A remark made thirty years ago by a professional colleague of mine at the time still sticks in my mind. The religious roots of his family tree had long ago atrophied and he was a member of what today would be called the “nones”. However, he determined that because of the conservative beliefs of his wealthy clientele some association with a socially recognized religion would benefit his business career. So, he joined a denomination which identified itself as Christian. While it lacked creed, canon and liturgy this denomination did embrace a mission of moral improvement and universal peace. Once our acquaintance had sufficiently progressed my colleague offered a friendly observation which to me veiled a criticism. “Catholics”, he suggested, “are Christocentric”.
Our wise elders teach us that comparisons are odious. Even so, it is difficult for me not to notice the contrast between my colleague’s response to Christianity and that of two gentlemen I have recently met.
Luke LeTourneau and Rob Longo, both laymen with families and previous secular careers, are ‘Mission Ambassadors’, a new endeavor sponsored by a group called “Stewardship: A Mission of Faith” (www.stewardshipmission.org). This latter enterprise is a family of ministries founded in 2010 by David Abel, its current executive director, and it includes outreach programs that focus on leadership, fatherhood, music, the Catholic faith and sexual integrity. The organization operates under the episcopal oversight of Bishop Gainer and enjoys the support of the Diocese of Harrisburg and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
The apostolate of Mission Ambassadors is to create a culture of evangelization by helping the students in 28 area Catholic high schools take religion from a subject that is learned to a faith that is lived. For reasons beyond the scope of his article many students attend Catholic high schools with an inadequate understanding of the faith. Catholicism for them is a vague sense of being good and following rules and has little to do with an encounter with Christ. Those responsible for transforming the faith from a classroom topic into a lifetime calling are the campus ministers. Theirs is the vocation to bring students closer to Jesus. However, these stalwart evangelizers themselves need support, especially in light of the evangelization challenge which confronts them. The Mission Ambassadors provide this invaluable help by their faith sharing, campus coaching and mentoring. They establish a more vibrant network of the campus ministers within the dioceses and counsel them on team building among students faculty and parents. They share database information and encourage sacramental and religious activities during and after school hours. Significantly, the involvement of the Ambassadors is all the more effective inasmuch as they have access to the people, products and services of their parent group, Stewardship: A Mission of Faith. As the organization’s website indicates, this evangelizing outreach has borne much fruit.
Luke LeTourneau and Rob Longo each explains that the zeal of his conviction is in response to the beckoning words of Jesus: “I am the way, the truth and the life” and his personal relationship with our Lord. Wherever we fall on the spectrum of belief – as believers, non-believers, or disbelievers – we would do well to reflect on the significance of Christ’s invitation and its implications for the Kingdom and for our role in its advance.