Grapevine Fall 2012

Good News From Catholic Christian Outreach / Bonne nouvelle de CCO: Mission-Campus

SHARING

ANSWERING

CHANGER NOTRE PERCEPTION

RECONNAîTRE CEux quI sONT élOIGNés

Jésus, NOTRE PONT

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THE CALL

TRUTH THROUGH LOVE

P.13BY MALLORY WHITE

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FAll 2012 | AuTOmNE 2012 | CCO.CA/GRAPEVINE

FALL 2012 / AuTomNE 2012 CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN OUTREACH

Jordan ClaytonCampus Vine, Quebec

Minerva MacapagalCampus Vine, Queens

Kelly Ann KeaysCampus Intern, Queens

Danielle GaudetCampus Intern, Dalhousie/SMU

WHAT’S INSIDE / À L’INTéRIEUR

Conor GeorgeCampus Intern, Carleton

Kathryn NijssenHQ Intern, Office of the President

Patrick HoffmanCampus Intern, UBC

Danielle BreffittHQ Intern, Communicatios

Elaine BoskillPart time, HR

Mallory WhiteCampus Vine, Carleton

John BoskillHQ Intern, Office Manager

Laura PondCampus Intern, UBC

Lindsay RigbyHQ Intern, Finance

Meghann BakerPart time, Office of the President

CHANGING THE FOCus

JE dONNE mON OuI


RECOGNIzING THE lOsT

sHARING TRuTH THROuGH lOVE

RECONNAîTRE CEux quI sONT élOIGNés

I GIVE mY YEs

JEsus, OuR BRIdGE

AT HOmE & ABROAd

Jésus, NOTRE PONT

PRAYER INTENTIONs

ANswERING THE CAll

+ Yes! I want to make a special gift to CCO

+ CCO Cookbook 25th Anniversary

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CATHOlIC CHRIsTIAN OuTREACH

NEw CCO mIssIONARIEs 2012/2013

New CCO Missionaries 2012/2013

FALL EDITION /ÉDITION D’AuTOmNE

FrenchArticle

CHANGING THE FOCUSby Marc-André Vesevolsky,

a student at the University of Ottawa

“The artwork was drawn by Marlon Solis, a participant of CCO’s summer mission, Impact, in Halifax. It shows the mission participants that he lived with during the mission (including Marc-André Vesevolsky, fourth from the left)”

while in Halifax on ImPACT, CCO’s summer mission dedicated to the New Evangelization, we encounter the issue of the different perceptions people have of the Church. we are called to teach our parishioners how to perceive the Church in a way that sheds light on her true meaning and purpose.

In the summer of 2011, while taking a CCO faith study, I was asked the question: “If you were to die today, and God asked you, ‘why should I let you into heaven?’ what would you say?” I answered in the best possible way I thought I could. I knew I sinned on a daily basis, but I also knew that I would always strive to do what’s right, strive to do what God considered morally just. wasn’t that enough? what more could God ask of me? I’m just an imperfect human.

As it turns out, the study explained the way to get to heaven differently. It can actually be summarized in one word: Jesus. It is He, not I, who gets me to that place of eternal bliss; if I had to earn my way into heaven by my-self, I would never get there. No, our sin has created an impassable divide between us and God. Thanks to Je-sus and His free gift of salvation that He offers to every one of us, we have the chance to experience fulfillment and everlasting joy with God the Father in heaven.

The difference between my answer and the study’s an-swer to the “How do you get to heaven?” question is all in the focus of each answer. Instead of focusing self-ishly on ourselves for salvation, we must place all our focus and trust in Jesus in order for us to be granted

this awesome gift.

These answers imitate many people’s general per-ceptions of the Church. Through what kind of lens do you view the Church? Through the lens of ethics? Or through the lens of Christ?

Countless people, both Catholic and non-Catholic, see the Church simply as a “house of rules.” They do not see it as an institution helping to lead people to Christ; rather, they see it as place of restrictions and “dos and don’ts” that somehow gets us to heaven.

As Pope John Paul II once told us,“sometimes even Catholics have lost or never had the chance to experience Christ per sonal ly: not Christ as a mere ‘paradigm’ or ‘value’, but as the living lord, ‘the way, and the truth, and the life’ (Jn 14:6).” l’Osservatore Romano

If we see the Church through the lens of Christ, things begin to make sense. we receive a desire to grow in our relationship with Christ and, in so doing, start to naturally become obedient to His teachings, guided by the Church. we begin to love the sacraments and understand their true meaning: to experience Christ and deepen our relationship with him. we begin to un-derstand the moral teachings provided by the Church to help strengthen our relationship with our God. we grow in trust in His plan for us, “plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future of hope” (Jr. 29:11).

1 / CCO.CA/GRAPEVINE

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2 / CATHOlIC CHRIsTIAN OuTREACH

durant mon séjour à Halifax pour ImPACT, la mission estivale de CCO: mission-Campus consacrée à la nouvelle évangélisation, j’ai fait face au problème des différentes perceptions de l’église dans la pop-ulation. Nous sommes appelés à transmettre à nos paroissiens une vision de l’église qui rende justice à ce qu’elle est en vérité. la seule façon de le faire est de la regarder avec les yeux mêmes du Christ. durant l’été 2011, lors d’une étude de foi de CCO: mission-Campus, on m’a posé cette question: «si tu meurs aujourd’hui et que dieu te demande: ‘Pourquoi est-ce que je devrais te laisser entrer au par-adis?’, que répondrais-tu?» J’ai répondu de mon mieux: «Je sais que je commets des péchés ch-aque jour, mais je m’efforce aussi de faire de bonnes choses, ce que dieu considère moralement juste.» N’était-ce pas suffisant? qu’est-ce que dieu pouvait me demander de plus? Après tout, je ne suis qu’un être humain, imparfait donc.

Il s’avère que l’étude de foi expli-quait comment se rendre au ciel. l’essentiel pouvait se résumer en un mot: Jésus. C’est lui, et pas moi qui me permettra d’atteindre la béatitude éternelle. si je devais gagner mon ciel par mes propres efforts, je n’y parviendrais jamais. Nos péchés ont créé une division infranchissable entre dieu et nous. merci à Jésus et à son don gratuit du salut qu’il offre à tous. Il nous ou-vre la voie à l’accomplissement to-tal de notre personne et à une joie éternelle au ciel, avec dieu le Père.

Il existe une différence fondamen-tale d’orientation entre ma réponse et celle de l’étude de foi à la ques-tion «Comment aller au ciel?». Au lieu d’être égoïste et de mettre

l’accent sur moi-même pour mon salut, je dois faire pleinement confiance à Jé-sus pour qu’il puisse m’ac-corder cet immense don de sa grâce.

Ces réponses représen-tent bien la perception que beaucoup de gens ont de l’église. Avec quel regard voyez-vous l’église? le re-gard de l’éthique ou celui du Christ lui-même?

Plusieurs personnes, catholiques ou non, perçoivent l’église comme exclusivement centrée sur les règles. Elles ne la voient pas comme une institution appelée à les guider vers le Christ. Elles croient que son rôle se limite à dicter quoi faire et ne pas faire plutôt que de contribuer à ouvrir la voie vers le ciel.

même certains catholiques partagent cette vision de l’église. Comme le pape Jean Paul II l’a déjà dit: «Parfois même les catholiques ont perdu ou n’ont jamais eu la chance d’avoir une expérience per-sonnelle du Christ: pas le Christ comme un simple ‘paradigme’ ou ‘valeur’. mais comme le seigneur de la vie, ‘le chemin et la vérité et la vie.’»

si nous voyons l’église avec le regard du Christ, tout trouve son sens. Nous ressentons le désir de grandir dans notre relation avec lui. Ainsi, nous com-mençons à obéir de façon toute naturelle à ses en-

seignements, guidé par l’église. Nous en arrivons à aimer les sacrements et com-prenons leur vraie signification: rencontrer le Christ et approfondir notre relation avec lui. Nous comprenons mieux les enseigne-ments moraux de l’église qui nous aident à raffermir notre relation avec dieu. Nous redoublons de confiance dans les projets qu’il nous propose, «projets de prospérité et non de malheur: […] un avenir et une es-pérance». (Jr 29, 11)

PAR mARC-ANdRé VEsEVOlskY, uNE éTudIANT dE l’uNIVERsITé dE OTTAwA


Fiat: A Yes Can Change The World

Fiat: Un oui peut transformer le monde

28.12.2012 - 01.01.2013

www.cco.ca/riseup

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Des conférenciers dynamiques, des chants de louange vivants, l’Eucharistie quotidienne, de après-midi libres, banquet et soirée dansante pour célèbrer le Nouvel An

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last may, my friend updated her Facebook status, expressing her frustration towards a law regarding contraception and religious convictions. I immediately, and passionately, typed a lengthy paragraph addressing the issue in a way that I thought was logical, in hopes that she would see truth in what I said. Instead, however, my words sparked a hate-filled debate where I was ridiculed for my “crazy beliefs”. I chose not to further the conversation, but already two of my close friends, women who I’ve been praying for, had disagreed with me as well. I’d let myself get carried away, and I worried that, as a result, my friends would turn even further away from Christ.

The Holy spirit was quick to remind me not to dwell on my mistakes; however, it was evident that He wanted me to learn and grow from this situation. It is inevitable, when we choose to live a Christ-centred life, that we will face “issues”.

It’s almost as if you become a magnet that attracts opportunities to have conversations about the most controversial rules, laws, teachings, and practices that relate to the faith.

I know that before I chose to have a personal relationship with Jesus, I turned a blind eye to nearly any topic that would cause conflict. As I grew in my love for Him, it became impossible to remain quiet or indifferent when He or His Church was being terribly misunderstood. Afterall, since we are missionary by nature, it is the natural desire of our hearts to bring others to know the Truth

Trouble arises when we forget that the Truth is a person. He is the

only one who is capable of healing wounds, changing hearts, and satisfying our thirst for love.

we find ourselves discouraged when we fail to “win people over” with our knowledge, our experience, or our gifts, but the reason that our efforts fall short is that we are losing sight of our main goal in evangelization. we must be focused, first and foremost, on introducing those who are lost to the person of Jesus Christ. Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict xVI, eloquently expressed what we should be constantly aware of in our hearts:

when the person who you want to share Jesus with encounters His personal love for them, and when he/she chooses open their heart to Him, He will convince them of and reveal to them what is true. But on our own, we can do nothing.

There is no way to completely avoid “issues”, and it is certainly not our call as Catholics to silently slip out of sight when we encounter questions or comments about the more provocative beliefs we hold. what is important is that we don’t enter into conversations with

others, looking to prove them wrong or prove ourselves right. we should receive the souls in which God entrusts to us with gentle and contrite hearts, and ask Him to help us be docile so that we may do or say whatever He needs us to, in order that they may know Jesus. In the beautiful words of saint Edith stein, “If anyone comes to me, I want to lead them to Him.”

“BEING CHRISTIAN IS NoT THE RESuLT oF AN ETHICAL CHoICE oR A LoFTy IdEA, BuT THE ENCouNTER WITH AN EvENT, A pERSoN, WHICH GIvES LIFE A NEW HoRIzoN ANd A dECISIvE dIRECTIoN.”

- dEuS CARITAS EST

SASKATOON, SK & HALIFAX, NS


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SHARING TRUTH THROUGH LOVEby Kendra Chisolm,

a student at Dalhousie University

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Having confidence in God, in myself, in others… I realize now that I’ve often fallen short in this. It can be difficult to place trust in others, I’ve learned, when you can’t even place any trust in God.

when I began studying at university in the fall of 2009, I would say that I was fairly closed off to other people. I prayed, but for short periods of time and only if I wasn’t too tired. That’s where I was in my faith when I encountered CCO and agreed to take the discovery faith study with a friend.

Toward the end of my studies, I was asked to mC a Cornerstone [/a campus outreach event]. I was nervous since I didn’t know very many people involved with CCO and I had no idea how the event would run. But I accepted anyway, and it was truly a memorable evening! memorable because I love the experience, but also because it was that evening that I first really understood the personal love that God has for me. It was at the moment that I listened to one of the missionaries giving her testimony that I truly understood that Jesus died for me, to save me from my sins, and that he was thinking of all the future souls that he would be saving when he was dying. I remember clearly, I was crying after the testimony! my life had begun to change.

Following that, I wanted to continue and take the other CCO faith studies, and when I was invited to the Rise up national conference in december, I immediately said yes—but I still had some reservations. I didn’t have any specific expectations for the conference: I often stopped myself from making any, for fear of being disappointed.But I was so wrong!

How could I have doubted that God had something special in store for me? It was at adoration one evening that something happened in my heart. The mC invited everyone who wanted to give their yes to the lord’s call, and put God at the centre of their life, to come forward to the front of the room. I knew that despite my hesitation, Jesus, who loves me infinitely, was present before me. He was asking me to come toward him, to trust in him. And as I went to the front, a great

peace descended upon me—there was no more doubt, no more hesitation. I felt like a little child in the lord’s arms. Nothing could hold me back anymore, no fear, no anxiety or confusion. I couldn’t say then exactly what happened, but looking back I know that the Holy spirit came down to fill all of my being. Going to confession completed my choice for Christ. Nothing was torturing me on the inside anymore; my spirit was entirely open to the love of the lord. I raised my hands in praise, all worry gone, and worshiped the lord. I was happy, so happy, and in love with the lord.

since that evening I have really understood that, with God, everything is possible—if only I place my trust in him and let him act.

BY mARIE-CHANTAl COuIllARd,A sTudENT AT uNIVERsITé lAVAl

I GIVE mY YEs

“WITH God, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE IF oNLy I pLACE my TRUST IN HIM ANd LET HIm ACT”


PAR mARIE-CHANTAl COuIllARd, uNE éTudIANTE dE l’uNIVERsITé lAVAl

Avoir confiance en dieu, avoir confiance en moi, avoir confiance en les autres...je réalise aujourd’hui, que j’ai souvent manqué de confiance. Il est difficile d’avoir confiance en les autres, lorsqu’au départ on n’a même pas confiance en dieu.

quand j’ai commencé l’université en enseignement des mathématiques au secondaire à l’automne 2009, je vous dirais que j’étais une fille assez renfermée sur moi-même. Je priais, mais pas trop longtemps et si je n’étais pas trop fatiguée. Puis, j’ai rencontré CCO: mission-campus et j’ai décidé de suivre la première étude de foi découverte avec une amie.

Vers la fin de mon étude, on m’a demandé d’animer un épicentre. J’étais nerveuse car je ne connaissais peu de gens dans CCO: mission-campus et j’avais aucune idée en quoi consistait un épicentre. mais quand même j’ai accepté, et cette soirée fut une soirée mémorable! Oui parce que j’ai aimé l’expérience d’animer, mais aussi parce que c’est à cette soirée que j’ai réellement compris l’amour personnel de dieu pour moi. C’est au moment où j’écoutais le témoignage d’une des missionnaires que j’ai réellement compris que Jésus était mort pour moi, pour me sauver de mes péchés, qu’il pensait à toutes les âmes futures qu’il allait sauver quand il est mort. Je me souviens, j’étais en pleurs après le témoignage! ma vie a commencé à changer.suite à cela, j’ai voulu continuer à suivre les études

de foi, et lorsqu’on m’a invité à la conférence Rise up en décembre, j’ai tout de suite accepté, mais j’avais encore quelques réserves. Je n’avais pas d’attentes bien précises; souvent, c’est ce que je faisais avant, je ne me faisais pas d’attentes, car j’avais peur d’être déçue.

mais je me trompais! Comment ai-je pu douter que dieu ne me réservait pas quelque chose. C’est vraiment à la soirée d’adoration qu’il s’est passé quelque chose dans mon cœur. le conférencier de la soirée a invité tous ceux qui désiraient répondre oui à l’appel du seigneur, et mettre dieu au centre de leur vie, de s’avancer à l’avant. Je savais que, malgré mon hésitation, Jésus, celui qui m’aime infiniment, était présent devant moi. Il me demandait d’avancer vers lui. Il me demandait de lui faire confiance.

Et je suis allée en avant, une grande paix est venue sur moi, il n’y avait plus de doute, plus d’hésitation. J’étais comme une enfant que le seigneur prenait dans ses bras. Plus rien ne pouvait m’atteindre, plus aucune peur, plus aucune angoisse ou confusion. C’est difficile de décrire exactement ce qui s’est passé, mais avec du recul aujourd’hui, je sais que c’est l’Esprit saint qui est descendu sur moi habité tout mon être. Aller à la réconciliation a complété mon choix du Christ. Plus rien en moi-même ne me torturait, mon esprit était entièrement ouvert à l’amour du seigneur qui m’emplissait. Après cela, j’ai pu levée les mains au ciel sans honte et sans gêne dans une paix totale et j’ai loué le seigneur. J’étais heureuse, j’étais tellement heureuse, j’étais fière de moi et je sentais que le seigneur aussi était fier de moi.À partir de cette soirée là, j’ai réellement compris, qu’avec dieu, tout est possible. Il suffit que je lui fasse confiance et que je le laisse agir.

JE dONNE mON OuI

WHAT kEEpS THEm FRom FAITH IS AN INCoRRECT

IdEA oF WHo JESuS IS

RECOGNIZING THE LOST,A REFLECTIoN oN CCo’S uGANdA mISSIoN TRIp

by Mylène Regnier, a student at Carleton University

This past summer, a group of 15 CCO staff and students went to uganda for three weeks. On this mission, we put on week-long parish missions at eight different parishes. we worked with the top leaders of the parishes with the purpose of training these leaders to be evangelists, particularly through leading discovery.

with this, our team was not so much in contact with those who did not know Christ, but rather those who were faithful. These faithful people

that Jesus is so much more than that. Not only is he more than a great teacher, but that they are in desperate need for him. In uganda, many people understand that Jesus is God, and that he helps them in times of trouble.

what many of the lost would not understand though, similarly to those in Canada, is that they also are in desperate need for Jesus.

In order for one who is lost to enter into a relationship with Christ,

As evangelists, we need to understand those we are reaching and what their perspective of Jesus is so that we can guide them into shifting their perspective of him so that they will return to the father.In uganda, we had to communicate this message within our parish missions.

As I led my small groups, people’s heads nodded in eager agreement, and their eyes widened with greater fascination whenever I spoke of the personal and unconditional nature of Christ’s love for us as well as their desperate need for a saviour. The way that the discovery faith study explained so clearly and simply the message of Christ’s salvation and the intimate relationship he offers us excited the members of my small group.

The people in my small groups recognised that their those we are reaching had the wrong perspective of Jesus and that they needed to recognise their need for Jesus. IIn recognizing this, and learning how to meet people where they are, and communicate who Jesus really is, the ugandans left our parish mission feeling equipped to bring souls to Christ.

a desire to come home to the Father.

In the parable of the prodigal son, he returned home when he hit rock bottom and realised that he needed his father. we see that when the perspective he had of his father changed, he returned.

first place. what is the barrier that is keeping them from Jesus? For most people, what keeps them from faith is an incorrect idea of who Jesus is.

In Canada, many people do not believe that he is God; they respect him and say he was a great teacher but they do not comprehend

have friends, family, and fellow parishioners who do not know Christ, with whom they desired to reach out to.

To lead anyone to Christ, we need to discover why they were not in a relationship with Christ in the

there needs to be a change in how they perceive Jesus. For example, when someone has ‘respect’ for Christ, and nothing more, a realization that they need him would shift their perspective of him, giving them


RECONNAîTRE CEUx qUI SONT éLOIGNéS,uNE RéFLExIoN SuR LA mISSIoN ESTIvALE dE CCo:

mISSIoN-CAmpuS EN ouGANdA

by Mylène Regnier, Étudiante à l’Université Carleton

l’été dernier, j’ai fait partie d’un groupe de quinze missionnaires et étudiants de CCO: mission-Campus pour un séjour de trois semaines en Ouganda. durant cette mission, nous avons fait des missions d’une semaine dans huit paroisses. Nous avons travaillé avec des leaders pour les former à devenir des évangélisateurs, tout particulièrement en animant l’étude de foi découverte. dans un tel contexte, notre équipe était en contact non pas tant avec ceux qui ne connaissent pas le Christ, mais plutôt avec ceux qui lui sont fidèles. Ces croyants ont des amis, de la famille et des paroissiens qui ne connaissent pas le Christ et à qui ils

pour le Christ. mais lorsqu’elle réalise qu’elle a besoin de lui, un changement profond survient et suscite en elle le désir de retourner vers la maison du Père. dans la parabole du fils prodigue, celui-ci retourne au domicile familial quand il est arrivé au bout de ces forces et qu’il a pris conscience qu’il a besoin de son père. s’il agit ainsi, c’est parce que la perception qu’il avait de son père a changée.

En tant qu’évangélisateurs, nous devons comprendre nos «Timothée». Nous devons chercher à saisir comment ils perçoivent Jésus afin de les aider à changer leur perception de lui et à retourner

mieux formés pour témoigner du Christ. En comprenant mieux leurs «Timothée», et habités des paroles susceptibles de les toucher en profondeur, ces leaders sont maintenant capables d’aller vers les autres et d’évangéliser avec plus de succès et de courage.

disais. leurs yeux s’écarquillaient chaque fois que je parlais de l’amour inconditionnel et personnel du Christ pour chacun de nous et du besoin profond que nous avons d’un sauveur. la façon claire et simple dont l’étude de foi découverte explique le message du salut du Christ qu’il nous offre réjouissait les participants. Ils prenaient conscience que leurs «Timothée» n’avaient pas une perception juste de Jésus et qu’ils devaient reconnaître qu’ils ont besoin du Christ. En réalisant cela, et en apprenant comment parler de Jésus à ceux qui sont éloignés de l’église, les participants sont repartis de la retraite paroissiale

que Jésus est dieu et qu’il aide les croyants à affronter les difficultés de la vie. Par contre, tout comme au Canada, les personnes éloignées de l’église ne considèrent pas avoir vraiment besoin du Christ.

Pour qu’une personne éloignée de l’église commence une relation avec le Christ, elle doit d’abord changer la perception qu’elle a de lui. Par exemple, elle peut simplement avoir du respect

désirent faire découvrir le message de l’évangile.

Pour guider des gens vers le Christ, il faut d’abord se demander pourquoi ils n’ont aucun lien, aucune relation avec lui. quel obstacle les empêche de se rapprocher de Jésus? la majorité des personnes n’adhèrent pas à la foi chrétienne parce qu’elles ne savent pas vraiment qui est Jésus. Ainsi, beaucoup de Canadiens ne croient pas que Jésus est dieu; ils le respectent et reconnaissent en lui un remarquable enseignant et un sage, sans plus. Or, non seulement Jésus est-il bien plus qu’un illustre enseignant, mais le monde entier a profondément besoin de lui. En Ouganda, on admet généralement

vers le Père.

En Ouganda, nous devions communiquer ce message durant nos missions dans les paroisses. Pendant que j’animais mes petits groupes de discussion, les participants hochaient la tête en signe d’approbation avec ce que je


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“THE NEW EVANGELIZATION IS ALL ABOUT BRINGING ouR pEopLE To A pLACE WHERE THEy kNoW WHo CHRIST IS ANd wHAT HE HAS dONE FoR uS”

BY ANdRé REGNIER, CO-FOuNdER OF CCO

Blessed John Paul II says that many “do not know Christ, or do not know him well enough”. The challenge and opportunity that the Church has been given is to deal with our culture’s widespread lack of real knowledge and experience of Jesus Christ.

A simple question I have asked thousands of Catholics is, “do you believe that Jesus is God?” The response is shocking: a large majority do not believe that He is, or claim that they have never heard Him described this way. Before one can know and be in a personal relationship with Christ, it is necessary that His divinity be clearly understood and accepted. CCO’s discovery faith study devotes a full chapter to explaining, through scripture and the Creed, that Christ’s divinity is foundational to our belief.

This confusion also extends to perceptions of Jesus as saviour. Practising and non-practising

Catholics have, for the most part, varying degrees of reverence and respect for Christ. Although respect is important, the lack of awareness of their need for Him affects their spiritual life. maybe they consider God as an aspect of their life, but they do not think they actually need Him until a serious problem arises.

The bridge analogy illustrates our need for God—not just when we

me, my life is over. I have moved from simple respect to desperate need for the lifeguard.

The new evangelization is all about bringing our people to a place where they know who Christ is and what He has done for us. we have lots of work to do but I pray that this article will help in knowing where to begin.

How does this image, as it is, make you feel?

when we present this in our faith study groups, we let the participants sit with the “bad news” for a while, so they can comprehend its gravity. In this context, the good news is rightfully understood as good! we’ve found this method of using the bridge analogy to be an effective way of communicating humanity’s desperate need for Jesus. I do not have to hit rock bottom in order to need Jesus: because of sin, I’m already there.

[second part of the bridge]

The following analogy shows how we all need to personally recognize our need for Jesus:

when I go to the beach, I recognize and respect the importance of having a lifeguard on duty. The lifeguard is there to help those in need. I’m a competent swimmer, though, so I don’t feel I need the lifeguard. Once a week I wave and acknowledge him, then go for a swim in the deep waters.

One day, as I’m swimming, I swallow a mouthful of water and begin to choke. Gasping for air, I swallow more water. I begin to panic as I start to sink. I go down once, twice. At this point, I know that if I go down a third time, I will die. my attitude towards the lifeguard has changed drastically: I realize that if he doesn’t get off his chair and come rescue

have a life-or-death crisis, but at all times. we need Him because He rescues us from sin and death and restores us back to the Father.

[first part of the bridge]

God and man stand on opposite sides of an immense river. In the huge chasm separating man from God are sin and death.


JEsus, OuR BRIdGE

“LA NouvELLE évANGéLISATIoN A pouR BuT d’AmENER NoS CoNNAISSANCES à RECoNNAîTRE quI EST LE CHRIST ET CE qu’IL A FAIT pouR Eux. ”


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PAR ANdRé REGNIER, CO-FONdATEuR dE CCO: mIssION-CAmPus

le bienheureux Jean Paul II a dit que beaucoup de personnes aujourd’hui «ne connaissent pas le Christ ou ne le connaissent pas assez bien». Voilà qui lance un véritable défi à l’église: que faire dans une société comme la nôtre où l’absence d’une vraie connaissance et l’expérience de Jésus Christ est répandue.

J’ai posé cette simple question à des milliers de catholiques: «Est-ce que vous croyez que Jésus est dieu?» la réponse est surprenante: la grande majorité ne croit pas qu’il l’est ou ne l’a jamais entendu décrit comme tel. Pour qu’une personne connaisse le Christ et établisse une relation personnelle avec lui, elle doit comprendre et accepter clairement sa divinité. dans l’étude de foi découverte de CCO: mission-Campus, un chapitre entier s’appuie sur les saintes écritures et le Credo pour expliquer que la divinité du Christ est une donnée fondamentale de notre foi.

Cette méconnaissance s’étend aussi à la perception de Jésus comme sauveur. les catholiques, pratiquants ou non, vénèrent ou respectent le Christ dans une certaine mesure. Pourtant, même s’ils éprouvent du respect pour lui, ils n’arrivent pas à reconnaître que le besoin de son salut a des répercussions sur leur vie spirituelle. Peut-être considèrent-ils dieu comme un aspect de leur

vie, mais ils ne croient pas qu’ils ont réellement besoin de lui, jusqu’au moment où un problème sérieux survient.

l’analogie du pont illustre notre besoin de dieu, non seulement lorsque nous affrontons une situation périlleuse, mais à tout moment. Nous avons besoin de lui parce qu’il nous sauve du péché

JéSuS, NoTRE poNT

et de la mort et qu’il rétablit notre relation avec le Père.dieu et l’homme se tiennent sur les deux rives d’une immense rivière. dans le grand gouffre qui les sépare se trouvent le péché et la mort.

que ressentez-vous devant cette image?

lorsque nous vivons cette démarche avec nos petits groupes d’étude de foi, nous laissons réfléchir les participants durant quelques instants pour qu’ils prennent conscience de la gravité de la «mauvaise nouvelle». Ainsi la bonne nouvelle sera d’autant mieux reçue! Nous avons découvert que l’utilisation de l’analogie du pont est un moyen efficace pour exprimer le profond besoin de Jésus qui habite l’humanité. Je n’ai pas à attendre

sauveteur doit être en poste. le sauveteur est là pour aider ceux qui en ont besoin. mais moi qui suis un bon nageur, je ne crois pas avoir besoin de lui. Alors quand je vais me baigner, une fois par semaine, je remarque sa présence et je le salue. Puis, je plonge et nage vers les eaux profondes.

un jour, en nageant, j’avale soudainement une grosse gorgée d’eau et je m’étouffe. Haletant, j’avale encore de l’eau et, pris de panique, je commence à caler. Je descends sous l’eau une fois, deux fois. si je descends une troisième fois, je vais me noyer. mon attitude envers le sauveteur change alors radicalement: s’il ne quitte pas sa chaise pour venir me secourir, ma vie approche à sa fin. le simple respect que j’avais à son égard vient de se transformer en un besoin désespéré.

la nouvelle évangélisation a pour but d’amener nos connaissances à reconnaître qui est le Christ et ce qu’il a fait pour eux. C’est un travail immense, mais je prie pour que cet article nous aide à savoir par où commencer.

d’être rendu au bout de mes forces pour reconnaître que j’ai besoin de Jésus. À cause du péché, son secours m’est déjà indispensable.

l’image suivante illustre que nous avons tous besoin de reconnaître notre besoin de Jésus:

quand je vais à la plage, je reconnais et je respecte l’importance qu’un


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AT HOmE ANd ABROAddoing whatever it takes: students who signed up for a faith study got to pie a staff member in the face! This definitely got some attention from passersby’s and re-connected our returning students.

A big part of the fall semester is reaching out to new students and being visible.we set up a table in a busy spot to invite people to join CCO.This also gives returning students an opportunity to volunteer at the table and be a witness.

Close to 1000 students filled out our survey over 4 days, leaving 240 contacts.CCO staff members and students will then call those people and invite them to join a faith study and to attend CCO events.

ImPACT 2012 served the diocese of Halifax-Yarmouth for 14 weeks. 57 students worked in 11 parishes and led nearly 500 people through faith studies over the course of the summer. Each of those 11 parishes have several members who are committed to continuing faith studies and the work of outreach that the ImPACT team began this summer. Pictured is the Cornerstone outreach event that welcomed 250 people on average on a weekly basis.

After gathering 400 phone numbers of new people interested in CCO, the student leaders and CCO staff members had a phone blitz to invite people personally to attend the next CCO event and to sign up for a Faith study.They made 150 calls the first night of the blitz.

In our second mission project to uganda we brought 11 Canadian students to join 21 ugandan students from 7 ugandan universities. They ran parish retreats in kampala and masaka and empowered close to 50 people to lead CCO’s discovery study.

Free cupcakes were waiting for all students who came to hand in their schedule to take a faith study. This is a great way to get leaders involved, making cupcakes, and new students incentive to get their schedules in on time!

Free food for student who fill our our survey! They can leave their contact information if interested, and our students follow them up to meet and invite them to our events and faith studies.

les étudiants se réunissent pour commencer l’année avec un barbecue, des jeux et de la formation.

Our first event was an outreach BBq with free pop and smokies. many of our involved students brought their friends and many students who came by did not even know there was a Catholic Club on campus!

students from Ottawa u collecting faith studies and inviting new students to sign up. Free Timbits always help the cause! Ottawa’s Fall retreat was held sept 21-23 with 75 attending.

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uNIvErSITy OF BrITISH COLumBIA

CArLETON uNIvErSITyQuEEN’S uNIvErSITy

SImON FrASEr uNIvErSITy

ImPACT 2012

DALHOuSIE & SAINT mAry’S uNIvErSITIES

AFrICA 2012

uNIvErSITy OF SASKATOON

CCO: mISSION-CAmPuS QuéBEC

uNIvErSITy OF CALGAry

uNIvErSITy OF OTTAWA


A radical conversion in thinking is required in order to become a missionary” - Blessed John

Paul II

has just published his first book, “Catholic Missionary Identity”. Visit CCOCANADA.ca to

order a copy

Andre Regnier CCO Co-Founder

PRAyER CORnER/LE COIn DE PRIèRE

en

JOIn OuR PRAyER PARTnERSHIP BuLLETIn AT CCOCAnADA.CA, AnD OuR 24/7 PRAyER CAMPAIgn wHICH wILL BE HAPPEnIng In OCTOBER: 247.CCO.CA

JOIgnIEz-VOuS à nOTRE CAMPAgnE DE PRIèRE 24/7 QUI AuRA LIEu Au MOIS D’OCTOBRE. VISITER: 247.CCO.CA

moNTHy GIvING pLAN opTIoNS

pLANNEd GIvING To CCo

yES! I wAnT TO MAKE A SPECIAL gIFT TO CCO.

NAmE

CARd #

mONTHCOmmENCING

PHONE

CITY | PROVINCE | POsTAl COdE

VIsA

pRE-AuTHoRIzEd BANk pAymENTS

$500

oTHER: $

$300 $200 $100 $50 $25

I WouLd LIkE moRE INFoRmATIoN oN pLANNEd GIvING To CCo

12 poST-dATEd CHEquES, WHICH I HAvE ENCLoSEd.

1ST 16TH

I HAvE mAdE A BEquEST To CATHoLIC CHRISTIAN ouTREACH IN my WILL

Please enlose a sample cheque marked “VOId“. The sample cheque will provide us with the information necessary to begin automatic deductions.

I hereby authorize Catholic Christian Outreach to arrange automatic deductions from my bank account or credit card on the:

CCo would like to invite you to join us in the New Evangelization through monthly financial support. monthly donations provide CCo missionaries with stable finances, allowing them to focus more time on campus evangelization. please consider giving – we cannot do it without you!

I want to support on a monthly basis in the amount of:

for payments of my monthly support:

of each month,

I would like my gift to be used in the ministry of:

I acknowledge that my gift is a gift to the ministry of Catholic Christian Outreach and will be used in a manner that it believes will best advance its charitable purposes. If my preference changes, it is my

responsibility to inform Catholic Christian Outreach.

Please make cheques payable to Catholic Christian Outreach.

mAsTER CARd

*

AddREss

ExPIRY dATE

sTAFF mEmBER, sPECIFIC PROJECT, OR CCO GENERAl

sIGNEd

dATE

October: For students who signed up for faith studies, that no obstacles prevent them from having the courage to attend their small group.

november: For students applying this month for the mission to uganda summer 2013, that they will have the generosity to respond to god’s call.

December: For CCO national strategic meetings happening at the beginning of the month, that the Holy Spirit directs these important discussions.

Octobre: Pour les étudiants inscris aux études de foi, que tous les obstacles soient retirés pour qu’ils puissent assister à leur étude de foi.

novembre: Pour la mission l’été prochain en Afrique, que les étudiants soient généreux et aient le courage d’envoyer leur candidature avant la date limite.

Décembre: Pour les rencontres stratégiques qui auront lieu au début du mois, que l’Esprit Saint dirige les discussions.

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ANswERING THE CAllmAllORY’s sPIRITuAl JOuRNEY ANd wHAT lEd HER TO JOIN CCO sTAFF

while studying kinesiology at dalhousie university, I encountered CCO through their “survey table” outreach initiative. It was there that I began to participate in faith studies, grow in my love for Jesus, and hear His plan for my life.

I heard His invitation to be a CCO missionary at the Rise up 2011 Conference in Vancouver.

One of the speakers spoke directly to what I had been experiencing in my life. she described how some people have a desire to micro-manage their lives and to control everything. They continue to strive for an ‘ideal’ and exhaust themselves in the process, becoming overcome with anxiety and stress.

Mallory White is serving in our one year VINE program at Carleton University. VINE stands for “Volunteers In the New Evangelization”

Throughout my degree, I had never settled on what I wanted to be “when I grew up” but it never really bothered me because I figured I had a lot of time to decide. However, in my last year of school I became anxious with uncertainty and thinking about my future dominated my every thought. when I heard at the conference that Jesus sincerely wanted me to “give up” and to let Him take over, my weary heart came alive. At that moment I told Jesus that I would go anywhere He wanted me to go. later that day, a CCO missionary invited me to hear more about serving with CCO, and I decided that a VINE year was exactly what I needed to do. Having surrendered to Jesus and his plan for me, I know that joining the VINE program was the best decision I could have made. I have great expectations for what God will do in me and through me this year.

CCO COOKBOOK

“I’ve never used a recipe from this book that hasn’t been fantastic!”

“I wish every university student had this cookbook. They would feel equipped to prepare a meal just like they eat at home.”

CCO’s cookbook is back by popular demand — and here to commemorate CCO’s silver anniversary!

The 20th anniversary edition received glowing reviews and an overwhelming response.

CCO’s 25th anniversary edition features additional recipes (more than 900) and new content and layout of the “memory” section, with photos spanning our 25 years of campus ministry including missions and conferences.

This makes a great keepsake of CCO’s 25 years, and a treasured Christmas gift. To order go to www.cco.ca/store or call 613-736-1999. Cost $25.

Catholic Christian outreach is a university student movement dedicated to evangelization . we challenge young adults to live in the fullness of the Catholic faith, with an emphasis on becoming leaders in the renewal of the world

CCO celebrates the opening of the Year of Faith and prays for the Synod on the New Evangelization. Come Holy Spirit!

CCO is very proud to announce the public release of our online interactive training for the Discovery faith study! We are proud to offer this to the Church to equip others to engage in the new evangelization.Experience the interactive training online at www.leadingdiscovery.caOrder Discovery faith studies at http://www.ccocanada.ca/store.aspx

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:

Catholic Christian Outreach Canada1247 kilborn Pl. Ottawa, ON. k1H 6k9. Canada. Phone: (613) 736-1999 • Fax: (613) 736-1800 • Email: [email protected] website: www.cco.ca

CCO (Catholic Christian Outreach) : mission-Campus est un mouvement d’évangélisation en milieu universitaire. Il incite les étudiants à vivre pleinement leur foi catholique et met l’accent sur la formation de leaders pour le renouveau du monde.

CATHoLIC CHRISTIAN ouTREACH CANAdA

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Grapevine Fall 2012

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Transcript of Grapevine Fall 2012