Spreading the Gospel

CLIFTON  Already active in her parish of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Paterson, Brigida Nunez has been traveling this fall to the John Paul II Pastoral Center here for classes on Wednesday evenings to become more formed in her faith, so she can more effectively evangelize the “Good News” of the Gospel.

Nunez — involved in St. John’s lector, Pre-Cana marriage-preparation and New Evangelization ministries — joins 27 other local Spanish-speaking Catholics for those weekly sessions in starting to pursue a three-year diocesan “Leadership Certificate in Hispanic Ministry with Specialization in Evangelization.”

The students already have met for seven sessions at the pastoral center for the first course of program, “Introduction to Evangelization,” taught by Father David Guzman of the Yarumal Missionaries of Colombia, who serves Our Savior Parish, in the Bronx, N.Y. In its first year, the Spanish-language certificate program, a collaboration between St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Evangelization Center at Bayley-Ellard here and the College of St. Elizabeth’s DePaul Center for Spirituality and Ministry, Convent Station, started in September. The program seeks to provide the groundwork for training and empowering the future leaders who serve Hispanics in the U.S. Church, according to Deacon Guido Pedraza, diocesan coordinator of Hispanic Ministry.

“Hispanics are involved in parish life and are passionate about the Christian life. They want to help the pastor but they need the tools and experience to serve God’s people,” said Deacon Pedraza, who noted that many students come to class straight from work — a sign of their dedication to the program. “These are our people. A lot of leaders have been asking for this. They need information,” he said.

The Spanish-language program runs in tandem with the English-language diocesan Certificate in Catholic Evangelization (CCE) — a collaboration between St. Paul’s and Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology, South Orange. This fall, St. Paul’s welcomed its third class in English for CCE, a three-year program for priests, deacons, religious sisters and lay people, which was offered for the first time in the diocese starting in 2011 — and for the first time by any diocese in the U.S. Near the conclusion of the program, which can be taken for college credit, graduates enact individual “action plans,” which they develop to spread the Gospel in their own lives, said Eni Honsberger, diocesan director of Family Life and a CCE graduate.

“I came here to learn more about Scripture, so I can teach my parish. When I know [about faith in Jesus], I can’t keep it to myself,” said Nunez. “Our teacher [Father Guzman] is very dynamic. He uses simple words, so that we can understand,” she said.

The six courses for the Spanish-language track are: “Introduction to Evangelization,” “Hispanics and the Church in the U.S.,” “Leadership Skills and Competencies,” “Challenges in Ministry Today Pastoral Leadership” and “Evangelization: Integration Seminar.” Each of these courses can either be taken as non-credit bearing courses or credits toward a bachelor’s degree in theology or pastoral ministry through St. Elizabeth’s. Classes for future courses will be held either at St. Paul’s or at Paterson or Passaic parishes, Deacon Pedraza said.

Students, who attended a recent class of Father Guzman’s, originated from parishes around the Diocese, including ones from the cities of Paterson and Passaic and suburbs of Clifton and Dover. Father Guzman has taught classes on the Bible at the Cathedral of St. John. During his lessons, he engages students — who sit in a “U”-shaped formation — with stories and jokes and asks questions. Students also ask their own questions and offer their own reflections. Father Guzman spoke recently about how several papal documents relate to evangelization, including “The Joy of the Gospel” by Pope Francis.

“The last four popes have asked us to have the courage to become missionaries and to be on the move with the missionary spirit of the Gospel in this world that keeps changing,” Father Guzman said. “We are invited to be participants, not spectators. We are called to evangelize with a new energy and new efforts. Also, we need to find out how to make faith relevant to the new generation, which does not think that Church is important,” he said.

Students of the “Introduction to Evangelization” course are required to complete homework — usually based on the challenges that they face in parish life or on Church documents — and take tests. Father Guzman said that the students “love the Church and their parishes the way that they talk about them. They want to know more about their faith and give testimony about the Bible.”

Alex Moya of St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Passaic, attended a recent class with his wife, Fior. He has been part of the parish choir and a sub-coordinator of its prayer group.

“So far, I have gained a lot of knowledge. It makes me want to learn more. When I proclaim the Gospel, I want some background — some knowledge,” Moya said. “I want people to know Jesus. I want them to feel what I feel: a personal relationship with him,” he said.

[For details go to: www.insidethewalls.org/registration.html or call (973) 377-1004.].