Bishop Conley (@bishop_conley) / X (Left), Adobe Stock (Right)
CV NEWS FEED // Bishop James Conley of the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, recently encouraged the faithful of his diocese to participate in the National Eucharistic Revival’s plan to walk with Catholics who have fallen away from the Church and bring them back to Mass.
Bishop Conley pointed out in an article for the diocese’s newspaper that the three-year-long National Eucharistic Revival is now in its final year, which is focused on the theme of “mission.”
“Did you know that the word for Mass comes from the Latin word Missa?” Bishop Conley wrote. “This is where we get the word mission. “It [sic] Missa est,” (the Mass is ended), now go in peace. Go out into the world and become missionary disciples.”
Bishop Conley provided practical advice for becoming a “missionary disciple” to bring people to the Eucharist, stating that the first step is to love fallen-away Catholics and those who have never been Catholic.
“We must show them that we care. We must treat them with dignity and respect. We must listen to them, and be authentic, transparent, trusting and vulnerable. This is the only way to win hearts and minds. Without first building trust and authenticity, people will not really believe us,” he emphasized.
He added:
The good news is that we can all do this. It’s not hard. We are all well-quipped [sic] for this mission.
Bishop Conley called for Catholics to follow the National Eucharistic Revival’s “Walk with One” plan, which allows every faithful Catholic to accompany a person back to the faith through four simple steps. The process includes identifying a person to walk with, interceding for them through prayer, intentionally connecting with them, and inviting them to a Catholic activity or event.
“Obviously, not everyone is called to spread the Gospel in foreign lands, or even to go door-to-door in his or her own community. But I think the Lord is asking each of us to step out of our comfort zone and evangelize one-to-one. Who is that one person for you?” Bishop Conley challenged, adding:
Lord, increase our gratitude for the gift of your Son in the Holy Eucharist. Help us to find ways to share this amazing gift with others. Give us the courage and the confidence to be bold but joyful. And give us the grace to commit ourselves to “Walk with One.”
