A little over two weeks ago, Fordham University had the privilege of hosting an evening of conversation about Catholic faith, humor, and joy with Fr. James Martin, SJ, Stephen Colbert, and Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York.  The event was immediately sold-out and due to a media blackout, was only shared live via texts and tweets and later in a select few media reports.  And it was, by all accounts, a smashing success.

One interesting line grabbed my attention, even though it wasn’t one of the many that inevitably elicited a grin or guffaw.  Instead, it was Cardinal Dolan’s remark to Fr. Martin that beholding these thousands of enthused college students led him to believe, “This is the New Evangelization.”  Admittedly, this was one of the goals of the event’s original planners, Fordham theologians Michael Peppard and Charles Camosy.  And, to be fair, I had a sense of “holy envy” (to borrow a phrase from Church of Sweden Bishop Krister Stendahl) of all those who were able to attend.  But the more I think about it, I’m not quite so sure this event is as paradigmatic of the “new evangelization” that Pope Benedict XVI has called for as has been suggested

Sure, there was a lot more substance to the evening than most typical Friday nights on the average college campus.  And it was inspiring to hear Colbert express his love for the Church, “warts and all.”  I also certainly value Fr. Martin’s work to highlight the cause of (and need for) joy in the Christian life.  But I am left to wonder how many students would have attended had the event been sans-Colbert.  Or, even better, what effect this one event will have on those who were present or followed along via social media.  (These and other reflections are raised in this insightful blog post by Dana Dillon.)

I had a similar thought in the wake of Boston College’s Sesquicentennial Mass at Fenway Park, held the following day.  I appreciate and affirm everything my friend and colleague Nichole Flores reflected and wrote for Millennial.  It was one of the most beautiful and memorable liturgies of my life.  And Fr. Michael Himes offered one of the best and most meaningful homilies I’ve ever heard.  But as I was basking in this celebration (of the Eucharist and the fruits of Jesuit education) a few days later, I met with some administrators who were also recounting all the successes of the day: the chance to hold Mass in Fenway Park, successfully planning and carrying out a liturgy for nearly 20,000 people (no small feat), even drawing 20,000 people to attend Mass in the first place.  One administrator joked, “If I could find a donor to fund it, we should have Mass there every Sunday.”  Now of course this quip wasn’t meant to be taken seriously.  But as I walked away from this conversation, I was a little uneasy with all the emphasis on the success of the day.

I am reminded of a line Mother Teresa would often recite: “God does not call us to be successful; God calls us to be faithful.”  While both these events were certainly successful for their particular purposes, they shouldn’t be the model for evangelization.  Parlaying celebrity (whether that of Stephen Colbert or a certain historic ballpark) shouldn’t be our m.o. for drawing people into the Church.  Moreover, I am rather skeptical that these one-off experiences will have the kind of long-term and integral influences on personal, moral, and religious formation that disciples need.  To be clear, I am not denying that there is important potential for evangelization in the midst of popular culture.  What I am saying is that if, as sociologist Robert Putnam has shown in his recent book American Grace, Sunday sermons and even parish religious education programs don’t have the same effect on lived morality as personal relationships, daily practices, and a sense of “belongingness” do, then the new evangelization should be built from the ground-up and highlight the virtues, prayers, practices, and relationships that make it sustainable for a lifetime.

Archbishop Oscar Romero would often remind people that the aim of the Church is service, not survival.  I have no doubt that Fr. Martin, Mr. Colbert, and Cardinal Dolan would agree.  There’s nothing wrong with sharing the joys (and struggles) of faith experienced by prominent Catholics like these.  However, while we have everyone’s attention, we should also note, as Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen gentium) does, “Just as Christ carried out the work of redemption in poverty and persecution, so the Church is called to follow the same route that it might communicate the fruits of salvation to [all people] … Thus, the Church, although it needs human resources to carry out its mission, is not set up to seek earthly glory, but to proclaim, even by its own example, humility and self-sacrifice” (no. 8).

The evening at Fordham and Mass at Fenway are good first-steps to welcome people to the Good News.  But the real new evangelization will not be spread through whatever venue has the biggest draw, may be the most entertaining spectacle, or rubs shoulders with the most successful.  Rather, the deepest and most lasting effect will come from the authentic narratives and daily examples that demonstrate and attract people to be faithful – every day and amid the ordinary.