Church in England and Wales hold major conference on evangelisation

conference participants

Representatives from dioceses covering every region, as well as the Ordinariate and the Bishopric of the Forces, gathered on 4 – 5 November at Hothorpe Hall in Leicestershire to showcase and share their evangelization initiatives. 

Projects currently being offered and developed in dioceses include: a new formation and mission centre in Cardiff; new resources to support family-focused evangelisation in Liverpool; a new 'what good news"'website in Brentwood; a four-year project studying the teaching of Vatican II in Arundel and Brighton; the creation of outreach leaflets and a ‘Welcome Back’ outreach Sunday in Hexham and Newcastle; new DVD materials addressing frequently asked faith questions from Plymouth; a successful pilgrimage and prison outreach programme from Salford; new faith sharing materials from Westminster for use in small groups; and much more.

Rev Professor Eamonn Conway, who attended the recent Synod on Evangelisation in Rome as an expert last October, shared insights from the Synod and Pope Francis’ early Pontificate, as well as reflected on the opportunities and challenges present in contemporary culture.

Rt Rev Kieran Conry, Chair of the Bishops’ Department for Evangelisation and Catechesis, hosted the event and said: “Professor Conway was exactly the right person for this gathering. He brought scholarship, insight, spirituality and a profound sense of priesthood. I think that we all felt privileged to have been able to share these days together, and it’s not every meeting that you can judge in that way.”

Barbara Davies attended the meeting representing the Shrewsbury Diocese and said: “24 hours of prayerful reflection with people radically committed to the New Evangelisation. How could that not be inspiring and therefore invigorating? It was all very much an experience not of ‘theory and practice’, but of the ‘spirit and practice’ of the New Evangelisation, and filled us all with hope.”

Meanwhile, Fr James McAuley representing Portsmouth Diocese said: “I found our 24 hours together enriching and affirming. The Church IS mission and I pray that our time together will bear much fruit in the months and years to come.”

This national gathering is bi-annual and aims to facilitate the sharing of evangelisation resources and expertise across the dioceses of England and Wales. It is coordinated by the Home Mission Desk on behalf of the Bishops’ Department for Evangelisation and Catechesis.