By Renée Romance
Contributing writer
“Jesus traveled through the villages teaching. Calling the Twelve together, he began to send them out two by two . . . they set off and preached.” (Mark 6: 6,12)
Elizabeth Garn and Allison Bracht of the Diocesan Office of Adult and Ministerial Formation are on a mission: A Genesis Mission. Like the apostles before them, they travel together throughout the Diocese to proclaim Christ and to inspire groups of parishioners to fulfill their baptismal call to evangelization. Side by side, Garn and Bracht, guided by the principles of the Genesis Mission, journey to a parish one day a week for six weeks to give participants the confidence and tools to share their faith with others.
Why two by two?
“I think it’s all about accompaniment,” Garn said. “The leaders accompany each other on this journey as we accompany the participants through the training. We learn and grow from one another, encourage and pray for one another, as we lead the training groups together.”
Bracht agreed. “I have found many times … there are insights and experiences I can share that my co-leader cannot and vice versa.”
The Genesis Mission was developed by Father Jon Bielawski, Michele Thompson, and Michael Dopp, international presenters from the Mission of the Redeemer Ministries. In 2020, they visited the Syracuse diocese and presented three workshops that were well-received. Consequently, the diocese decided to offer a first round of training with Fr. Jon and Michele in June that same year. Once the first groups were trained, participants interested in becoming leaders could sign up for training. Garn was one of the first leaders trained, and Bracht was trained in 2025. While they are trained to bring it to parishes, other leaders commit to continuing the mission in their own parish.
Many Catholics know they should evangelize, but are afraid to step out of their comfort zone. The Genesis Mission process teaches group members the power of prayer and listening to the Holy Spirit. Garn points out, “A very simple and key prayer we ask the Genesis Mission participants to pray daily is ‘Lord, bring me someone today who I may share you with.’ Then we rely on the Holy Spirit to help us become more aware of the opportunities in our daily lives to encounter people.”
The Genesis Model identifies key elements in developing a mature faith and steps to a fruitful encounter, which include Prayer, Connect, Communicate/Accompany, Spirit-Led Encounter, Life-Giving Words, Kerygma/Catechesis, Explicit Prayer, Transformation, Conversion, and Catholic. Each week, the participants learn about some of the key elements and share encounters they had with others. Listening is critical to the Genesis process and is practiced during each session.
In the Book of Genesis, the world begins in a state of chaos, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, chaos changes to order. Today in our world of chaos, the Genesis Mission gives participants the confidence, tools, and power of prayer to lead them to Holy Spirit encounters that allow them to positively impact another person’s life and turn them towards Christ. As leaders, Garn and Bracht are witnesses to each participant’s transformation.
“There is nothing better than to witness someone begin their Genesis Mission journey unsure, doubtful, and maybe even a little jaded and to finish that journey with a newfound confidence, hope, excitement, and understanding of what sharing their faith can look like,” Bracht said.
Contact the Office of Adult and Ministerial Formation at 315-470-1490 or visit the syracusediocese.org for more information.
