Mission Chicago

When I moved to the Archdiocese of Chicago from the Archdiocese of Seattle, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Archdiocese of Chicago had placed a great deal of emphasis on evangelization. Not only is their a Plan of Evangelization for the Archdiocese, but it also created Mission Chicago:

. . .a series of events, missions and opportunities to expand and renew faith. It is an ongoing effort initiated by Cardinal George to encourage evangelization in the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Cardinal George strongly supports the Church’s teaching that evangelization – proclaiming Jesus Christ and inviting people to share His life – is the essential mission of the Church. It is his hope that MISSON CHICAGO will call Catholics to a greater understanding of their faith and inspire them to share that faith with others, and provide an opportunity to re-engage Catholics who are looking for a way, a word, or a reflection to help them pursue their personal mission of faith.

Can you say, yes, Yes, YES!! I am loving my Archdiocese right now. In addition to the Mission Chicago focus, the Archdiocese also has an Office for Evangelization that has a neat web presence. Check out Spreading the Holy Fire!

My little heart is all a-twitter! Right now, I don' t think these efforts have really taken root in the whole diocese, but I believe that they are growing. Cardinal George called 2006 the start of a year of evangelization in the diocese, and things are just starting to heat up.