There is a growing sense of excitement at the St. Michael the Archangel Family of Parishes, which includes six parishes in the northeastern part of the archdiocese: St. Augustine in Jamestown; St. Brigid in Xenia; St. Luke in Beavercreek; Mary, Help of Christians in Fairborn; St. Paul in Yellow Springs and Sacred Heart in New Carlisle.

Since Beacons of Light united these diverse parishes into one large Family of Parishes, Mass attendance at some churches has increased 9%, and both youth ministry and outreach endeavors have grown as well.

What is the secret to their success?

“Everything we do at our parishes has to be oriented toward making disciples of Jesus Christ,” said Father Jason Bedel, Pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Family of Parishes. “That means every ministry at every parish must be an avenue for discipleship.”

This new evangelization endeavor began in July 2022, when Father Bedel arrived to lead the Family of Parishes and hired Dr. Josh Englefield as Director of Evangelization. Englefield built a team focused on discipleship, as well as supporting the many volunteers who help everything run smoothly.

“Josh has built an energetic team around him with the goal of supporting families [as they became] communities of disciples oriented toward sainthood,” Father Bedel said.

For their first big effort, they hosted a gathering, a Lenten Mission, to include meaningful participation from all six parishes. Three of the Family’s parishes hosted the three-day mission in March 2023, which served the dual purpose of bringing parishioners together and feeding their souls during Lent.

“We ended up with between 300-500 parishioners participating each night, with 120 children attending the children’s program on the final night. It was wonderful to see,” Englefield said.

The Lenten Mission began each evening with Exposition and Adoration of the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, a free dinner, a speaker, childcare and children’s programming before concluding with a social. The series’ main speaker was Dr. Ray Guarendi, a Catholic psychologist, author, speaker and host of the popular radio show “The Doctor Is In” on EWTN.

“The feedback from parishioners was fantastic,” Englefield said. “Many explained that they loved visiting the other parishes and appreciated how welcomed they felt.”

The event was such a success that they are planning a 2024 Lenten Mission following the same format, with popular Catholic speaker and retreat leader Father Nathan Cromley as the headline speaker.

The success of that event and others that followed, such as the Catechist Day of Reflection, Englefield attributes to the six parishes’ parishioners.

“We are blessed with highly motivated, engaged and inspired parishioners who desire to deepen their relations with Jesus, the Church and others. We are also blessed with two parochial schools, which naturally bring in a lot of enthusiasm,” he said.

Evangelization efforts extend beyond just adult formation. The Youth Ministry program is a large part of this Family of Parishes—30-60 students attend Youth Group every Sunday evening. The parishes also host events like retreats, mission trips, summer camps and Vacation Bible School to reach the parishes’ young people.

Youth programming is essential to the strength of their parishes’ strength, said Rebecca Elrich, Youth and Young Adult Ministry Coordinator for the Family of Parishes. “We must realize that our youth are not just the future Church, but the Church now,” she said. “We have to evangelize them and let them know that they are loved by a good and gracious God.”

Englefield agrees. “We know that by the age of 12 most youth have made their decision if they want to remain Catholic. All of our ministry efforts must support family life, the integrity of marriage, and the discipleship of our children, youth and families.”

Seeing the myriad fruits of these evangelization efforts, Father Bedel noted, “One of the most satisfying impacts I’ve noticed is how much more the smaller parishes are able to accomplish under Beacons of Light than they were able to do before. The fullness of a well-developed program of evangelization does not just benefit the larger parishes, but everyone.”

This article appeared in the January 2024 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.