Pentecost Project series on New Evangelization begins in cathedral

PATERSON  It was fitting that one of the first sessions on March 5 for the new Pentecost Project series on the New Evangelization at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here were held in a classroom of its new Cateche­tical and Educational Building. Nearly completed, the two-story, 16,000­­-square-foot facility will house formation programs and ministries to help the faithful of all ages to know Christ and answer his call to spread the “Good News” of the Gospel — armed with an enthusiasm for evangelizing that the Pentecost Project seeks to reawaken in the cathedral parish and beyond, said Msgr. Geno Sylva, St. John’s rector and diocesan vicar for special projects.

That Saturday morning, Msgr. Sylva delivered the first talk in English in the series, “What is the New Evangeliza­tion?” in the new building, while Father Cesar Jaramillo, a St. John’s parochial vicar and Pentecost Project coordinator, presented the first talk in Spanish, “¿Qué es la Nueva Evangeli­zación?” in the gym of the Rodimer Center adjacent to the cathedral. This first day of sessions attracted more than 200 Catholics from St. John’s, around the Diocese, and beyond, said Father Jaramillo, also Defender of the Bond in the diocesan Tribunal.

The Pentecost Project will present a series of weekly workshops in English and Spanish at St. John’s — the mother church of the Paterson Diocese — on Saturdays during Lent up to May 28. These sessions are designed to give participating Catholics the basics of the faith and leadership skills needed to evangelize. Through this initiative, the parish not also seeks to motivate participants become “missionary disciples” as part of the New Evangelization, but also inspire them to preach the Gospel by reaching to the unchurched in the cathedral community, surrounding neighborhoods in Pater­son, and the universal Church. Regis­tration is still open for those interested, said Msgr. Sylva, former English-language official for the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization in Rome.

“Welcome to the first Saturday of the Pentecost Project. We might be from Mexico or Peru or speak English, Spanish, or Tagalog but we are all one in faith, hope, and love. We are beginning a journey together. Our main mission is not to be in here [in the cathedral] but to be out there [in the world], inviting people to a personal relationship with Christ,” Msgr. Sylva told the participants before they split up for the sessions in English and Spanish. “Let the Holy Spirit send you out, so you can engage with the world,” the priest said.

Experts in the field of evangelization, including priests, deacons, and laypeople, and staff members of the Diocese and St. John’s, are conducting these sessions, which will be presented at the same time separately in English and Spanish, starting at 9:30 a.m. with coffee and welcome. That will be followed by a workshop from 10 to 10:45 a.m. and a question-and-answer period with the speakers from 10:45 to 11 a.m. A committee at St. John’s that has devised and is coordinating the Pentecost Project, Father Jaramillo said. [See sidebar below for a list of sessions.]

The Spanish track of the Pentecost Project will conclude with a retreat, from Friday to Sunday, June 3–5, to be led by Archbishop Octavio Ruiz Arenas, former Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization in Rome, who is now retired in Colombia, Father Jaramillo said.

On March 5, Msgr. Sylva’s talk in English was held in the almost-completed Cateche­tical and Educational Building. Phase 2 of a two-part project, the facility will give the growing St. John’s parish more space for its many ministries, communities, and movements, including its new social services outreach, called “From Mercy to Hope,” and will enable it to partner with diocesan agencies. Phase 1 of the extensive project — called “Building on Tradition” for the 200th anniversary of the cathedral last year — focused on major improvements to the Rodimer Center, Msgr. Sylva said.

Msgr. Sylva talked about the story in Acts 8 of St. Philip evangelizing with enthusiasm to a eunuch from Ethiopia, first by cultivating a relationship with him.

“Tell people the reason for your hope in Christ by listening to them, loving them, and inviting them to a relationship with Christ,” Msgr. Sylva said.

Coined by St. John Paul II, the term New Evangeliza­tion means telling the “same message of Jesus, now and forever, in new, creative, and living ways.” We must never be afraid of proclaiming the truth of the Gospel, even if it means engaging in controversial topics. Also we need to cast a wide net, including to young people in the digital world; non-believers, who are not formed in the faith; and the poor by meeting their human needs and sharing God’s love through social outreach, Msgr. Sylva said.

In his talk in Spanish, Father Jaramillo spoke about the message that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, proclaimed at a catechists’ conference in 2000: “To evangelize means to show the way — to teach the art of living.” Christ has entrusted us as baptized people to continue the mission of proclaiming the Good News to every person we encounter — first and foremost by our Chris­tian witness and the joy with which we engage others. The goal of our mission “is to lead others to experience a personal encounter with the person of Jesus Christ and to recognize that he alone is the answer to man’s most profound questions and the fulfillment of his most intimate desires,” Father Jaramillo said.

“Once we understand that God created us to be happy, that state, which St. Thomas Aquinas defines as beatitudo, we come to realize that it is only possible in the measure in which we live a life for and with Christ. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and through his Bride, the Church, he continues to call men and women of every age to share the kerygma in order that the world may come to know and experience the love and mercy of God incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ,” Father Jaramillo said.

After the first Pentecost Project session on March 5, Sandra Gonzales of St. John’s said she connected with Father Jaramillo’s message. “We have faith, hope, and love and the sacraments of the Church. Feel the joy of Jesus and then spread it to other people, including to your neighbor and your family. Forgive people. It’s hard but with God, it’s possible,” she said.

To register, visit www.patersoncathedral.org/poster or use your cell phone to access registration information with the QR code. For information, call Father Cesar Jaramillo or Deacon Guido Pedraza at

(973) 345-4070.
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The following is the schedule of sessions and presenters for the Pentecost Project, to be held in English and Spanish at the Cathe­dral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson on Saturdays, from March 5 to May 28, starting at 9:30 a.m.

March 12: “Man: Imago Dei [In the Image of God]” by Father Paul Manning, and diocesan vicar for evangelization, and “El Hombre: Imago Dei” by Deacon Germán Vargas of St. John’s.

March 19: “Jesus Christ: True God and True Man” by Father Jaramillo, St. John’s parochial vicar, and “Jesucristo: Verdadero Dios y Verdadero Jombre” by Angie Vargas, graduate in the Spanish track of the Certi­ficate in Catholic Evangeli­zation program at St. Paul’s and the St. Elizabeth University in Convent Station.

March 26: “Holy Spirit: Gifts and Charisms” by Father John Calabro, chaplain and teacher at Pope John XXIII Regional High School in Sparta, and “Espíritu Santo: Dones y Carismas” by Father Luis A. Hernandez, a parochial vicar at St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Parsippany.

April 2: “The Church: Sacrament of Salvation” by Father Jared Brogan, director of the diocesan Office of Worship, and “La Iglesia: Sacramento de Salvación” by Deacon Luis Gil of St. John’s.

April 9: “Revelation” by a speaker to be determined, and “Revelacion” by Father Jorge Castaño, parochial vicar at St. John’s.

April 23: “The Word of God: Mystery and Tradition” by Teresa Kalousie, a catechist in English for St. John’s Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults program, and “La Palabra de Dios: Misterio y Tradición” by Deacon Guido Pedraza of St. John’s.

April 30: “Discipleship: Call to Mission” by Msgr. Geno Sylva, St John’s rector, and “Sacramentos: Signos Visibles de Realidades Invisibles” by Father Danny Pabon, a priest of the Newark Archdiocese.

May 7: “Sacraments: Visible Signs of Invisible Realities” by Ivannia Vega-McTighe, director of Family Faith Formation at St. John’s, and “Discipulado: Llamados a la Mission” by Father Jaramillo.

May 14: “A Church that Goes Out: En­counter and Dialogue” by Pilar Ruiz-Pedraza, chairperson of St. John’s “From Mercy to Hope” Committee, which is in charge of social outreach, and “La Iglesia en Salida: Encuentro y Diálogo” by Maria Moncaleano, director of the diocesan Office for Hispanic Ministry.

May 21: “Christian Joy: Evangelii Gaudium [The Joy of the Gospel]” by a speaker to be announced, and “La Alegria Cristiana: Evangelii Gaudium” by Father Yohan Serrano, parochial vicar of St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish in Chester.

May 28: “Mary: Star of the New Evangeli­zation” by Vega-McTighe, and “Maria: Estrella de la Nueva Evangelización” by Juan Fernando Zapata, a catechist of St. John’s Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults program.