Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. – Romans 12:2
The Bishop Martin Marty Institute for the New Evangelization is an initiative of the Office of Adult Discipleship & Evangelization focused on providing Catholics opportunities to grow more deeply in their faith and on equipping them to share their faith with others.
Regional Parish Talks
In conjunction with typical Adult Faith Formation which is offered in parishes throughout the academic year, Dr. Chris visits parishes around the diocese for open conversations with the local faithful about current topics concerning the faith. Dr. Chris visits different regions of the diocese to lead an open discussion on a topic requested by local Pastors. These conversations are generally held on Saturday mornings and are open to parishioners from any parish in the region. You can find a list of this year’s events on Dr. Chris’s Events page.
Institute Workshops
Interested in bringing a workshop to your parish? Dr. Chris will come to your parish and lead a workshop for your parishioners or parish staff. You can request a specialized topic or choose from a list of workshops that are already prepared. Click on the image below to view descriptions and previews of Dr. Chris’s most recent and most popular workshops. To schedule your workshop, please contact Dr. Chris.
Catholic Speakers
The Institute also helps connect you with local and national diocesan approved Catholic speakers. If you are looking for a recommendation for a speaker to bring to your parish event contact Dr. Chris.
More about the Institute
Each Institute event addresses basic and timely topics, with the goal for every series that at the end each participant will be able to answer four questions:
- WHAT the Church teaches about the topic;
- WHY the Church teaches what she does about that topic;
- HOW the Church’s teaching is relevant and applicable to our lives;
- HOW we can confidently and charitably share that teaching with others.
Bishop Martin Marty
Institute workshops are not just the teaching of information: catechesis is not simply the intellectual learning of abstract theological truths, but rather is growth in understanding of Jesus Christ and His teachings in order that we might love Him and our neighbor more deeply. As the passage from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans cited at the top of the webpage indicates, the renewal of the mind must lead to the transformation of the entire person.
The goal of the Bishop Martin Marty Institute for the New Evangelization is that it will be a concrete way in which the Second Vatican Council’s call for a renewed and reinvigorated laity might be further implemented. The hope is that participants will seek to take up the call of the Council—echoed by Popes Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis—to strive after holiness, to grow in their discipleship with Christ and knowledge of His teachings, and to embrace the mission of the laity: to bring Him into the secular world. What exactly that looks like in the case of each participant is up to them and the Holy Spirit, but God willing, it will contribute to the continual renewal of the Church, society and culture of eastern South Dakota.