John Hickey will assist parishes with evangelization initiative being launched in the diocese of Saskatoon

John Hickey of CCO has taken up a new part-time role as Evangelization and Mission Leader in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)

By Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News

John Hickey brings extensive experience evangelizing young adults to his new role of encouraging evangelization efforts in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon.

Hickey’s ongoing work as the Saskatoon campus leader for Catholic Christian Outreach over the past 15 years has provided him with a range of experience and best practices for helping others to encounter Jesus Christ and engage in their Catholic faith.

These insights from a university setting will now be shared with parish leaders in a new additional role for Hickey as part-time Evangelization and Mission Leader for the diocese.

Growing up in Saskatoon, where he and his wife Heather are also now raising their four children, Hickey has had a long-time interest in expanding evangelization efforts in parish and diocesan settings.

“While most of my career has been spent with university students, a particular passion of mine and some of the favourite projects that I have been working on through CCO have been more parish and diocesan related,” he says of the new opportunity to assist parishes in focusing on evangelization.

The new position of Evangelization and Mission Leader came out of extensive reflection by an Evangelization Commission recently created by Bishop Mark Hagemoen. As the chair of that commission, Hickey has been among those in the diocese discussing practical ways to implement priorities in the diocesan Pastoral Plan to “Proclaim Christ and God’s Kingdom Today.” The first priority of that three-year plan is to draw people into greater intimacy with Jesus Christ.

“A lot of the commission’s reflection was looking at the lay of the land, and seeing where we are now in light of these objectives, and what are some of the supports we could offer and recommendations,” Hickey describes. “One of the things that kept coming up was the importance and need for people to hear the gospel proclaimed in a clear and simple way – that was something that we kept hearing. People need an encounter with Jesus, they are searching for that personal encounter.”

The committee of both urban and rural representatives also recognized a hunger among many Catholics to find ways to share their faith effectively. “There are many people in our diocese who are excited about faith sharing, and who want to get involved in evangelization, but they feel that they don’t know how. It became apparent to us as a committee that we need to activate these missionaries in our diocese.”

As the Pastoral Plan demonstrates, the need is great. “There are too many people who have never encountered Jesus or don’t know him well enough right here in Saskatchewan — and the Lord is calling us to be missionary,” says Hickey.

“What we are trying to do is activate people. Every person has a missionary call, received and conferred on them at their baptism. Unfortunately, because life is busy, it takes effort to hear that voice from the Lord, that calling,” says Hickey. “What we are hoping to do is use this movement as sort of a rallying point in order for people to get behind this, and give them a bit of direction and encouragement to take up that missionary call.”

This new Evangelization and Mission effort in the diocese of Saskatoon is echoing what is happening in other settings around the world, adds Hickey.

“The diocesan Evangelization Commission looked at a number of models, and the one that closely mirrored what we felt called to, is what’s happening in the Archdiocese of Vancouver – a similar movement to ours, called the Proclaim Movement, but adapted for our diocese.”

Focus on Alpha and Discovery as resources for evangelization

Part of that adaptation for the diocese of Saskatoon will see Hickey providing practical resources to parishes for sharing the basic gospel message of Jesus Christ – namely Alpha and CCO Discovery programs.

“The reason that we have picked Alpha and Discovery is that we know they are good programs, they are designed with a narrow focus for helping people understand in a clear and simple way the basic gospel message,” says Hickey. “They are people-focused, and I am familiar with them, and we will be able to coach people to do both programs well.”

He stresses that in both Alpha and Discovery, the people are meant to be the missionaries, and not the program.

“Both Alpha and Discovery provide the context for people to come together and ask questions, and explore their faith and to hear the Kerygma (the basic gospel message of the saving power of Jesus Christ). But each program relies on the people and the relationships you build to actually do the work of evangelization.”

The disruption and restrictions of COVID-19 in some ways make this process a bit more challenging, but also provide an opportunity as well as renewed motivation, suggested Hickey.

“There is disconnection (given the restrictions on numbers that can gather, etc.) – but there is also an opportunity,” he said. “People have had a lot of time for reflection, for asking the big questions of life… there is an opportunity in that increased willingness to hear the Gospel and in people searching for an encounter with God. It is right in front of us, we just have to be creative in how we seize this opportunity.”

Diocesan events highlight the new evangelization initiative

During a recent online Administration Day meeting Hickey introduced himself and announced an upcoming Transform conference Saturday, Nov. 21, which will launch the Evangelization and Mission initiative in the diocese of Saskatoon.

In addition, Hickey is one of the speakers involved in a two-day inspirational online event in the diocese of Saskatoon — Congress Days will be held Oct. 23 and 24 exploring the theme Proclaim Christ and God’s Kingdom.

In his new part-time role as Evangelization and Mission Leader (as part of the diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis funded by the Bishop’s Annual Appeal), Hickey says that his initial goal is to find a couple of parishes in the city and one or two in the rural area “to really invest with a lot of energy into evangelization through this movement this year.”

“What I can offer is some coaching, some best practices — in terms of recruitment and how to run the Alpha or Discovery programs well, and how to reach people who don’t necessarily normally come to such programs.”

Hickey concludes: “If people reading this have a heart for mission and are feeling a nudge from the Spirit and want to be involved in evangelization and the mission of the church, they should talk to me.”

Reach John Hickey in his new role as Evangelization and Mission Leader by e-mailing him at jhickey@rcdos.ca or calling (306) 659-5847.

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VIDEO: Bishop Mark Hagemoen speaks about Evangelization and Mission, supported by gifts to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal