BLACKWOOD – More than 100 clergy and 500 lay leaders from across the Diocese of Camden gathered Feb. 26-27 to hear nationally known evangelization leader Sherry Weddell call Catholics to a renewed commitment to forming disciples in an increasingly post-Christian culture.
Weddell – co-founder of the Catherine of Siena Institute in Colorado Springs, Colo., and author of “Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus” – delivered three presentations at Our Lady of Hope’s parish hall, on the campus of Saint Agnes Church. The first was an all-day Lenten reflection for more than 400 church staff from the Diocese’s 62 parishes, followed by an evening session with more than 100 priests of the Diocese. The next day, she presented to more than 100 women and men who work at the diocesan level.
While her message was tailored differently for clergy and lay leaders, the core theme was consistent: The Church must re-center her mission on evangelization and the formation of intentional disciples.
“Our people are fundamentally our riches,” Weddell said, stressing that every baptized Catholic is called to mission. “Each one of us has been anointed by Christ for a mission … and the Church needs Catholics who say yes.”
A Changing Mission Field
Drawing on research and pastoral experience, Weddell described a shifting religious landscape in which many Catholics no longer inherit a lived relationship with Christ through family or culture.
She noted that large numbers of Catholics remain sacramentally initiated but have never experienced personal conversion or evangelization, limiting the fruitfulness of parish life. Citing Church teaching, she emphasized that evangelization and conversion must precede sacramental fruitfulness, not follow it.
Weddell outlined what she called the “thresholds of conversion” – trust, curiosity, openness, seeking and intentional discipleship – as a framework for understanding how people grow in faith. The process, she said, requires patience and accompaniment.
“We can only walk with someone as far as we ourselves have walked,” she said, urging participants to deepen their own discipleship as a prerequisite to evangelizing others.
The Role of Lay Witness
Addressing parish staff and diocesan employees, Weddell emphasized the irreplaceable role of lay Catholics in evangelization, particularly through personal witness.
One of the most practical steps, she said, is learning to share one’s own experience of faith.
“If we want to get serious about evangelization, one of the most important things we can do is tell our own story,” she said, noting that many Catholics have been culturally conditioned to avoid speaking openly about their relationship with God.
Her pastoral handouts reinforced that the Church depends on the charisms — spiritual gifts – of the baptized, which enable each person to contribute uniquely to the Church’s mission. These gifts, she said, often emerge when faith becomes personal rather than merely cultural.
“You will feel restless until you give your charisms away,” she said. “Charisms are clues to what God is calling you to. He knows what he is preparing you for.”
Weddell also highlighted research showing that young adults are more likely to remain practicing Christians when they experience authentic witness, personal encounters with God and supportive faith communities.
A Message for Priests
“How do you know your priesthood is bearing fruit?” Weddell posed to the priests of the Diocese of Camden during their presentation.
Every priest prays and labors so his vocation is fruitful and impacts the individuals and communities in which he serves, she said, also quoting from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. “The ministerial priesthood is at the service of the common priesthood. It is directed to the unfolding of the baptismal grace of all Christians.” (CCC, 1547)
She addressed the importance of the priests knowing their own charisms as a path to joy, hope and fruitfulness. She explained that there is a great volume of evidence that serving through one’s charisms protects against burnout and cynicism.
Weddell also emphasized calling forth the laity’s vocations and charisms – which make up 99% of the Church’s riches. When the clergy can serve the laity in this way, it facilitates governance, fruitful collaboration with parishioners, and new leadership.
A Lenten Invitation
Across all three presentations, Weddell framed her message as a Lenten call to renewal rooted in personal conversion and missionary identity.
She reminded participants that every person is already on a spiritual journey, whether practicing Catholic or not, and that God’s grace is at work in every human heart.
“There is no such thing as a God-forsaken person,” she said, urging listeners to become bridges of trust who accompany others toward Christ.
As the Diocese of Camden continues its pastoral priorities under Bishop Joseph Williams, Weddell’s visit offered both encouragement and challenge: that evangelization is not the work of a few specialists, but the shared responsibility of priests and laity alike.
“Your yes – our yes – is crucial to the whole Church,” she said.
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