© The Catholic News & Herald, July 25, 2008
Helping people get to heaven
Envoy Institute strives for evangelization on college campuses and beyond
by KATIE MOORE
staff writer

BELMONT — “The devil tempted me in so many ways during my first year of college,” said Emily Eby, a rising sophomore at North Carolina State University.

“I definitely had my moments of weakness and times where I was falling fast from the church,” she said. Like Eby, many young people on college campuses throughout the country are faced with moral challenges that put their faith to the test on a daily basis.

Now there is a support system in place that will reinforce the teachings of the Catholic Church on college campuses and beyond.

The first ever Envoy Institute Conference, “Combating Relativism and the Culture of Death on College Campuses, in the Media and Beyond,” was held at Belmont Abbey College July 11-13.

“The goal of the first annual Envoy Institute Conference was to introduce the institute and make people aware, not only of our existence, but also of what we hope to accomplish — what our goals are,” said institute director Patrick Madrid.

Known for his work in Catholic apologetics, Madrid is the author of 12 books on Catholic themes and the publisher of Envoy Magazine, a journal of contemporary Catholic thought.

He founded the Envoy Institute last summer through a cooperative effort with Belmont Abbey College. “I have high esteem for Belmont Abbey College and so one benefit, of course, is to be allied with a very prestigious and solidly Catholic institution of higher learning,” he said.

Dr. William Thierfelder, president of Belmont Abbey College, agreed, noting that the presence of the Envoy Institute has been a positive addition to the Belmont Abbey community — “a community that seeks truth and lives in response to it,” he said.

“It is clear to me that the perfection, the excellence and the virtue we strive to attain at the Envoy Institute of Belmont Abbey College is to glorify God and serve humanity through good stewardship of our gifts," said Thierfelder.

The conference featured a powerhouse line-up of Catholic speakers who tackled the issue of relativism in relation to their particular fields of expertise. “I believe everyone who spoke was equally effective in that he or she allowed God to work through him or her so that when the entire weekend is reflected upon as a whole every talk and message seems to flow together as one long story that God wanted to share with the participants,” said Eby.

Each of the speakers strived to achieve the goals of the institute — “to fortify Catholics so that they can be better Catholics and be more effective in sharing, explaining and defending the faith,” said Madrid.

Dr. Paul Thigpen, a convert to the Catholic faith, tackled the tough issue of evangelization with his presentation, “Evangelization by the Ounce,” which offered 10 simple suggestions for incorporating faith-sharing techniques into everyday situations.

Thigpen is a professor of theology at Southern Catholic College in Dawsonville, Ga., and editor of The Catholic Answer, a national bimonthly magazine that answers questions about Catholic faith, practice and history.
“Not even one ounce of evangelization was ever wasted if it was poured out on a thirsty soul,” he said.

Serrin Foster, president of Feminists for Life of America and editor-in-chief of the organization's magazine, The American Feminist, addressed the culture of death in American society and traced the history of the feminist movement from a pro-life perspective.

“Feminisim is a philosophy that embraces the rights of all human beings without exception,” she said. “The truth that every woman knows in her heart of hearts is that women deserve better than abortion.”

Hector Molina, director of the archdiocesan Office of the New Evangelization for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Mo., talked about how the core of evangelization is rooted within the history of Catholicism.

“Evangelization is a thoroughly Catholic thing,” he said. “It is an obligation for every single one of us to embrace and accept.”

Participants came away from the weekend armed with the tools needed to effectively convey their faith to others.

“For the first time in my life I am not only fearless of standing up for my faith, but am burning to share it with others,” said Eby.

“This conference provided the evidence and the arguments to defeat the lies, making it clear that there are objective truths and God wants us to know them,” said Kathy Schmugge, Family Life Coordinator for the Diocese of Charleston, S.C.

“I left filled with the hope that with the grace of God, we can bring light to the present culture and turn it around," she said. Although the Envoy Institute was initially set up to address the needs of Catholic students on college campuses, the conference itself was geared toward “Catholics of all ages,” according to Madrid.

“The purpose of the Envoy Institute at Belmont Abbey College, fundamentally, is to help people get to heaven,” said Madrid.
“In the meantime we want them to have as good and full and as holy a life as a Catholic as possible,” he added. Eby certainly came away from the conference with a new perspective.

“The Envoy Institute Conference has changed my life and re-ignited a passionate spiritual flame within me that about a year ago had almost been completely extinguished,” she said.

Katie Moore is the staff writer for the Catholic News & Herald. To Contact her, call (704) 370-3354, or e-mail kmmoore@charlottediocese.org.