1. A response to Christ's command that his disciples "Proclaim the Good News to all creation." (Mark 16, 15-16; Mt 28. 18-19)
2. A concrete way to foster the Church's primary and universal mission of evangelization (Evangelii Nuntiandi, #14)
3. A positive answer to the call of the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, for a "New Evangelization" in our times
4. A willingness to collaborate with Bishops in the vital task of training Catholic evangelists, doing so, however, only to the degree that the Bishops themselves would wish
5. An encouragement for other church leaders to direct their Zealand talents toward the task of training and preparing God's missionary people, as well as all future priests and religious for their "first task" of evangelization. (cf. Ad Gentes, #35; E.N., #59)
6. A support and resource centre for all efforts already underway in this regard
7. An effort to build a spirit of fellowship and mutual collaboration among those involved in training Catholic evangelists around the world
8. A positive and practical way to respond to the attacks of fundamentalist sects aimed at undermining the faith of Catholics.

IMPORTANT CLARIFICATIONS AND QUALIFICATIONS:

Based on the clear and irrefutable principle that pastoral services and pastoral ideals of a practical nature must be adapted to the ecclesiastical, cultural and geographical realities of each locality, it is understood that the Association of Coordinators of Catholic Schools of Evangelization:

Does not seek to impose any single and exclusive plan, technique or method of evangelization

Does not see itself as the only solution to problems being faced in the area of Catholic evangelization

Is not an initiative identifiable with any single personality, movement or ideology within the Church

Is not offering alternatives or opposition to evangelistic projects or diocesan/regional pastoral plans already underway

Is not a permanently established organization involving restrictive structures, and such less another new movement in the Church

Does not place itself on some parallel course with the Church or in any way outside Church authority on local and regional levels

Is not an official activity of the hierarchy, but rather only a private initiative within the Catholic Church.

USEFUL AND FLEXIBLE GUIDELINES

The following guidelines were updated, voted upon and accepted at the 5th Worldwide Meeting of ACCSE/2000 which was held in Rome, Italy between 1-5 November, 1991 and subsequently updated to ACCSE 2033.

• PURPOSE OF THE ASSOCIATION

• The purpose of the Association is to facilitate and accelerate the spread of schools dedicated to training Catholics for the specific task of evangelization
• The members of the Association strive to achieve this through mutual support and encouragement, and through the generous sharing of ideas and resources

• NATURE OF THE ASSOCIATION

• The Association is identified as Roman Catholic in membership, doctrine and ecclesial goals
• The Association is International, open to Coordinators of Catholic Schools of Evangelizationfrom all parts of the Catholic world
• Membership is of an informal, rather than a highly structured nature, and of no submission to any "authority" of the Association is involved. All jurisdiction over Catholic schools of Evangelization remain completely in the hands of the Local Ordinary

• SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOLS INVOLVED

  • They seek to provide a systematic training over an extended period of time for those who:
    
    
    • Have already been evangelized;Are ready to work in a dedicated way for the evangelization of others
      
      
  • All schools to which the Coordinators belong retain full autonomy. In other words, the specific nature of such schools (their theological emphases and training techniques, the pastoral focus of their progress and goals, the training manuals they use, etc.) varies according to:
  • The school's ecclesiastical and culturual situation
  • The school's distinctive vocation
  • The particular charisms and resources of the teachers and leaders involved
• The one common goal is to make available for Catholics in all parts of the world the formation, knowledge and practical skills needed for their first task of carrying the Good News of Jesus Christ to every creature and to all nations
• All schools involved in the Association must have the proper approval of their local Bishop
• All schools must have a sound legal and financial status

• AREAS OF TRAINING SEEN AS VITAL

  • ONGOING PERSONAL CONVERSION:
    
    
    • Metanoia, the radical conversion and profound change of mind and heart that is the goal of all evangelization, must first be experienced by the evangelist. (fc. E.N., #10)
    • An evangelist’s success in tasks that are basically supernatural depends upon openness to the will of God, and personal growth in holiness
    • This ongoing growth should be both vertical and horizontal, i.e. leading to a deeper relationship with both God and neighbor

• CHARACTER FORMATION:
  
  There must be an effort to bring about a character transformation that is both fully human and supernatural. This serious effort at becoming authentic witnesses of Jesus Christ must be:
  • Through an emphasis on personal, communal and liturgical prayer
  • Through the teaching and fostering of a Christian life that is Biblical, Sacramental and service-oriented in both the spiritual and material realms
  • Through a Biblical and theological formation based on the rich spritual, intellectual and historical heritage of the Catholic Church
  • Through an appreciation of Catholic traditions, such as our loving relationship to Mary as prototype and model of the Church, and the very "Star of Evangelization" (E.N., #82)
  • Through teaching and training in various techniques, dynamics and practical skills of evangelization
  • Through the discernment and development of the personal talents and charisms of participants
  • Taking into consideration the concrete and very real situation of the people and seeking to enable and motivate them for building the "Civilization of Love" according to the social teachings of the Church
• Deeply Spiritual:
• Intellectual:
• Pastoral:
• Social:
• FULLY CATHOLIC DOCTRINAL FORMATION:
• With emphasis in this area on fidelity and loyalty to the teaching magisterium of the Church
• Rather than on highly personalized or optionally selective doctrinal teachings
• SUPERVISED AND PRACTICAL EVANGELISTIC OPPORTUNITIES:
• The most needed help for many Catholics is the simple courage to actually begin to evangelize, coupled with a conviction that such efforts can prove fruitful
• Therefore, schools of evangelization should give not only doctrinal principles, but also clear and practical teachings on HOW to evangelize
• Such teachings are most effective when there is an opportunity to put them into practice in the company of supervised evangelists

• SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF MEMBERS

  • There will be a yearly meeting on a Continental level, and a
    yearly meeting involving two delegates from each continent on
    a world-wide level
  • Further regional or national meetings are optional, and at the
    discretion of the region/country itself
• Actual involvement in the coordination of a school of evangelization
• A generous spirit of cooperation and collaboration
• Interest in making available to other Catholics the skills, teachings and practical formation programs they have developed, in order to facilitate the spread of new schools of Catholic evangelization and improve their quality
• A positive, obedient response to the Church's teaching regarding inculturation and ecumenism
• A commitment to faithful attendance at meetings of the Association:

• SOME WAYS OF EXCHANGING USEFUL SERVICES

  • Opportunities to meet together are important occasions for sharing and for the evaluation of concrete efforts and experiences
  • Bulletins and/or newsletters keeping each other informed of activities and developments are highly recommended
  • Catholic evangelization literature and teaching materials, e.g. books, pamphlets, posters, etc.
  • Training manuals and study guides
  • Audio and video cassettes on different aspects, methods and examples of Catholic evangelization
  • Catalogues of the various services and resource materials available
  • An exchange of visits by school faculties and staff can contribute to the dynamics and quality of each of the schools. It offers the students a greater variety of experiences, and gives them a fuller understanding of the universality and challenges of the Church
  • As an important follow-through, it is ideal for someone beginning a new school to be visited and fully supported by the faculty of the school that had previously trained him/her
  • We are fully committed to the principle that: "Youth are most effectively evangelized by youth."
  • It is very desirable to train competent international and national youth teams that can witness to younger participants at the different schools of evangelization, and play an active and dynamic role at youth rallies/gatherings, etc.
  • It is understood that such youth should be carefully chosen and supervised
  • The youth themselves must have a demonstrated zeal and an ability to deal with hardships and difficulties for the sake of the Kingdom
• INTERCOMMUNICATION:
• TEACHING MATERIALS:  There is a need to develop and exchange:
• VISITING FACULTIES:
• TRAVELLING YOUTH TEAMS:

• DIRECT EVANGELIZATION AND PRE-EVANGELIZATION:

• Members of the Association are primarily committed to the task of direct and explicit evangelization, bringing those evangelized to a profound conversion experience and a personal relationship with our living Saviour, Jesus Christ. (cf. E.N., #18)
• They are also involved in pre-evangelization efforts in so far as these efforts effectively pave the way for future programs of direct evangelization
• No conversion experience is seen as complete unless it leads to full and active membership in the Church and to the service of the Church community as the Body of Christ

• KERYGMA:

  • To proclaim and bear witness,
  • Through both words and signs,
  • And with total dependence upon the Holy Spirit,
  • To the Incarnate, Crucified, Resurrected and Living Lord, Jesus
    Christ, Son of God and son of Mary,
    
    As the only Saviour and Divine Lord
  • Of all mankind,
  • And of the whole person
  • To contribute to building the Church,
  • As God's Kingdom of love, justice and peace,
  • By making Jesus Christ known, loved and followed, to the ends
    Of the earth,
• Members of the Association are in agreement that ALL EVANGELIZATION BEGINS WITHS THE KERYGMA and that a first emphasis on kerygma is a distinguishing characteristic of ACCSE/2000 (cf. E.N., #27)
• We are thus led:

Doing so only and always
For the glory of the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. (cf. E.N., #27, #32, etc)