Create a welcoming and inviting parish
by Stefani Manowski
February 17, 2014

The human element is the key to a successful evangelization effort. That’s where Neighbors Reaching Neighbors, a new evangelization kit by Paulist Evangelization Ministries, comes in.

“This puts a face together with evangelization, with the Church,” said Father Frank DeSiano, CSP, director of PEM. “[Neighbors Reaching Neighbors] challenges parishes not only to be welcoming but to be inviting, and gives them the tools to reach beyond their own membership and invite people not connected with the Church.”

The Neighbors Reaching Neighbors kit contains materials that can evangelize entire communities, including informational DVDs, postcards, door hangers, posters, booklets and invitations. The booklets cover topics such as: 5 Misconceptions of the Catholic Church, 5 Reasons to Consider the Catholic Church, What Can the Catholic Church Offer Me and Got Problems? Maybe You Already Know the Answer.

“The general reluctance and fear of Catholics when it comes to sharing faith and inviting others has been a major hindrance to evangelization and the growth of our faith,” explained Father DeSiano. “Often the problem is that parishes cannot imagine what they can do because they don’t have resources – materials – that they can use. So we wanted to provide a range of tools that would help parishes imagine how they can reach out, and have materials for them to use in doing this. We recognize that parishes are different – our manual talks about how these resources can be used in rural areas, urban areas or various kinds of suburban environments.”

The sample kits will contain materials for 25 neighbor visits, and “parishes can then order the specific materials they want as they think about reaching others,” said Father DeSiano. “You can even plan an event and invite people to come!”

For more information on Neighbors Reaching Neighbors, visit pemdc.org.