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Director of Evangelizationlaura.angleholycrosswi.orgAs the new coordinator for evangelization and parish outreach here at St. Bernard parish, Laura Angle understands that her mission is ongoing.
“We are always seeking to grow … to learn more (and) to fall more in love with Jesus,” she said. “But you can’t give what you don’t have. If you are not on fire for God, you can’t give it to other people either.
“I will be learning as well … as I am going through the program, as I walk with other people. Hearing their experiences will also help in my personal spiritual journey. So, I am very excited about that.”
Angle accepted this position at St. Bernard after working for 12 years at Epic in Verona.
“For years, I wanted to work for the church,” she said. “I knew that was the direction that God was pulling my heart.”
So, two years ago, she started making other plans for her life.
“At that point, I thought it would take me five years (to make the change),” she said. “But God decides those things, I don’t.”
Her five-year plan included buying a new house and enrolling in the Cenacle of Our Lady of Divine Providence School of Spiritual Direction in Clearwater, Fla., to obtain a spiritual direction certificate. She has completed both of those items.
“Multiple things came together this summer to say that it was time. It was God pushing me. It is time now!”
Angle started looking for a new career in the church and applied for two positions.
“I didn’t want to just take the first thing that I found,” she said. “I wanted to set myself up to be somewhere long-term. I only applied to two places, so (the St. Bernard position) was very high on my list of where I thought I wanted to be.
“After talking to Fr. Brian and really understanding what this position was about, I thought: ‘That is perfect for who I am and what I want to do.’”
Angle said both her new position here and her job at Epic included counseling with one big difference.
“I really like journeying with people on their path of faith,” she said. “It is something that I really couldn’t do as well as I wanted to at Epic. I could talk about career and help others to grow in their career and understand their direction and help them to be better people, but faith couldn’t be a part of it.
“That was a kind of limiting factor at Epic. So, I’m really excited to be here.”
Her new position here will also allow her to use her skills in spiritual direction.
“I love to see people have breakthroughs,” she said. “They understand themselves more or their role. Evangelization really does that … helping people to walk into the fullness of what God is calling them to.
“Evangelization is such a core piece of who you are as a Catholic. That you are bursting with the love of God so much that you have to tell others.
“I want to help people to understand their beautiful relationship and unique relationship with God and deepening that so that they want to go out to others and tell them more.”
Angle said she believes evangelization is important, because it was Jesus’ last request as ascended into heaven.
“The last thing that Jesus said on earth before he ascended was to go and make disciples of all nations. So, it really is the core call of a Christian. It is the way that we reach out to others so that they can experience the love of God for themselves.”
Angle said the biggest influence on her faith life was her mother.
"She was always deeply faithful. She could count on one hand the number of Sundays that she has missed in her entire life,” she said.
“She was very faithful, but it wasn’t something that we talked about at home. We said grace before meals and went to Mass and religious education classes every Sunday. Those were requirements. We were not allowed to miss those. Otherwise, we didn’t really talk about it.”
When she was in college, Angle and her mother attended a retreat together.
“That was the first time I ever heard my mom discuss her faith, and I found out that her faith and mine were so similar in the ways that we viewed God and the ways that we viewed the world.
“Just seeing her quiet consistency throughout my childhood was very influential.”
While at St. Bernard, Angle said she wants to help parishioners to have a deeper understanding of God’s love for them.
“And to walk with as many as I can on that journey. Whether that’s through one-on-ones or starting small groups or doing presentations on my life of faith or helping to encourage others to do the same.
“However it is that God would like for me to do that … that is what I want to do.”
Angle said she is familiar with the Evangelical Catholic program that was started here in the parish about three years ago.
“I think there is a good foundation to start from … from here I will continue to do the work that (Kevin Sullivan) was doing and really try to meet the needs of where the parish is.”
Angle said she has no specific goals yet, but that is something that she wants to put into place.
“But really it is about hearts and not numbers, so that is the balance that you try to strike of not just trying to meet a number but trying to touch people.”
