How should we go about it? People are brought to the Churchone by one. God pours out his saving grace in many ways, but He normallyrequires, and we could even say desires, the willing collaboration of his sonsand daughters in this joyful task. Winning converts is your task and there isno more endlessly satisfying and challenging work than that of saving souls.The famous Catholic philosopher (and convert) Dietrich von Hildebrand said thatwe should look upon all people we encounter as Catholics in re (in fact) or inspe (potentially). I agree.

Admit it. Don't you from time to time think about sharingwith your neighbor, your friend, your family member, your colleague the joythat it is in your heart in enjoying the fullness of our Faith in the CatholicChurch? No apologies here (except in the "Pro Vita Sua " sense), thank you.Perhaps already some of you have had the wonderful experience of being thegodparent or sponsor of a friend whom, by God's grace, you have guided into theChurch. You know then the joy that fills the heart in being God's instrument.The only comparable joys are marriage, becoming a parent, and performing in"persona Christi" the sacraments of the Church as a priest!

This delight in a friend's baptism or reception into fullcommunion with the Church is always a cause for holy celebration, but it is aparticular joy in the present circumstances of our culture and in the presentecclesial moment as we await the third millennium of the Christian era. We seeourselves surrounded in our "culture of death" by so many persons bereft of anyreal meaning in their lives. Has there ever been in the Christian era a morejoyless, aimless, lonely society than our own, a society that is truly"Clueless", a society that has appeared to have gained the whole world butforgotten the existence of its own soul? On the other hand, has there ever beena Roman Pontiff at the head of our Church who has so incessantly and hopefullyproclaimed the Gospel in all its fullness throughout the world, addressing thefallen yet redeemed world's hopes and anxieties so completely?

The constant growth through the first three centuries of theinfant Church up to the Edict of Milan in the early fourth century took placethrough the witness and personal influence of thousands of Christians and theirfamilies.. With the passage of more centuries, Christian ideals lived out inthe world by persons and families gradually transformed the West into a form ofa Christian culture which we know as the Middle Ages. In our own time,following the gradual dissolution of that particular culture through, in part,such historical events as the Reformation, the Enlightenment and the titanicstruggles of ideas and ideologies of the last two centuries (Darwinism,Marxism, Freudianism, and so on), we are called to do the same. The partialsuccess of these various heresies and ideologies on the world stage has beendue in part to the fact that a large portion of the Catholic laity have been"missing in action" in the apostolic sense through the last several centuries,ignorantly content to let the clergy and religious do the "heavy lifting".

This article aims to give some insights, largely based uponmy own experience, into how we can more effectively spread the gift of faiththrough example and friendship, or what Cardinal Newman referred to as the"apostolate of personal influence." As we rapidly draw to our crossing the"threshold of hope" into the third millennium, it is the historical moment tothrow off our timidity, our fear, and let our light shine out not only fromunder the basket but upon the shining hill. Why do you think it is that at theend of this century our Faith, so abused, attacked and vituperated, has drawnto it well known Jewish atheists, Protestant ministers by the dozens, prominentpoliticians, etc.? Why did the Holy Father in his last pastoral visit to theU.S. in October 1995 virtually conquer the heart of New York, the capital ofsecularism? Why is it that in the media today when the word "Church" ' is used,it is always understood to mean the Catholic Church and not pan-Protestantism?Certainly not because membership in the Church is the road to riches,affluence, fame, good health, and a care- free future! It attracts thoseseeking eternal verities that promise eternal life, "life everlasting".

If now is " the age of the laity, " as is incessantlyproclaimed, its success will be measured not by the ever-increasingparticipation of the laity in ecclesiastical "ministries" but rather by thegrowth and spiritual health of the Church as manifested in an increase both innumbers and in the intensity of laymen's prayer, sacramental participation andapostolic fervor. This, in turn, will lead inevitably to a gradualtransformation of culture into one that reflects faithfully Christ's teachingas mediated through the Church.. As the Pope said in his address to theAmerican Bishops in Los Angeles in l987, "Primarily through her laity, theChurch is in a position to exercise great influence upon American culture. Buthow is American culture evolving today? Is the evolution being influenced bythe Gospel? Does it clearly reflect Christian inspiration? Your music, yourpoetry and art, your drama, your painting and sculpture, the literature thatyou are producing - are all those things which reflect the soul of a nationbeing influenced by the spirit of Christ for the perfection of humanity"? To beable to answer in the affirmative may take decades but the effort will startwith our own personal conversion which will result in the conversion of others.

The prophetic message of the Council and the presentpontificate have led to this thinking about the laity.. The Holy Fatherbelieves that, as we enter the third millennium, we are crossing the "thresholdof hope" into " a new springtime for the Church. " If this is to happen, itwill depend ultimately on the apostolate of millions of persons and families.He said in his letter on missionary activity: " The witness of a Christian lifeis the first and irreplaceable form of mission.:. Christ whose mission wecontinue, is the 'witness' par excellence and the model of all Christianwitness.. The first form of witness is the very life of the missionary, of theChristian family, and of the ecclesial community. "

We may refer to this sharing of our faith as evangelization,giving witness, etc. I prefer the word used most often by the Conciliar fathersin this regard, apostolate: The second Vatican Council tells us:" Theindividual apostolate, flowing generously from its source in a truly Christianlife, is the origin and condition of the whole lay apostolate, even of theorganized type, it admits of no substitutes (my emphasis). Regardless ofstatus, all lay persons (including those who have no opportunity or possibilityfor collaboration in associations) are called to this type of apostolate andobliged to engage in it. "

In a later encyclical on the laity by John Paul II, the pointcould not be made clearer: " The entire mission of the Church, then, isconcentrated and manifested in evangelization... In fact, the 'good news' isdirected to stirring a person to a conversion of heart and life and a clingingto Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior; to disposing a person to receive Baptismand the Eucharist and to strengthen a person in the prospect and realization ofnew life according to the Spirit. " In short, the buck stops with each one ofus to evangelize those who surround us. No excuses. "Everydisciple is personally called by name; no disciple can withhold making aresponse: 'Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel' (I Cor 9:16).".

Perhaps we should firmly establish our right, as well as ourduty to bring our friends to Christ's Church. First, it is His Church, with thesuccessor of St. Peter as the Vicar of Christ. As the Holy Father points out inthe encyclical On Commitment to Ecumenism, "the one Church of Christ subsistsin the Catholic Church. The Decree of Ecumenism emphasizes the presence in herof the fullness (plenitudo) of the means of salvation. Full unity will comeabout when all share in the fullness of the means of salvation entrusted byChrist to his Church... The Catholic Church is conscious that she has preservedthe ministry of the Successor of the Apostle Peter, the Bishop of Rome, whomGod established as her 'perpetual and visible principle and foundation ofunity' ".

If we can put it more succinctly, all who are saved are savedthrough the Church even if they are not aware of it on earth. Everyone inheaven is a member of the Church. Belloc had it right, I think., "One thing inthe world is different from all other. It has a personality and a force. It isrecognized and (when recognized) most violently loved or hated. It is theCatholic Church. Within that household the human spirit has roof and hearth.Outside it, it is the night. "

Second, there is a mistaken notion that is fairly widespreadin our society that the second Vatican Council was about the role of the layCatholic in the Church. It was not. It was about the role of the lay Catholicin the world. This role can be summed up in the search for holiness that is ourbaptismal right and duty and consequently in assuming the right and privilegeof extending the kingdom of God here on earth through witnessing to our faiththrough the Christian example of our family and friendships.

A few words of caution. We are not speaking of proselytism(in the pejorative sense). That is to say our sharing, witnessing, speaking,giving, forming, educating and so on has absolutely nothing to do withcoercion, or, perish the thought, lack of respect for the "freedom of thechildren of God", particularly in that which refers to our "separated brethren"Christians. Quite the contrary. I am in total agreement with the landmarkecumenical statement " Evangelicals and Catholics Together " in l994, writtenby Charles Colson and Richard John Neuhaus and co-signed by many otherprominent churchmen of both Catholicism and the Evangelical faiths, which says:"It is understandable that Christians who bear witness to the Gospel try topersuade others that their communities and traditions are more fully in accordwith the Gospel. " We realize that only God's grace can effect a conversion andthat pressure, other than our prayer, sacrifice, good example, and friendship,would not only in the long-term certainly be counter productive but would alsonot respect "the dignity of the human person" so central to the teachings ofthe 2nd Vatican Council and of John Paul II. "

"Christian witness must always be made in a spirit of loveand humility. It must not deny but must readily accord to everyone the fullfreedom to discern and decide what is God's will for his life. Witness that isin service to the truth is in service to such freedom. Any form of coercion,physical, psychological, legal, or economic corrupts Christian witness and isto be unqualifiedly rejected... ". No, we are interested only in our personaltotal "gift of self" which is never more complete than when we act as God'scollaborators in communicating the gift of divine life, God's grace. CardinalNewman, the proto-convert of the last two centuries, made it clear that " tobelieve is to love" and that grace of the fullness of faith is only given tothose who are freely seeking it.

But now on to more practical matters. How do we "make"converts? First of all, we don't, God does. Having made that abundantly clear,what is our first step in approaching someone to consider becoming a Catholic?Naturally the desire will flow out of our prayer life. To paraphrase theepitaph written on the tomb of the famous London architect Christopher Wren, Ifyou seek converts, circumspice (look around you). We come into contact withdozens if not hundreds of people in the course of our daily lives each month.They range from dearest family members and intimate friends to the butcher,baker, and candlestick maker We look at them and ask ourselves "could thisperson be open to our Faith?". If the answer is yes, on to the next step. It issaid that the most effective way to raise money for a good cause is to simplyask for it. The same may be applied to our situation. The question " Have youever thought of becoming a Catholic?" addressed to many people over the courseof our life will certainly produce not only converts but also interesting andthought provoking conversations and new personal relationships. You may have topractice this line in front of a mirror a few times just as you did beforeasking out your first date. You generally will be surprised at how flattered,if somewhat surprised, people are at the question. Naturally it has to beemphasized that we are not approaching perfect strangers. Indeed, if we are notin the process of developing a a deep and lasting friendship with the potentialnew member of the Church, then our question lacks authenticity and will berightfully judged as impertinent. and insincere. The great majority will saythat you are the first person who has ever asked them that question, and morethan a few will say they have been waiting for someone to ask them thatquestion all their lives! A few will react negatively, but after all, not all"have eyes to see or ears to hear." We " shake the dust off our feet" and goon. We are not looking for success. It is the "love of Christ that compels us."We may also be surprised to see after the passage of time, even many years,people coming back to us looking for answers because we had the courage tooffer them at an earlier time our Faith.

We are challenging people to consider making the mostsignificant decision they will ever make in their lives, infinitely moreimportant than the choice of school, profession, or spouse ; one that willaffect every fiber of their being for the rest of their lives, and have seriousconsequences in the hereafter. It is essential that you get to know them well,particularly their religious background, if any, so, as is said in thevernacular, you "know where they are coming from. " Of use in this regard wouldbe a thorough reading of Separated Brethren (Our Sunday Visitor), a survey ofProtestant, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and other denominations in the U.S. byWilliam J. Whalen. By engaging in conversation on this point you will beinviting your friend, and committing yourself, to go deep below the surface ofeveryday trivialities into the heart of the matter. Why are we here? What istruth? Is there a right and wrong? Is there a God? An afterlife? Is JesusChrist God? Did he found a Church during his lifetime? If so, which one? Do weneed to belong to it to be saved? Of course, you need to be not only willing todiscuss and answer these queries but prepared..

"Be ready always with an answer to everyone who asks a reason for thehope that is in you. "(I Peter, 3:15). To be an evangelist intoday's world means to be an apologist. This is the work of a lifetime, butthat does not excuse us from evangelizing while we learn on the job. Remember,no matter how little we know, our friends knows less. And what is moreimportant, we know where to go for the answers. A lot of our catechetical workwith our potential convert friends will be, happily, simply to refer them tothe best sources. Obviously we should have a good grasp of the New Testamentand the Catechism of the Catholic Church, our fundamental texts. However weshould also slowly but surely read and study the great English and Americanapologists:Newman, Lewis, Chesterton, Benson, and Knox and the more modernmasters, Sheed and Kreeft. Many of their works are in print. It is also usefulto be familiar with the magisterial teachings of the Pope for the most currentteachings on matters of faith and morals.

Reviewing our own preparation leads directly to the questionof recommending reading for friends who express an interest in our faith. Anincreasing number of people simply don't understand the basic vocabulary ofwhat it means to believe. An excellent brief volume is Belief and Faith, by thefamous German philosopher Josef Pieper. He draws heavily on Cardinal Newman'smuch more complex Grammar of Assent. Many people today need a book to awakentheir interest in Christianity or a volume that helps to make Christianity"reasonable " and understandable. Several books come immediately to mind. BothOrthodoxy and The Everlasting Man of G. K.Chesterton will stimulate the reader.I am thinking also of a basic primer, A Map of Life (Ignatius), by Frank Sheed,and the famous Mere Christianity of C.S.Lewis Most fundamental, of course, isthe New Testament (an excellent version with ascetical commentary is TheNavarre Bible (Scepter Publishers) And we might recommend a good life of Christ(try Goodier, Sheen, Riccioti, Guardini).. Your friends simply must come toknow the life of Jesus Christ if they are going to be able to join his Church.Second is a good Catholic catechism so that they may come to know the Churchand her teachings. There are many excellent ones in print, by Frs. Trese,Hardon, Lawler, Noll, and the list goes on. Just choose one that you arecomfortable with and one that reflects the sound teaching of the Church updatedfor the Second Vatican Council and the authoritative recent Catechism.

I would recommend that you whet their appetite for conversionby giving them a book or two on stories of conversions: Spiritual Journeys(Pauline Publications) or Surprised by Truth (Basilica Press) come immediatelyto mind. Our friends will be intrigued to read about the contemporaryconversion stories of so many people drawn to the faith from such variedbackgrounds and are sure to find at least part of their story in one of thesehistories. Don't forget, either, the classic spiritual autobiographies of St.Augustine, John Henry Cardinal Newman, Thomas Merton and Malcolm Muggeridge andthe more recent one of Dr. Bernard Nathanson. They have changed millions ofhearts and minds.

You should also familiarize your friends with the richness ofthe history of the Church. They clearly will see the continuity of the Faiththrough the apostolic succession and read the dramatic story of evangelizationthrough the centuries with its ups and downs. I would recommend Msgr. PhilipHughes's Popular History of the Church for a short synopsis of Church History,and the first three volumes of the magisterial History of Christendom by WarrenCarroll (Christendom College Press). The latter volumes read like novels, arepainstakingly researched, and reveal the Church in all its heights and depths,in its saints and sinners.

An important part of our work of introducing our friends tothe Faith will be exposing them to the beauty of the Catholic liturgy and tothe art, literature, and music of Catholic inspiration. Accompanying them tothe Holy Mass and other liturgical events, such as the celebration of solemnBenediction, a baptism, a wedding, the Easter Vigil, an episcopal consecration,or the ordination of new priests, a Rosary -filled pilgrimage to a Shrine ofthe Virgin will bring them to a deep appreciation of the incarnate aspect ofour Faith and its sacramental nature. To listen to Gregorian Chant, today sostrangely popular, or the great classical compositions centered on the Mass,the Psalms, or various events in the life of Christ and our Lady will also drawthem closer to the heart of the Church. Listen with them to the great works ofMozart, Beethoven, Bruckner and to the more contemporary Gorecki and Messiaenfor starters. Surely such beauty in music could only be inspired by the Truth.

Introduce them to the great Catholic authors, starting withDante and continuing on down the centuries to Manzoni and Sienkiewicz in thelast century to the Undsets, Waughs, O'Connors, Bernanos', Mauriacs, and Endosof our own day. They will thus understand that the truth really does make usfree and no one so free as the artist who has the standard of a faith - filledmetaphysic that gives him full rein of expression in capturing the divine inthe human.

Let's be realistic. Not all of your friends, by any means,are going to be receptive to this heavy " intellectual" approach. You may haveto be much more selective in what you recommend to your friends: pamphletsrather than books, Catholic hymns rather than symphonies, a more contemporary(although sound) version of the New Testament rather than the Douay-Rheims, thestained glass in your parish church rather than Chartres. Listen to theirneeds, their questions and try to satisfy them. A time of prayer spent withthem or a visit to poor or elderly people may be much more influential in theprocess of their movement towards the Church than any possible reading youmight give them.

Oh yes, let's not forget the parish and the priest. Afterall, our friend wil most probably spend the rest of life normally worshippingin a parish setting If our friend has not been baptized, the Church normallyasks that the budding catechumen be enrolled in the R.C.I.A. program (Rite ofChristian Initiation of Adults) in his local parish which will take him througha month by month program of initiation in the Church that culminates normallyin Baptism during the Easter Vigil (hopefully with you there as his godparent!). If he has been baptized, he will make his first confession, and thenreceive the sacrament of confirmation and first Holy Communion within a Mass onEaster or at another time. It is useful and proper to establish a team approachin dealing with your friends. Find a prayerful, zealous (they really aresynonomous) priest with whom you can work and triangulate, which is to say bothof you working together can offer your insights and wisdom, your prayer andsacrifice to your friend, The priest may be able, perhaps, to enter better intosome areas that you cannot on account of his sacramental power. He will also beable to advise you as to the best way and moment for your friend to beincorporated in the Church, taking careful notice of personal circumstances.

Good, thanks to be to God, he finally made it; he is in! Whatnow? Naturally it is on to the next person, or perhaps you are already dealingwith several people at the same time. However, don't forget your new -bornCatholic friend. He is just a very young child, taking his first totteringsteps into a bright new world that will have its storms and shadows. He will besurrounded by some who regard Catholicism and his conversion to it inChesterton's words as " a nuisance and a new and a dangerous thing ". He needsnurturing, your encouragement, your friendship, your support. Blessed JosemariaEscriva says, " Sanctification is the work of a lifetime, " and as yourfriend's godfather, sponsor, or guide, you have to be with him every step ofthe way. Perhaps you will introduce him to other institutions andspirituality's of the Church that can further his spiritual progress. He willbe eternally grateful to you and you in your turn will echo the words of afamous French convert and poet, Paul Claudel, who said, " Tell him his onlyduty is to be joyful".