Catholic mission meet stress on evangelisation

Catholic nuns and priests attending the Mission Congress of the Conference of Religious India (CRI) were urged to 'consciously' involve in evangelism through personal and institutional involvement in the social life of people.

"In the context of secularization and institutionalization, Catholic religious life has undergone tremendous transformation in recent times. This has adversely affected their commitment to Christ's mandate to evangelize," states a statement of the CRI Mission Congress 2012.

As "the process of secularisation has produced a serious crisis of the sense of the Christian faith and role of the Church," there is a necessity to "promote a renewed evangelisation" wherever the Church has long existed, the Congress has observed.

Held under the theme 'Let Your Light Shine Brighter', the Congress held at Dharmaram College in Bangalore saw some 300 priests, brothers and sisters from across India.

Giving the inaugural address, Cardinal Oswald Gracias challenged the audience to present the face of Christ to the people through their lives. "But primarily, we ourselves should be evangelized. We need to understand and live the Gospel," he said.

The presidential address was given by Apostolic Nuncio to India Archbishop Salvatore Pennachio.

The Congress, held from 17-18 April, gave a renewed call for 'new evangelization' in an attempt to reach out to all with the Good News of Jesus Christ. "Many baptized Christians shy away from their responsibilities as members of the Church; hence, the call to revitalize the life of witness on the part of religious priests to the duty of evangelization in and through their words and deeds," they declared.

While caution needs to be exercised to avoid proselytization and uncharitable confrontations in the efforts of evangelization, the Congress affirmed that such unfounded accusations shall not become the reason for shying away from foundational Christian call of ongoing life witness through a life of charity and empowerment of the other.

Further, as building a stable society calls for the establishment of institutions, the Congress urged the consecrated religious to resist the temptation for institutionalization. "Institutions and their professional programmes should not eclipse the Good News of Jesus; instead, they must be designed in such a way that they would ultimately serve the purpose of proclaiming Christ."

As "the Church has a duty everywhere and at all times to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ," the CRI Mission Congress, along with all Christians, reaffirmed the necessity to re-launch the evangelization thrust of the Church with a new vision of mission.

"An evangelizing spirit needs to be integrated into all our activities; indeed, the life and ministries of the consecrated religious should be seen through the lens of evangelization," the Congress noted.

The Conference of Religious of India (CRI) represents more than 125,000 Catholic Religious brothers, priests and nuns in India. Most of the schools, hospitals, social service centers and other institutions run by the Catholic Church are managed and run by this group.