While the church has traditionally used Mass homilies as its primary method of communicating to its people and catechizing them, Bishop Brandt said, "continuing to do so means that it will miss up to three-fourths of its people."

The bias against the church by the secular media, which increasingly dominates modern culture, makes catechizing people an even bigger challenge, he said.

Bishop Brandt said the evangelization effort must focus on invite, welcome and feed. Those were the words used by Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, when he identified three activities that characterize evangelization during a meeting with the bishops of Pennsylvania and New Jersey during their ‘ad limina’ trip to Rome, which included a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI, in December.

"You, my brothers, are the clergy who must lead this evangelization effort," Bishop Brandt said, reminding them, however, that they will have the support of laymen and laywomen, "especially those serving as lay ecclesial ministers or who otherwise have active roles in the life of the parish."

He encouraged the clergy to rely on the new generation of lay leaders who were identified during the recent capital campaign.

"We completed successfully our financial capital campaign with the dedicated help of countless wonderful laypersons," Bishop Brandt said. "Avail yourselves now of the help of these committed laypersons in this spiritual capital campaign we are now embarking on."

Bob Sherwin, managing director of the Office for Evangelization and Faith Formation, moderated the meeting and the clergy’s discussions about several issues after the bishop’s address.

In group settings, the clergy discussed the impact of societal changes over the past several decades on the life of the church, what the new evangelization means to clergy and parishes, what effective evangelization would look like at the parish level and how the diocese can support their work.

"It was good for us to have the comments and recommendations from the clergy on the effective methods of the new evangelization in our diocese," Sherwin said. "And it was good to garner their support of a plan."

He said the clergy’s comments will be summarized and forwarded to the Priests Advisory Council for Evangelization (PACE), which will meet to review the comments and begin planning the early educational and training components needed before an evangelization plan can begin.

"The Evangelization Plan for the Diocese of Greensburg should not be seen as a program that will be done over a fixed period of time. Since we are called as church — clergy, religious men and women and laypeople — to evangelization, parishes and regions will be called upon to plan for ongoing and continuing evangelization efforts. This is a lifelong process for all of us," he said.

Meet the PACE

The Priests Advisory Council for Evangelization (PACE), a temporary committee, will advise Bishop Brandt and the Office for Evangelization and Faith Formation on the elements of the evangelization plan, evaluate the needs and services of the regions and parishes, select an organization to assist the diocese in the evangelization plan and assist in the coordination of diocesan support. The PACE will evolve into a diocesan Evangelization Committee of clergy, diocesan staff, parish staff and parish evangelization leaders.

The council members are:
• Msgr. Lawrence T. Persico, vicar general and pastor of St. James Parish, New Alexandria
• Msgr. James T. Gaston, VF, dean of Deanery 1 and pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish, Lower Burrell
• Msgr. Michael W. Matusak, VF, dean of Deanery 5 and pastor of St. Therese, Little Flower of Jesus Parish, Uniontown
• Father Lawrence L. Manchas, VF, dean of Deanery 2 and pastor of Church of the Resurrection Parish, northern Indiana County
• Father Kenneth G. Zaccagnini, VF, dean of Deanery 3 and pastor of St. Barbara Parish, Harrison City
• Father Daniel C. Mahoney, VF, dean of Deanery 4 and pastor of Holy Family Parish, Latrobe
• Father Daniel L. Blout, pastor of St. Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Kittanning, and administrator of St. Mary Parish, Yatesboro
• Father James D. Tringhese, pastor of St. Regis Parish, Trafford
• Father Anthony J. Carbone, judge in Tribunal and pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish, Latrobe
• Father Michael P. Sikon, director of Office for Worship and pastor of St. John de La Salle Parish, Delmont, and administrator of St. Mary Parish, Export
• Msgr. Raymond E. Riffle, managing director, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Greensburg, and rector of Blessed Sacrament Cathedral Parish, Greensburg
• Father Larry J. Kulick, co-director of the Office for Clergy Vocations
• Father William J. Lechnar, director of Office for Planning and pastor of St. Thomas More University Parish, Indiana
• Msgr. Lawrence R. Kiniry, retired priest of the diocese
• Father Joseph Dadizon Armamento, parochial vicar, St. Agnes Parish, North Huntingdon
• The managing directors of the diocese central administration de-partments serve as staff to the PACE.