One of the most popular aspects of my book The New Evangelization and You: Be Not Afraid were the many sidebars about New Evangelizers in Action, stories of everyday Catholics doing their best to know, live, and share their faith. The original plan was for an entire bonus chapter of New Evangelizers, but unfortunately the page count exceeded the plan for the printers.
So for the next few weeks, I’m going to share this great bonus content from The New Evangelization and You: Be Not Afraid. Enjoy!
New Evangelizers in Action: CatholicMom.com‘s Lisa Hendey
“I love sharing my faith,” says Lisa Hendey. “My biggest challenge is doing so in a way that respects those with differing perspectives.”
One way Lisa does this is through online evangelization.
In 2000 Lisa founded www.CatholicMom.com as a direct response to Pope John Paul II’s invitation to be a part of the New Evangelization.
“Over the years, the site has made use of emerging technology to share the good news of the gospel,” Lisa explains. “From a static website to blog format, from podcasting to the use of social media, I’ve attempted to connect with Catholics and others who are interested in learning more about the faith.”
Her efforts have not only had a positive impact on the regular visitors to Lisa’s website, but have provided Lisa with opportunities to serve the Church in unexpected ways including attendance at the Vatican Bloggers Meeting in 2011, as well as participation in both the 2012 USCCB Bishops and Bloggers Meeting and the Catholic Press Association press tour of Israel as a guest of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism.
“I was able to share these experiences broadly thanks to social media tools,” Lisa says.
In addition to worldwide ministry online and in print, Lisa also seeks to serve her local parish community through her position as parish webmaster at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in the Diocese of Fresno as well as participation in other initiatives within her diocese.
Despite heavy involvement in the Church, the continued need to develop greater knowledge of Catholicism is ever present.
“As a “cradle Catholic” catechized in the early years after Vatican II, my faith education in school did not really involve mastery of the Catechism, Church documents or even much history of the Church,” says Lisa. “As an adult, I find myself sometimes playing ‘catch up’ on official Church teachings. I have never doubted my faith in any way, but I do often find deficits in my knowledge of Church teachings. Blessedly with the help of the Internet, it is increasingly more simple to learn these precepts.”
The opportunity to keep learning is one of Lisa’s biggest goals in the New Evangelization. “I hope to grow in my own faith — in my knowledge of the precepts of the Church, her history, and the truth we find in the Catechism and profess in the Creed,” Lisa says. “I also hope to do a better job within my Domestic Church of being a spiritual light for my family. I hope to provide as many resources as possible for our CatholicMom.com readers to help them to know, love and share the faith in their homes and communities.”
In addition to running CatholicMom.com, Lisa is also the author of A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms: 52 Companions for Your Heart, Mind, Body, and Soul and The Handbook for Catholic Moms: Nurturing Your Heart, Mind, Body, and Soul (both published by Ave Maria Press).
