SAINT PAUL EVANGELIZATION SOCIETY
Restoring evangelization to its rightful throne through the Successors of the Apostles
News & Announcements
USCCB Conference Secretary, Most Reverend Paul S. Coakley, S.T.L., D.D. of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
Evangelization becomes the singular ‘mission directive’ for the USCCB for the first time ever
“Responding even more deeply to the call of Christ to proclaim the Gospel and form Missionary Disciples, the Committees and Staff of the USCCB, submitting to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, will prioritize the work of the Conference to help equip bishops, clergy, religious, and the laity in evangelizing those who are religiously unaffiliated or disaffiliated from the Church, with special focus on young adults and the youth.”
Ever since St. John Paul II called for a “new evangelization,” some 40 years ago, extraordinary lay apostolates have boomed, yet attendance at Catholic Churches continues to rapidly decline. Currently, for every one person coming into the Catholic Church, more than six are leaving. The most populated religious group in the United States will soon be “ex-Catholics”. And the Catholic Church even ranks last among all major religions in the United States in bringing newcomers into their faith.Something is not right.
Ever since St. John Paul II called for a “new evangelization,” some 40 years ago, extraordinary lay apostolates have boomed, yet attendance at Catholic Churches continues to rapidly decline. Currently, for every one person coming into the Catholic Church, more than six are leaving. The most populated religious group in the United States will soon be “ex-Catholics”. And the Catholic Church even ranks last among all major religions in the United States in bringing newcomers into their faith.Something is not right.
When we consider history, it wasn’t extraordinary lay apostolates that led to the explosion of Christians in the first evangelization – an explosion that grew from 11 apostles in the Upper Room to 34 million disciples in 300 years and the conversion of the Roman Empire.It was not one part of the mystical body that generated this astronomic increase, but the whole Church led by its bishops.
We will never know most of the names of these bishops who converted pagan Rome and grew Christ’s followers into the world’s largest religion. They are lost to history. That’s because they were ordinary bishops just like our own bishops today.The difference was that maintenance was not their chief concern. They understood mission. They grew up with mission. And many died because of mission.
SPES is here to restore evangelization to its rightful throne by humbly supporting bishops as “fishers of men” to transform their dioceses into evangelizing dioceses and lead the whole body of Christ in a new apostolic age.The time for a new Pentecost is here.
“The United States Catholic Church is a sleeping giant right now, and if she is ever awakened she will be the mighty force that brings about the transformation and salvation of the world. The work SPES does is priceless for us and our vocations as the Chief Evangelizers of the United States Catholic Church.”
Bishop Donald J. Hying,
Diocese of Madison
“It was my great joy to be one of the local hosts for these incredible conferences for bishops from St. Paul Evangelization Society. We were so inspired by the presenters and by the workshops we did here to really organize our thoughts around evangelization, this number one priority for us bishops.”
Archbishop Alexander K. Sample,
Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon
Conferences
We help bishops rethink their jobs and understand how wide-scale evangelization works through our Bishops Conferences on Evangelizing Dioceses.
September 20-October 2, 2025
Archdiocese of Denver, Colorado
Host: Archbishop Samuel Aquila
October 28-30, 2025
Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey
Host: Bishop Kevin Sweeney
Fall 2027
SPES Summit
Host: Bishop David Ricken
Accompaniment
SPES also provides one-on-one, in-depth coaching exclusively for diocesan bishops. The SPES Barnabas Fellows offer encouragement, strategic and tactical guidance, and accountability as the bishop thinks through and implements a long-range process for evangelizing his entire flock.
SPES provides both our conferences and ongoing accompaniment free of charge to the Bishops. We are completely donor supported.
Our Team
George Witwer
Co-founder / PresidentBob Dill
Barnabas FellowFr. Nathaniel Haslam, LC
Barnabas FellowTom Norlander
Barnabas FellowCarlos Paez
Barnabas Fellow
Dcn. Vince Bernardin
Co-founderBill Presspich
Barnabas FellowBob Udell
Barnabas FellowDennis Wierzbicki
Barnabas Fellow
Board of Directors
Most Rev. Donald J. Hying
Bishop of Madison and Chairman of the BoardMost Rev. Philip A. Egan
Bishop of Portsmouth, EnglandMost. Rev. Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst
Delegate for Catechesis,
Dicastery of EvangelizationMost Rev. Robert J. McClory
Bishop of GaryMost Rev. Jeffrey M. Monforton
Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit
Most Rev. David L. Ricken
Bishop of Green BayDeacon Vincent L. Bernardin
Co-Founder, St. Paul Evangelization SocietyPeter Herbeck
Vice President and Director of Missions, Renewal MinistriesGeorge Witwer
Co-Founder and President, St. Paul Evangelization Society
Advisors to the Board
Most Rev. Frank J. Caggiano
Bishop of BridgeportMost Rev. Sam G. Jacobs
Bishop Emeritus of Houma-ThibodauxRalph Martin, STD
President, Renewal Ministries. Consultor, Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization. Director, Sacred Heart Major Seminary, New Evangelization Graduate Programs
Help us restore evangelization to
its rightful throne
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Contact
317 -727-2901George Witwer
gwitwer@spesinchrist.org
St. Paul Evangelization Society, Inc.
P.O. Box 16
Bluffton, IN 46714