Fr. Gerard Batterbsy

Fr. Gerard Battersby is no stranger to the art of active evangelization. He has been working with teams of parishioners doing door-to-door ministry in the local neighborhood since becoming pastor of St. Christopher Parish in Detroit in 2002.

So naturally, when Father Battersby heard about the start-up STL in the New Evangelization early last summer, his interest piqued. And when he received the STL brochure the seminary mailed tall the archdiocesan priests in August, he knew in his heart: "I would really like to do that." 

"It's really a matter of interest," explains Father, who entered the program in September. "One of the things we are called to be as priests is a teacher. To be an effective teacher, you have to be a life-long learner. That is why I am here."

Father plans to take the new knowledge and skills he is learning back to St. Christopher to better train parishioners involved in evangelization: "to give people the tools they need, because we are all called to evangelize." He also wants to establish continuing education classes in apologetics.

Father is pleased the seminary is not "resting on its laurels," but continues to evolve into a cutting-edge theological institute through the STL, which includes innovative courses such as "Christology in the Third Millennium." There is no more critical time for such a program than now, he believes.

"We live in a post-Christian age. It is an age where God is no longer the 'referent,' but instead secular humanism is the referent.

"Rather than shaking the dust from our sandals, the Holy Father is calling us to look at the world with love and engage the world," says Father.

"The New Evangelization is about having a genuine love for the other person. It is about communicating that no matter how broken we are, Jesus redeemed us and continues to love us.

"In the midst of all of this darkness, I think that is our calling."

Fr. Marc Gawronski 
Motivated by his love for the Hispanic community, Fr. Marc Gawronski entered the STL program this past September. The pastor of St. Mary Parish in Rockwood looks into the future and sees a Catholic Church that will be increasingly multicultural.

"And Hispanics are going to be a big part of that picture, perhaps the biggest part," he believes. "How do we keep proclaiming the Gospel to this community in a way they can hear it?"

Presenting a vibrant Catholicism that is relevant not just to Hispanics, but to all cultural groups, is particularly important today, explains Father Gawronski. This is why the STL has been developed as a program in pastoral theology, emphasizing training in Catholic social analysis and practical methods of evangelization.

Conversely, Father believes that the New Evangelization is about being open to what other cultures have to teach us. "Hispanics have a respect for life, a respect for family, that our culture doesn't have. So, in a sense, they come to our culture proclaiming the Gospel!"

Father is grateful the STL program immerses students in Patristics—the theology of the Early Church Fathers. As Licentiate students become more grounded in the Catholic tradition through their coursework, he believes they will be able to more effectively communicate its inspired teachings in parish and ministry work.

Echoing his classmate Father Battersby, Father Gawronski considers learning a "life-long journey" for the parish priest, not just his parishioners.

"It helps to study some of the things that have happened in the Church since we were ordained," he says, "especially the Holy Father's writings on the New Evangelization. And Sacred Heart is a good place to continue that ongoing journey."

Charlie Fox 
Clearly, Cardinal Maida and the seminary administrators see something of the evangelist in the character of Charlie Fox. Unlike Fathers Gawronski and Battersby, who chose to enroll in the STL program, Charlie, a third-year graduate seminarian, was chosen by his formation superiors to enter the program this past fall.

"I'm not privy to any of those decisions as to why," laughs Charlie, wryly noting that a seminarian's lot is not exactly one of "doing your own thing."

He also acknowledges that, until entering the program, the work of evangelization had not been in the forefront of his ongoing reflections about the priesthood. But now, his outlook has changed.

"Participating in the STL has brought evangelization onto the front burner. Now I see the Church does have a missionary mandate," Charlie explains. "It is something every Catholic is called to do."

Charlie clearly discerns the Holy Spirit leading Cardinal Maida, Father Boguslawski and other seminary leaders to bring the STL program not just to the people of the Detroit archdiocese, but also to students across the country, including laypersons.

"If you look at the world," says Charlie, "you see how many non-Christians there are, and how many Christians who have grown cold in their faith. It is our job to call them to the fullness of communion with the Church and to personal conversion.

"I think the Holy Father is calling us, once again, to take up this very ancient, and yet ever new, mission."