The great Doctor of the Church and patron of the Diocese of Columbus, St. Francis de Sales, reminds us that “heart speaks to the heart.” The premise behind this statement is that our first priority as evangelists and catechists is to seek a conversion of heart by recognizing the dignity of a person as a child of God.
A visible matrimony exists between the proclamation of the Gospel and the profession and articulation of the Creed. It is through the Word of God and the Creed that we can witness, speak and teach from the heart of Jesus Christ to anyone who will listen.
The “Catechism of the Catholic Church” (CCC) tells us that our efforts to reveal the Gospel of Jesus Christ and demonstrate how to actively live the Word of God must revolve around a love that is unending (CCC 25). Coupled with a genuine intent to immerse the family into a life of prayer, discernment and ultimately a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ, our journey would possess no Christian identity without these facets of faith.
Over the last two and a half years, the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis has undertaken the task of addressing both the evangelization and catechetical needs of the diocese through an approach of the “heart speaking to the heart.”
The ministerial areas guided by this renewed approach: whole family catechesis and vocations; renewed marriage preparation and formation for engaged couples; marriage as a second catechumenate; Natural Family Planning (NFP); sacramental preparation; Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA); youth, Hispanic and multicultural ministry; and diocesan-wide catechetical formation and education.
The approach of “heart speaking to the heart” has yielded positive results in our efforts to evangelize and catechize both the parish staff and the laity in the Diocese of Columbus.
The implementation of the “Revised Mandated Diocesan Marriage Preparation Process” has formed more than 427 couples to date, with positive and fruitful consensus as to the effectiveness of the process, especially in the area of NFP.
More than 40 mentor couples have been trained in the “Fully Engaged” sponsor couple process. Bishop Fernandes provided a keynote presentation for all diocesan mentor couples advocating for the importance of faithful sponsor couples.
The first Together In Holiness conference was held at Gahanna St. Matthew the Apostle, with 90+ couples attending as part of our “marriage as a second catechumenate initiative” and NFP. We expect these numbers to increase in 2026 and beyond.
The implementation of a “whole family catechetical approach” to parish formation of the family has experienced significant growth in the area of parent formation and parents renewing their role as the primary religious educators of their children.
New catechetical resources, including parish elementary religious education curriculum, approved textbook resource list, revised parish toolkit, Evangelization Summit and catechist formation through the newly established St. Francis De Sales Institute, will provide the necessary formation and instruction for all catechists for years to come.
The development of a new “Diocesan OCIA formation process” in conjunction with implementation of new OCIA guidelines (2024) has resulted in the formation of more than 100 catechists in the area of OCIA, plus clergy, deacons and religious. A new, yearly mystagogical retreat was developed to provide further formation and accompaniment to the neophytes.
The implementation of the new “Diocesan Sacrament of Confirmation Process” from eighth to fourth grade this past year will serve as an important catalyst in the continued focus of forming both families and students in the Catholic faith for years to come.
In the area of youth ministry, the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis now serves as the diocesan point of contact and formation for Totus Tuus, which has grown exponentially over the last two years, with new parishes being added every year to meet demand.
Hispanic ministry continues to experience significant growth in the areas of family and youth catechesis through the Guadalupe Youth Summit, with more than 500 teens served last year alone and five young men answering the call to discern a vocation to the priesthood. A new “Diocesan Quinceañera Policy” was developed to renew a proper focus on the Quinceañera celebration in honor of Christ and the Blessed Mother.
The Office of Missions has experienced positive growth in the coordination of more than 45 mission appeals and 20 missionary priests, increasing our ability to donate to our brothers and sisters in need throughout the world.
The institution of the new Office of Multicultural Ministry, formerly the Office of Ethnic Ministry, has successfully ministered to 17 distinct communities, incorporating their rich cultural heritage within the diocese. Initiatives of the new office include development of the Multicultural Ministry Council and an annual Pentecost Multicultural Mass.
In the coming year, we look forward to hiring a new associate director for youth ministry and development of a formal evangelization and catechetical process for youth and youth leaders.
As we continue to grow and expand our ministerial outreach to the faithful of the diocese, let us continue to keep each other in prayer in our efforts to foster an atmosphere of joyful eagerness within our families and parish communities to know and embrace Jesus Christ in our lives.
As we anticipate the birth of our Lord and embrace a new year, I leave you with the following quote from St. Francis de Sales: “Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it.
“Be at peace, then; put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations, and say continually: The Lord is my strength and shield; my heart has trusted in Him, and I am helped. He is not only with me, but in me, and I, in Him.”
This article appears in December 28 2025.