Bishop Barron’s Homily - Solemn Vespers, Diocese of Winona-Rochester

Friends, in his last speech to the priests of Chicago, Cardinal Francis George reminded us of something so simple but so important: “Gentlemen, remember that in the early years of the Church, there were no parishes, there were no Catholic schools or hospitals, no dioceses, no chancery offices, no directors of liturgy, no Vatican—but there were evangelists.” This is a message I have returned to again and again. It guided me as Auxiliary Bishop in Los Angeles, and it continues to guide me today. This is our great calling: to be evangelists.