VANCOUVER—Brian Joel wrestled with the meaning of life and of manhood since age 12, when his father died of cancer. Now he’s helping other men find answers.
Joel, a parishioner at St. Matthew’s , is one of 58 parish leaders trained to run Discovery faith studies across the Archdiocese of Vancouver.
“I felt a deep yearning in my heart, but I was not sure where to look,” Joel told 30 people at an archdiocesan launch event for Discovery Oct. 5.
He heard about Discovery, a faith formation program created by Catholic Christian Outreach, when a friend invited him to participate. “Each week, my questions were being answered. I knew God loved me, but this time it was different. I began to really understand how much God truly loves me and longs for that personal relationship with me.”
Now Joel runs his own Discovery faith study at St. Matthew’s, helping other men understand God’s love for them. Many have gone on to lead faith studies themselves or become involved in other parish ministries.
Amber Zolc, a coordinator at the archdiocesan Ministries and Outreach Office, calls that “spiritual multiplication.” A former missionary with CCO, she said she has personally experienced and witnessed transformation in people’s lives through the program.
“The strategy is really a simple one: to proclaim, equip, and commission,” she said at the archdiocesan launch Oct. 5.
“We seek to proclaim the Gospel in a clear and simple way that will lead people to respond to the invitation to follow Jesus. It will equip participants to develop that relationship with Jesus, to grow in holiness, to grow in leadership, and prepare them to share the Gospel with others.”
I really grew to appreciate the richness and beauty of the Catholic faith, many things that weren’t part of my upbringing, like confession or praying the rosary.
Zolc grew up in a rural Saskatchewan community where a visiting priest celebrated Mass once a month. After the community church closed when she was 12, she stopped going to Mass. While she loved Scripture, she felt out of touch with her Catholic faith.
While at university, she met a friend who invited her to participate in a Discovery faith study led by CCO missionaries on campus.
“There was something different about this group. I had never experienced Catholics speaking about Jesus the way that I heard him presented in the study,” she said.
“I really grew to appreciate the richness and beauty of the Catholic faith – many things that weren’t part of my upbringing, like confession or praying the rosary.”
In 2003, she became a CCO missionary herself. In the 14 years since, she has led countless faith studies, including Discovery, across North America and even in Uganda.
“I have had the joy and the privilege of seeing many young people turn their hearts towards the Lord,” she said. “I have been able to mentor them and work with them as they learn to effectively communicate the Gospel with others.”
She’s also seen the effects of spiritual multiplication when faith study participants go on to launch groups of their own. In the Diocese of Oklahoma City, two members of the city’s St. John’s Parish took the Discovery program. They were encouraged to start the series themselves.
The pair invited 25 people to take Discovery. After the program, 15 participants signed up to become leaders, launching 15 individual faith studies. In just two years, the number of faith study leaders grew from two to 45 .
In the Archdiocese of Vancouver, four parishes are currently running Discovery: Christ the Redeemer, St. Matthew’s, St. Patrick’s in Maple Ridge, and St. James.
Msgr. Gregory Smith, pastor of Christ the Redeemer, said lay people must take on the mission to proclaim, equip, and commission.
“We’re at this turning point, really, at a time where priests are flat. We have too much work and too many priorities and too much going on. If something is driven by the priests, it will be driven like the priest himself: into the ground,” he said.
“Discovery does not depend on the priest. It’s a lay-led affair.”
It’s not catechesis. There are other ways which those needs are met. This is a need, first of all, of the heart.
According to Zolc, seven more parishes are gearing up to launch Discovery in January, including Corpus Christi, St. Anthony’s in West Vancouver, and St. Joseph’s in Langley.
“It’s extraordinarily consoling, heartwarming, uplifting, and inspiring to know what is already happening in parishes through the faith studies,” said Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB.
Archbishop Miller has a lot of praise for Discovery, encouraging parishes to use it as a tool to help people “Get Closer to Jesus” – one of his four priorities for the archdiocese.
“It’s not catechesis. There are other ways which those needs are met. This is a need, first of all, of the heart,” he said.
“We are only workers in the vineyard. We are not the Master, and that takes a lot of pressure off us, frankly. It is not my work, it’s the Spirit’s work. The Spirit is involved in spreading the Gospel.”
