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SPO 2015 Annual Report

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SPO 2015 Annual Report 2015 ANNUAL REPORT CONTENTS From the Executive Director 3 Facts & Stats 4 What We Do 5 Say What? 6 The SPO Difference 7 Responding to the Call to Be a Missionary 8 God’s “One Last Chance” Changes Everything 10 Mission Center Updates 12 Your Part 14 2014-15 Financial Overview 15 Supporters 16 What a Difference 10 Years in Ohio Makes 40 Leadership & Diocesan Support 42 Sponsors 43 2 FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Gordy DeMarais Do not be afraid to them recounted to me how call to the New welcome Christ and strong the faith had been in Evangelization—a call “accept his power. Open their communities despite not to a new Gospel, but wide the doors to Christ.” the Communist persecution. rather to a new mission Sadly, as many of these field. Christian faith and These are the familiar European countries opened life is eroding in places and words of Saint John Paul II their doors to the west, faith cultures where, historically, Jesus exhorts us in John spoken first on the day of has declined. While the the Church has thrived. 15 to ‘bear fruit that will his inauguration and now west may offer freedom and Today’s mission field is our last.’ One of the reasons included in the readings for opportunities for economic own backyard: every parish, that so many SPO alumni his feast day. This appeal prosperity, it also carries the every Catholic institution, remain deeply rooted in meets us today with the baggage of deeply rooted community, school, and faith is because of SPO’s same urgency as it did in secularism, which at best function becomes a place comprehensive, process- 1978. is ambivalent towards faith for evangelization. oriented approach to and often hostile. evangelization that helps It is easy to lose hope when young people experience we witness the spiritual, Comprehensive Solutions deep, life-changing moral, and cultural darkness A Cause for Hope So often we look for conversion and forms them that surround us today. So into mature adults who aim many are abandoning the The message I shared with the silver bullet that will these Catholic leaders transform our parish or to live their lives in service of practice of faith, losing sight God and others. of God who is the source is the same message I ministry. We are tempted share with you: though we to run after the latest book, and meaning and hope of As you read this Annual experience real challenges inspiring speaker, or program our lives. Young people in Report, I hope you are to proclaiming and living that will change everything. particular are leaving the encouraged by the our Christian faith, the Lord But in my experience, there practice of faith and not testimonies of lives does not abandon us. He are no quick fixes in the New returning. changed and young continues to pour out the Evangelization. We need people reached with the grace of the Holy Spirit, comprehensive solutions and Recently I had the privilege Gospel. Your support has making the mercy and love well-developed processes if of addressing bishops, been instrumental to our and hope of Christ present we are going to be effective priests, and other Catholic mission. On behalf of all the to every human heart. in forming mature Christian lay leaders from eastern missionaries of SPO, thank Europe at a symposium on disciples. From this outpouring of you for your partnership in the New Evangelization near the Gospel. Vienna, Austria. A number of the Holy Spirit comes the 3 FACTS & STATS LOCATIONS ALUMNI IMPACT SPO operates Mission Centers in Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Results gathered from 2014 and 2015 online surveys Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, and Texas. Are living permanent vocations to the 150+ priesthood or religious life Attend Mass weekly 98% Donate to the Church 95% Spend time in prayer every day 91% Currently volunteer for the Church 82% Consider themselves to be passionate 82% Catholics1 after participating in SPO, COMPARED TO 32% before participating Now serve the Church full time (priest, 27% religious, SPO, youth ministry, parish ANNUAL work, etc.) STUDENT IMPACT 2% Divorce rate REACHED by SPO Missionaries through a personal witness of faith or invitation 13,600 ± to participate in SPO Average margin of error: 3.5% 1 Choices: Passionate Catholic, Practicing Catholic, CALLED to embrace faith in Christ Non-observant Catholic, Christian (not Catholic), 1,575 through their weekly participation in Atheist/Agnostic, Other SPO programs FORMED to maturity in the Catholic faith 566 and life through SPO’s Households and Formation Program SENT out to spread the Gospel as 204 SPO staff and Student Missionaries 4 WHAT WE DO REACH CALL FORM SEND Reach out to college students Call students to embrace Form students to maturity in Send students out as by building relationships and faith and salvation in Christ the Catholic faith and life missionaries and leaders in community and His Church • Households SPO, the Church, and the world • Peer ministry • Retreats • Formation Program • Social events • Bible studies • School of the New Evangelization • Sporting events • Prayer events • Missionary Corps The mission of Saint Paul’s Outreach is to build Catholic communities that awaken faith on campus and form lifelong disciples. 5 Missionary A young adult recruited and Household trained to carry out SPO’s evangelization strategy on a A residence on or near college campus. Some are campus led by full-time recent graduates serving SPO Missionaries. Student full-time, while others are members are immersed part-time student volunteers. in, and learn, a deeply Catholic way of life that SAY WHAT? includes daily personal and School of the New communal prayer, regular Understanding SPO Terms and Programs meals and chores together, Evangelization (SNE) and evangelistic service to A week-long summer their peers on campus. conference hosted by SPO that exposes college Chapter Formation Program students and Catholic An evangelistic community A comprehensive program Mission Center ministry leaders to dynamic of students and full-time that instructs participants An operational hub that orthodox teaching, powerful SPO Missionaries on a in the Catholic faith and establishes and supports prayer, and rich community college campus. The life life. Students experience SPO Chapters within a living. Participants leave of a Chapter is based on weekly teaching, one- geographic area. Today, with the skills needed to Christ-centered relationships on-one mentoring, and SPO Mission Centers are bring the Catholic faith to and a structured pattern accountability groups. These headquartered in Arizona, life on campuses across the of frequent events and three pillars provide a strong Florida, Kansas, Minnesota, country. activities. foundation in the Catholic New Jersey, Ohio, and faith for life after college. Texas. 6 THE SPO DIFFERENCE ere’s the situation: faith on campus might whole lives, not just one or College campuses do spend one hour a week two hours per week. Long-Term Results more than educate. at Mass, and perhaps a Because this growth takes H place in the context of daily They influence. They form second hour participating in We build faith-filled the minds and hearts of a campus ministry program. communities on campus that living over the course of young people, and often not These commitments are attract students to Christ and the whole school year or in a good way. admirable, yet two hours impact their whole lives. longer, habits are formed can hardly be enough to that last a lifetime—mature College students are compete with influences We train recent college Catholic habits of prayer, inundated with what they from the other 166 hours in graduates in the art of virtue, service, selflessness, learn in class, the clubs they the week. evangelization so that they and evangelization. The belong to, peer pressure, can serve full time as day-in- result is alumni who are materialism, atheism, sexual Two hours a week can hardly and-day-out Missionaries on faithful followers of Christ temptation, and what the be enough to compete with campus. At the heart of the for the rest of their lives and culture deems as right and influences from the other mission are Households: full- who continue to share the wrong. These experiences 166 hours in the week. time Missionaries actually Gospel with others. They are shape and impact who they living with students, helping renewing the Church and become and the choices them to integrate their faith evangelizing the culture. that they make during the Day In and Day Out into everything they do most vulnerable time in their throughout the week. Living That’s the SPO difference: Saint Paul’s Outreach isn’t lives, away from home and the Household way of life community that impacts satisfied with two hours of figuring out who they will be fosters growth in selfless a student’s whole life for faith a week, let alone ten and what they will believe. love and service of God and Christ. percent Mass attendance. others through daily prayer, When it comes to So we build faith-filled common meals, weekly 1 deciding about the faith, communities on campus Sherry Weddell, Forming Intentional chores, and evangelistic Disciples, 2012, p. 38. unfortunately, Catholicism is that attract students to outreach. not a popular choice. In fact, Christ and impact their only ten percent of Catholic millennials attend Sunday Mass.1 Living out faith on campus has become the exception, not the norm. The small minority that actually try to live out their 7 RESPONDING TO THE CALL TO BE A MISSIONARY by Rebecca Zamora Jesus for His never- had gone before me to do I know in the depths of my ending patience His work in this way and heart that it wasn’t my own and unconditional could see how “perfectly” decision-making that got love, because boy was I they “fit the mold” of a me here.
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