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: Teresa Tomeo
“My entire apostolate/ministry is hopefully an effort to help promote the New Evangelization,” says popular radio host and writer Teresa Tomeo. “It is what I love and what I do 24/7 (when I am not sleeping of course).”
So what drives this desire to focus on the New Evangelization?
“I think Pope Benedict is truly a prophet for our times and knows why this is so needed right now,” Teresa says. “We have an incredible opportunity to evangelize as well as re-evangelize and it has never been more needed. I just hope that more Catholics will discover the treasures of the faith and take time to study it more closely.”
To help in this effort of educating others, Teresa explores multiple methods of delivering the message. “I run a full time media apostolate (Teresa Tomeo Communications LLC), host a national talk show, write books about the faith, media influence, and women’s issues, and speak regularly around the country on these issues as well. I am also active in social media with blogging as well as maintaining Facebook pages. My company also has a public relations arm that works with Catholic apostolate in helping them with their own evangelization efforts.”
Like others who work to spread the Gospel, Teresa understands the need to continually be educated herself. “My biggest challenge in knwing my faith is keeping up on all of the great writings and teachings in the Church,” says Teresa. “There is so much depth and beauty but not enough time to absorb it all but I keep trying.”
It also helps to be able to identify her own shortcomings when it comes to living out the faith, which includes trying to be patient with the un-churched. “We are living in dark times right now and I know we are all on a very unique journey but I want so many people to know Jesus and recognize the gift of the Church,” she says. “But then I have to remember that I can only change myself so it is always back to square one. It’s a good lesson to look back at my own many failings and remember that I was there once too.”
Baptized into the faith, but having left it for fifteen years, Teresa’s own reversion to Catholicism only acts to heighten her own desire to share the faith with others.
“You can’t have a discussion or even try to witness if people are not open to the truth and so many people deny what is right in front of their noses and they live literally in an alternative universe or reality denying facts and staying in their own comfortable place,” says Teresa. “The truth of Church teaching is so clear in terms of what we see in society when we don’t follow the natural law. Just look at the fallout from abortion and STD’s. When we don’t follow God’s plan things fall apart but people often refuse to look at this.”
You can find Teresa’s books and other resources online at www.teresatomeo.com.
