Summary Report for the Archdiocese of Boston
Overall Objectives of the Process
Through ARISE Together in Christ in the Archdiocese of Boston we envisioned a movement that
would deepen spirituality, encourage multi-cultural participation, enhance collaboration within
the Archdiocesan offices, build up the morale of the clergy, promote healing and reconciliation,
reach out to inactive, alienated, and young adult Catholics through evangelization strategies, and
use the media to promote the Good News of the Spirit’s presence in the people and parishes in
the Archdiocese. As we look back on all five seasons, we see clearly each of these objectives
have been achieved to a greater or lesser degree.
Season One Theme: Encountering Christ Today
Goal: To deepen our experience of Christ both personally and communally.
Season Two Theme: Change Our Hearts
Goal: Personal conversion in light of our membership in the Catholic community.
Season Three Theme: In the Footsteps of Christ
Goal: To explore what it means to be a disciple of Christ in today’s world and how this implies
active commitment to works of charity and acts of justice; becoming a young-adult friendly
parish.
Season Four Theme: New Heart, New Spirit
Goal: To experience communal reconciliation and healing following the merging of parishes and
the sexual abuse scandal; emphasis on outreach to inactive and alienated Catholics.
Season Five Theme: We Are the Good News!
Goal: To explore the meaning of evangelization in our lives; we are called to bring the Good
News of Christ into every human situation. Evangelization training helped prepare leaders to
welcome people back to parishes through “Catholics Come Home.
Outcomes
By the Numbers
Parishes Participating Over 60% of the 292 parishes in the Archdiocese
participated in ARISE. In addition, people whose parishes did not participated in ARISE have formed
groups on their own.
3 new parishes started Season 5 in fall 2010
Workshops Conducted 200+ in four languages (English, Spanish,
Portuguese, Haitian Creole), plus several “make-up
sessions” via the web.
Adult Leaders Trained 3,000+
Small Group Participants 30,000+
Parishes Using Children’s Materials 44
Parishes with Youth Groups 26 representing 630 participants plus leaders
Nursing Homes/Assisted Living Three—Brooksby Village, Peabody; Sunrise
Assisted Living, Braintree; The Boston Home, Dorchester
Prison Ministry Norfolk Prison: Five groups in English, four in
Spanish, one in Vietnamese
Framingham Prison: 40+ participants
Supplemental Workshops Liturgy, Youth Ministry and Catechetical Leaders
Campuses Participating Three
Campus Leaders Trained 40-50
Theology on Tap Parishes Five
Faith-Sharing Material Languages Six options, including English, Spanish, Portuguese,
Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, and Lithuanian; largeprint editions available; e-text available on request
