Each Diocese in England and Wales has been invited by Cardinal Vincent Nichols to become involved in a national evangelisation initiative called Proclaim ’15.
This initiative is being launched to support, inspire and encourage new expressions of parish evangelisation. It will affirm the good work already being done by the Catholic community and provide resources to help in building outward looking missionary parishes.
The major event of Proclaim ’15 is a National Catholic Evangelisation Conference on 11 July, 2015 in Birmingham. The overall plan for preparation and follow up is:
Preparation: Three evangelisation themed sessions for parish groups will be available for download from mid January 2015.
Prayer: Parishes will be invited to host an evening of prayer on 11 July to coincide with the national conference
Event: The National Catholic Evangelisation Conference itself will take place on Saturday 11 July 2015 in central Birmingham with 850 delegates from England and Wales.
Legacy: Online resources will be provided to enable dioceses, deaneries and parishes to have their own Proclaim ’15 gatherings in Autumn 2015.
Resources: will also be made available as a result of the National Conference to help equip parish evangelisation groups in Autumn 2015.
Proclaim ’15 will have a practical focus designed to fulfil the wish of Pope Francis in ‘The Joy of the Gospel’ when he writes:
“I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelisation marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come”.
A booklet giving more information about Proclaim ’15 is available to download.
