The Church Alive
While delivering a homily in Poland in June, 1979 John Paul II first uttered the words “new evangelization.” In our time, Pope Benedict XVI has brought the concept to life by establishing the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization and calling the Year of Faith. Now Pope Francis carries the torch and is attracting unprecedented global attention through his simple and humble living out of the Gospel.

The work of the New Evangelization demands a renewed enthusiasm, knowledge and commitment to the Catholic faith, and a creative engagement with the modern world whose “joys and hopes, grief and anguish are those of the followers of Christ as well.” (Gaudium et Spes,1)

How are we, as a community, going to reignite the flame of faith in each other and in a society which has lost interest or strayed away?

The Church Alive is a fast-paced, segmented and interactive show hosted by Salt + Light producers Cheridan Sanders and Sebastian Gomes. This unique series will be both television and web based. The goal: to inspire people and get them talking about the faith, to share stories of the New Evangelization, and to highlight the broad and inclusive nature of Catholicism and its rich tradition.

“Yes, the Church is Alive… and the Church is young.” - Pope Benedict XVI
13 EPISODES...
EP.1 What is the New Evangelization?
On the series premiere of The Church Alive, hosts Cheridan Sanders and Sebastian Gomes discuss the context, characteristics and importance of a new evangelization for the church today.
EP.2 Catholic Education
Episode two of The Church Alive looks at the state of Catholic education in North America today and highlights its uniquely broad and inclusive nature in the search for truth.
EP.3 The Media
In episode three of The Church Alive, Cheridan and Sebastian analyze the qualities and limitations of modern media and social communications.
EP.4 The Role of the Laity
In episode four of The Church Alive, Cheridan and Sebastian look at the unique role of lay people in the church, specifically in the context of the New Evangelization.
EP.5 Social Justice
Relatively unknown and often misinterpreted, the Catholic Social Teachings are an essential component of evangelization and especially the New Evangelization.
EP.6 Politics
The church is not associated with any one political party, so what responsibility do Catholics have in the political sphere? Cheridan and Sebastian look at that question and more in episode six of The Church Alive.
EP.7 Ecclesial Movements
In episode seven of The Church Alive, Cheridan and Sebastian look at the rapidly growing ecclesial or lay movements in the church and their relationship to the local parish community.
EP.8 Ecumenism
A major focus of Vatican II was the work for Christian unity, but it is not yet complete.  In this episode, Cheridan and Sebastian look at the current state of the ecumenical dialogue and discuss the relationship between Christian unity and the New Evangelization.
EP.9 Economics
The frailty of the global financial system has captured everyone’s attention.  What does the church have to say about the current crisis and the path to greater economic justice worldwide?
EP.10 Interfaith/Religious Liberty
One of the most remarkable advances in modern Catholic thinking was the Vatican II teaching on non-Christian religions and religious liberty.  Cheridan and Sebastian discuss this teaching and its implications for the New Evangelization fifty years later.
EP.11 The Consecrated Life
Consecrated women and men have always been at the forefront of evangelization, and the New Evangelization is no different. In episode eleven of The Church Alive, Cheridan and Sebastian look at some of the new challenges facing our religious communities today.
EP.12 The Environment
In this episode of The Church Alive, Cheridan and Sebastian look at how the New Evangelization can be a bridge between the church’s theology of creation and the growing secular concern for the environment.
EP.13 The Catholic Eastern Churches
Do Roman Catholics know and understand the traditions of the Eastern churches?  “Unity in diversity” is the theme of the final episode of The Church Alive as Cheridan and Sebastian look at the richness of these traditions within the Catholic family.
GO IN-DEPTH
CUA students enjoy group discussion while they reflect on the lives of the saints. Earlier this year, I was in Washington D.C. to lead the Women’s Lenten Retreat for CUA’s Campus Ministry. The gi ...read more
Unsung Heros No More
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It’s a familiar story, religious women doing exceptional works and for the most part going unnoticed.  But that’s about to change. Thanks to a $900 000 dollar grant from the Conrad Hilton Foundat ...read more
Throwback Thursday: The Church Alive – Who could’ve imagined this?
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Producer Cheridan Sanders shares her thoughts and experiences leading up the premiere of The Church Alive in 2013. Read her story below: Last year, when Fr. Thomas Rosica first gathered the S+L team ...read more
Throwback Thursday: Counting Down to The Church Alive.
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Salt + Light producer Cheridan Sanders recounts her experience working alongside producer Sebastian Gomes as they prepare to launch The Church Alive, a television series dedicated to #TheNewEvangeliza ...read more
Throwback Thursday: The Church Alive Wins 2014 Gabriel Award
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Remember when S+L producers Cheridan Sanders and Sebastian Gomes won a 2014 Gabriel Award for Best Religious Series for The Church Alive? Check out the post below from early June: Salt + Light Televis ...read more
Celebrating Pope Paul VI
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Pope Paul VI is carried on the “sedia gestatoria,” a ceremonial throne, during the closing liturgy of the Second Vatican Council in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Dec. 8,1965. Pop ...read more
Pope Paul VI presides over a meeting of the Second Vatican Council
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Pope Paul VI presides over a meeting of the Second Vatican Council in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican in 1963. (CNS photo/Catholic Press Photo)  To learn more about the Second Vatican Counc ...read more
Paul VI during session of Second Vatican Council
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Pope Paul VI makes his way past bishops during a session of the Second Vatican Council in 1964. Pope Paul, who led the church from 1963 until his death in 1978, will be beatified on October 19, 2014. ...read more
Archbishop Karol Wojtyla receives the red biretta from Pope Paul VI
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Archbishop Karol Wojtyla of Krakow, Poland, receives the cardinal’s red biretta from Pope Paul VI in the Sistine Chapel June 26, 1967. Pope Paul, who led the church from 1963 until his death in ...read more
Pope Paul VI visits the Church of St. Leo the Great, 1968
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Pope Paul VI greets a girl as he visits the Church of St. Leo the Great in Rome March 31, 1968. Pope Francis will beatify Pope Paul Oct. 19 during the closing Mass of the extraordinary Synod of Bishop ...read more