“Evangelization is about showing up”: Steve Dawson on taking the Gospel to the streets

There was a time when Steve Dawson found himself in trouble with the law, mired in destructive behaviors and relationships. Today he spends his days sharing the Good News with anyone who will listen, as founder and president of Saint Paul Street Evangelization (in between these two stages of his life, he says, he could be found downing Jack Daniels while watching Mother Angelica). Struck by how Jehovah’s Witnesses, Evangelicals, Mormons, and even atheists are comfortable preaching about their beliefs in the streets, Dawson has devoted his life to combating the perception that street evangelization “isn’t a Catholic thing.” In fact, preaching, teaching, and sharing the Good News in public are practices that go all the way back to the Apostles, and many great saints have engaged in them. During his years as a street evangelist, Dawson and his team have honed skills and developed methods of communicating the Faith in simple, accessible, and compelling ways. In this episode, Andrew Petiprin speaks with Dawson about his powerful conversion story, some of the amazing things that he’s seen in his years of street evangelizing, and why the basics of evangelization are important for every Catholic to master—whether they’re sharing the Faith on the street, in the workplace, or in their own families. Related reading: “Catholic Evangelization: Stories of Conversion and Witness”, now available at Ignatius.com: https://ignatius.com/catholic-evangelization-sst2p/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=Catholic+Evangelization&utm_id=Catholic+Evangelization Learn more about Dawson’s work at Saint Paul Street Evangelization: https://streetevangelization.com/ SUBSCRIBE to our channel and never miss an episode of the Ignatius Press Podcast. You can also listen to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, and other podcast platforms. Follow us on social media: Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/IgnatiusPress Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ignatiuspress Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ignatius_press/