parish to pray and discuss the missionary nature of the Church and the parish. Come up with your top three essential tasks of a director of evangelization and email them to us. We will figure out what to do with them. List five things besides going to Mass that makes someone a practicing Catholic. Do something daring for the gospel. Resources Steubenville Discipleship Quad Models of the Church by Cardinal Avery Dulles The 99: An Evangelization Mission Series Pocket Guide to the Rosary by Matt FraddSupport Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

Have you ever wondered how to go about training Catholic lectors or how to inspire teens as they begin preparing for confirmation? In this special episode of_ Every Knee Shall Bow,_ hear two practical applications where Michael Gormley preaches first to Confirmation teens and then to lectors at his parish. Snippet from the Show "We shall not approach the text of the Word of God so casually when we are in the midst of the Liturgy. This is not a performance. This is a proclamation." Shownotes Inspiring Teens Who Are Preparing for Confirmation In this first talk, Michael "Gomer" Gormley uses humor and personal testimony to relate to teens as they embark on their journey towards Confirmation. During his presentation, he holds up one of the Church's newly canonized saints, St. Cardinal Henry Newman, as a model for Catholics who question and seek: St. Cardinal Henry Newman - “A thousand questions does not a single doubt make.” Training Catholic Lectors In this second talk given to Catholic lectors in training, Michael "Gomer" Gormley explains the gravity and beauty of proclaiming God's word. Listen to how he connects a lector's role with personal spirituality and the goal of conversion. Here are the quotes he references during this presentation: Dei Verbum - “The Holy Spirit is the principle divine author of sacred scripture” Read the rest here Pope St. John Paul II - “I use the word communion not community because I don’t want people thinking the Church is a sociological reality, it is first a theological reality.” Romans 5:14 - “Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.” Read the rest here Romans 6:3-4 - “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” Read the rest here St. Teresa of Avila - “If you want to hear God talk to you, read scripture. If you want to see a miracle, go to Mass.” Francis Chan - “Imagine someone told you, ‘I want you to go to the nearest cemetery, and I want you to pray fervently to raise one person from the dead. Not the whole cemetery just one person.’ Who would you take with you?... I’ll tell ya who I’d take: I’d take that person who's known for always coming into the presence of God. Because to raise the dead is a miracle. And isn’t that what conversion is?” Resources 1 Corinthians 15 Romans Bible Study The Bible Timeline Chart Ephesians 1Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

Dave “The Angelic Doctor” VanVickle (he’s really uncomfortable with that one) and I break down ten things you need to know to go out into the world right now and start evangelizing your family, friends, coworkers, and the random people you meet on the street. We’ve made all the evangelization mistakes through our years of talking to people about Jesus and the Church so that you don’t have to. We want to hear from you! Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com with your story, question, or comment—or if you’ve got a new nickname for Dave. Snippet from the Show “Real evangelization takes place within a trusting relationship. That means listening to the story they want to tell so that you actually understand where they’re coming from. Only then can you truly offer a response to the yearning of their soul.” Five Practical Takeaways Read Mark’s account of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Go back to your conversion story and review everything, asking God to reveal new parts of your story. Intercede for the healing of someone you know. Go to the internet and search for conversion stories, studying the way the Holy Spirit moves in people’s lives. Google the JPII Healing Center and research what healing looks like. Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

The phrase “personal relationship with Jesus Christ” has become so synonymous with Protestant spirituality that many Catholics seem to think it’s not that important. This is a huge problem. Dave “The Cheddar” VanVickle and I talk about why having a personal relationship with Jesus is absolutely vital for Catholics. It’s not about just having an emotional reaction, it’s about knowing the God we claim to love and allowing that intimacy to draw us ever deeper into the sacraments and mysteries of the Catholic Faith. Snippet from the Show “Having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ ignites and amplifies the sacramental reception of him.” SHOWNOTES Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2558 - "Great is the mystery of the faith!" The Church professes this mystery in the Apostles' Creed (Part One) and celebrates it in the sacramental liturgy (Part Two), so that the life of the faithful may be conformed to Christ in the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father (Part Three). This mystery, then, requires that the faithful believe in it, that they celebrate it, and that they live from it in a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God. This relationship is prayer. THE SOUL OF THE APOSTOLATE - If I do not believe the active presence of Jesus is within me, and if I did not try to make this presence within me a vital reality, I would be depriving my interior life of Jesus. . When Jesus, in this manner, becomes my light, my ideal, my counsel, my support, my refuge, my strength, my healer, my consolation, my joy, my love, in a word, my life, I shall acquire all the virtues. On Spiritual Perfection - The measure of a man’s love for God depends upon how deeply aware he is of God’s love for him. St. Theresa of Avila - “Mental prayer in my opinion is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us.” Pope St. John Paul II - “Conversion means accepting, by a personal decision, the saving sovereignty of Christ and becoming his disciple.” Galatians 2:20 - “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8 - “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” St. John Paul II, speech to bishops of Southern Germany, Dec. 4, 1992 - “It is necessary to awaken again in believers a full relationship with Christ, mankind’s only Savior. Only from a personal relationship with Jesus can an effective evangelization develop.” Pope Benedict, Deus Caritas Est 1 - "Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction." Pope Benedict XVI, May 2004 - "Many people perceive Christianity as something institutional -- rather than as an encounter with Christ -- which explains why they don't see it as a source of joy." John 15:15 - “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” Marriage Analogy: If a couple has a great friendship, but refuses intimacy. If a couple has intimacy, but refuses to have a close friendship. Catholics are the latter, Protestants are the former. Neither is healthy! Five Practical Takeaways Read: A book about the life of a saint (St. Francis of Assisi, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Augustine, etc.) Intercession: Pray for someone whose love for Christ or his Church has grown cold. Read: Read the Song of Songs Community: Host a dinner, but not a potluck. Provide everything for them and ask nothing from them in return. Reflection: Examination of a relationship you have Resources The 99 - now shipping! Romans: The Gospel of SalvationSupport Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

I’m your host, Mike "Gomer" Gormley but I am not joined by my illustrious co-host, Dave “The Bearded Fox” Van Vickle because of life. Yes, life. For two weeks we kept trying to record a show together, but my daughter ended up in the hospital (she’s home now) for a few days and threw everything off. Prayers appreciated! Dave was flying all over the country talking about Catholic spiritual warfare (like a gentleman ought) so instead I’m bringing you another example from my own ministry of how I preach the gospel. This talk was given to the men's group at my parish (even though some people don’t like those cough Dave cough) and focuses on the message of salvation through Genesis up to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and points to the responsibility this puts on Christians to spread the good news. We will be back with a regular show next week so you can hear the wonderful vibrato of “The Bearded Fox” himself. Snippet from the Show “The very spirit of Christ is breathed out upon us, giving us the ability to overcome sin, death, and darkness in our own lives. The Holy Spirit is the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ unleashed into the human heart.” SHOWNOTES Matthew 28:16-20 - “Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.’” Dr. Scott Hahn - “The moment I’m more outraged at another person’s sin than my own is the day I need a reality check, because their sins don’t send me to hell the last time I checked.” Genesis 3:15 - “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” GK Chesterton on Original Sin - “The only doctrine of the church that’s empirically verifiable” St. Paul - “I do the very thing I don’t want to do, and I don’t do the very thing I want to do. Who will deliver me from this wretched body?” Two questions to ask yourself Why is it so difficult for you to evangelize? How has the resurrection of Jesus changed your life? Resources Frank Sheed, Theology and Sanity Pope St. John Paul II, Theology of the Body Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

There’s a lot more to being a Catholic speaker than what you see. Dave “Extreme Narcissist” VanVickle and I discuss the little-known problems and behind-the-scenes difficulties of people who talk about the Faith for a living. From bringing kids to RCIA to feeling guilty about a paycheck, we talk about balancing family life, parish life, full-time jobs, and time on the road. Snippet from the Show “The life of a professional traveling speaker is not what most people think it is.” SHOWNOTES Money and Guilt Charging for a talk isn’t about making money off the gospel, it’s about providing for time spent away from family. Family Values Being on the road makes your spouse temporarily a single parent. It’s a huge strain on the family and the spouses are the ones who really have it hard. Missional Continuity What is the mission with the audience? The speaker is there to continue the work that is already happening, not to have a singular affect that probably won’t stick. Five Practical Takeaways Pray for your favorite Catholic speaker. Read Marcel’s article, “Why You Probably Don't Want To Be A Catholic Speaker!” Evaluate your most recent event and ask yourself about the impact it had weeks later. Critically examine your money and fame motives. Community: try to learn something new about someone already in your life. Try Patrick Lencioni’s opening question: what life event from your childhood affected you the most? Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

Welcome to EKSB, your weekly Catholic podcast on evangelization. I’m your host, Mike “Gomer” Gormley, and I’m joined, as always, by my co-host, Dave “The Masked Pamphleteer” Van Vickle. Today we’re answering questions and handing out sweet sweet nicknames. We talk about how to make men’s groups less painful, what to do if your parish has little to no money, our essential reading list for people who want to evangelize, resources for introducing kids to Adoration, and the Pew Research study on the True Presence in the Eucharist. Snippet from the Show “If you can teach what the Church actually believes about the True Presence, and then set up an encounter in Adoration, you will bring people to Jesus in droves.” SHOWNOTES Chaz The Man writes: Hey guys! Love the podcast. I have been asked to start/lead a men’s group at our parish. We have a mini retreat this weekend and I spoke to the guy leading about what were we going to do following the retreat to keep and engage the men coming. In turn he said great idea.....so now I have the reins on it which I’m pumped about but I don’t want it to be your typical old guys drinking coffee and talking about surface topics. My idea was to first give my testimony to show them how God can polish a turd:) Then I was thinking about something light to build trust and something that doesn’t require much from them except to show up! I was thinking just reading the Gospel for the coming Sunday in the same small groups every week and talking about it. How it applies to our life, what we take from etc. Then maybe do a book study. Thoughts? Luke the Seminarian writes: Dear Gomer and Dave ‘too hot to handle, too cold to hold’ VanVickle, I’m an English Seminarian preparing for ordination to the diaconate this coming year and I just wanted to say thank you for the great work your doing on the podcast and to ask a question. In the UK we face a lot of the same problems as you do in the states, our people generally aren’t well formed and we struggle for volunteers; but on top of that our weekly collections tend to be so low that paid employees aren’t typically realistic for most parishes. We can’t afford to pay a director of religious education or evangelisation and these things tend to fall (along with everything else) on the Priest. So I suppose my question is, what would you guys suggest as the absolute basics to start building from for a priest to get in place that he can manage reasonably alongside all of his other duties? I realise that it’s a big question, sometimes it seems a little overwhelming! I’ve read a lot of the books, Divine Renovation etc, but a lot of the time their starting position is so radically different from our average parishes that it’s difficult to think how you would even start to implement them. Please be assured of my prayers and keep up the great work. Aaron the Book Nerd writes: Hey fellas, love the podcast. Can't get enough. Was hoping you could help me out with a few things. First off, you make a ton of books recommendations on the podcast, but was hoping you could narrow it down a bit for me. I am a cradle Catholic who recently went through sort of a conversion experience where I feel I am being called to evangelize and bring the Gospel to people to advance the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth; however, I am extremely knew to evangelization and so was looking for one or two key books that you believe every evangelist should read. Secondly, our Parish asked for anyone interested in prison ministry to reach out to them. This is another area where I feel I am being called, but it seems like I may be the only at my Parish called to do so, as I seem to be the one now leading the charge to start the prison ministry at my Parish while getting advice from another Parish with an already established prison ministry. So my question is ....any advice? God Bless. Aaron the Adorer writes: Hello, Michael Gormley and Dave “Milk and honey” Van Vickle! First off, thank you. I have been listening to your podcast since day one and, while I haven’t always been faithful to the 5 practical tips each week, they have stretched me in ways I was afraid of in the past. In fact, the tips stretched me enough to take up a position in July at a local parish collaborative (2 parishes sharing resources) up here in Massachusetts as the Director of Lifelong Faith Formation. Your insights, challenge and resources (especially Sherry Weddell’s book) has been transformative for me and my family. I cannot thank God enough for the ways your podcast has prepared me for a deeper commitment as a disciple. The other reason I am e-mailing you is in reference to something Dave mentioned in one of the recent podcasts: guiding kids through an experience of Adoration. After the most recent Pew poll that just came out on Catholics and their understanding (or lack-there-of) of the Eucharist, I am wanting to focus the efforts of our religious ed and faith formation on the Real Presence and Adoration. I am hoping to have each grade level have an experience of one hour of Adoration over the course of the year. Do you have any resources that you have used that would help make this a success for the various age groups? You mentioned just doing this with 4, 5 and 6 year olds. Do you avoid adoration with the older kids? If so, why? Do you have any other ideas of how to ignite the older kids’ hearts for love of the Eucharist? Also, better yet, I am wondering if, in light of the recent Pew research poll on Catholics and belief in the Eucharist, you were planning on focusing in on the Eucharist as a jumping off point for evangelization? It seems to be something people struggle with accepting nowadays (though I suppose one could say people have always struggled to accept this teaching, as they did in Jesus’ own earthly ministry!). It is easy for the modern relativistic-thinking Catholic to pick and choose themselves away from this HARD teaching of Jesus. It seems like an area that needs some doubling-down on in our Church here in the US. In any case, know of my gratitude and prayers. Five Practical Takeaways Research weekly lectionary devotionals, like The Word Among Us Pray for Luke the Seminarian! Read The Way of the Disciple by Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis (https://amzn.to/34vqTCf) Go to adoration or take your kids to 10 minutes of Adoration. Share this podcast with at least one person! Resources and Events Dave's website (thesinnersguide.com) Dedication and Leadership by Douglas Hyde Leaving Boyhood Behind by Jason Craig Exodus 90 The Way of the Disciple by Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis Jesus Shock by Peter Kreeft Children of Hope Children of Hope Leader’s Guide Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

Dave “Wolfsbane” VanVickle is … not here today. It’s just me, Gomer, with a special episode where I recorded a talk I gave to my catechists about how to become excellent teachers of our Faith. This talk is the past two episodes of EKSB put into practice. If you are a catechist, thinking about becoming a catechist, or work with catechists in any way, this episode will be extremely helpful. Snippet from the Show What is catechesis? It’s about giving growth to a faith that already exists because of evangelization that has already happened. But if evengalization hasn’t happened, what are we maturing? 5 Practical Takeaways Read and pray with Ephesians 4:1-16 Memorize Catechesi Tradendae paragraph five. Handwrite every student’s name and pray for them for 1 min every day. Write one sentence per lesson that ties it to the person of Jesus Christ. Come up with one example from your life per lesson. Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)