Evangelizers reach out to young Catholics with retreats, parish events

A new troupe of missionaries has landed in B.C.

Four members of NET Canada have moved to Vancouver to reach more young Canadians with their evangelization programs.

“There’s a real crisis happening in our youth today,” said western program coordinator Jean-Paul de Fleuriot.

“There’s so much loneliness, isolation, hopelessness, and helplessness. A lot of our young people are yearning for direction and yearning for hope, but they’re grasping thin air and don’t know where to put their feet on the ground.”

NET, which stands for New Evangelization Teams, brings the Gospel to students in Grades 6-12 in Catholic schools and parishes.

The group does it by training missionaries between the ages of 18 and 30 and sending them on missions to run retreats, events, and youth ministries.

Executive director Joe Vogel said he’s seen the fruits of these initiatives in Ottawa, where NET Canada first opened an office in 1994.

“To a young boy or girl who’s 13, I’m an old man. I could probably share the Gospel to them, but they wouldn’t be receiving it from what they would feel one of their peers,” he said.

“It’s very effective ministry when you have someone else saying: ‘I know what it’s like being in your shoes. I listen to your music, I have teachers, I study that, I’m on Snapchat and Facebook, and I know these movies.’ That’s where conversion can come in: ‘You’re happy. You’re joyful. You’re loving. I want that too.’”

Vogel felt so called to bring NET to western Canada that he moved his wife and eight children to B.C. do it.

“The distance from Ottawa to Vancouver is the same distance from Ottawa to Ireland,” he said. “It’s hard to be a missionary in B.C. while being in Ottawa.”

NET has temporarily established itself at the John Paul II Pastoral Centre, the headquarters of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, and at St. Nicholas Parish in Langley.

“The community here has been so welcoming,” said de Fleuriot.

He and Vogel work out of the offices with team supervisors Rachel Hennessey and Kody Elliot. The team is already recruiting young adults to start missionary training this fall. Those people will become the face of NET Canada to students in Catholic schools and parish youth ministries.

“Our vision is for all young Catholics to have the opportunity to hear about Him, encounter Him, respond to Him, and live for Him,” said de Fleuriot, who spent three years as a volunteer missionary with NET long before he worked for the organization as a coordinator.

“Seeing the transformation in young people when they get to encounter Jesus and see their lives change and transform, it’s the most meaningful work to do and be part of.”

Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, has said he is “delighted” that NET is establishing itself in his diocese.
“Over the years we’ve had a number of young people from the Archdiocese called to serve NET Canada,” he said in a press release.

“They’ve come back inspired and prepared to bring the New Evangelization to the parishes, which is one of the Priorities and Goals the archdiocese has identified for the next several years. We want to help others grow closer to Jesus by fostering personal encounters with Christ and promoting discipleship paths. NET Canada is perfectly placed to help us do that.”

The organization also opened a new office in the Archdiocese of Montreal this year to better serve young Catholics in Quebec.

NET is an international group that first started in the U.S. in 1981. It now has headquarters in several countries including Australia and Ireland.