At our recent Evangelization Committee meeting, someone asked, “Why was Christian Services renamed to Evangelical Charity?” The short answer is that it was a product of the Archdiocese of Detroit’s Unleash the Gospel movement, but we still need to look a little deeper. Let’s first break the phrase into its two words:
- Evangelical: For each of us, our primary calling is to spread the Gospel (the Good News of our faith).
- Charity: Providing help to people in every form of need.
In other words, the goal was to recognize Catholic services for our poor and marginalized brothers and sisters as a response to Jesus’ call, not to be mistaken for humanist philanthropy. For two thousand years, the Church has developed a vast network of charitable programs and been a source of inspiration for many of our current society’s philanthropic endeavors. In recent decades, however, there has been a tendency to separate our charitable works from our primary calling—spreading the Good News of Jesus. The name change reminds us that whenever we provide material support to others in need, we should not forget that we are also called to respond to their spiritual needs and be willing to share our faith and dependence on God.
In summary, Evangelical Charity emphasizes the need to be a clear witness to Jesus in all of our charitable works.
