Originally published at Orange County Catholic
A GROUP OF ORANGE County Catholics have headed back to school with hopes of deepening their faith and effectively sharing the Gospel in their communities.
Earlier this year, 44 people from seven parishes were handpicked by their pastors to participate in the Diocese of Orange’s new program called The School of Evangelization.
In just a short amount of time, Martha Arenas, manager of The School of Evangelization, has witnessed a visible transformation in each of the participants.
“First, they were kind of apprehensive,” Arenas told Orange County Catholic when looking back on the first weeks of class. “They weren’t sure if they were going to have the tools necessary to do this task, but they’ve grown in confidence. They’ve grown in camaraderie. We’ve become almost like a family.”
As part of the program, participants went on a Kerygma Encounter Retreat. They were also asked to read “Forming Intentional Disciples” by Sherry Weddell. The book aims to provide tools on how to open a conversation about faith and belief, how to establish an atmosphere of trust, when to tell the Great Story of Jesus and how to help someone respond to God’s call to intentional discipleship.
Participants also read over portions
