Poverty is no longer blamed on anyone but the poor themselves. Our country seems to be increasingly insensitive to the poor, more insecure and selfconcerned, and less concerned about the rights of immigrants and refugees. In general, we can say there is a fearful response from the general public. But the distinct role of evangelization is to turn away from fear and toward love and compassion, My talks around the country emphasize the key role that evangelization has played in converting the hearts of the poor and marginated. All have come about through the efforts of evangelists such as Jonathan Edwards, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Julia Ward Howe, Martin Luther King, Jr. and, in their own time, Bishop Fulton J. Sheen and Billy Graham.
Today there seems to be a basic lack of trust among the American people.
But the Word of God communicates trusting in God, for his mercy endures forever. Evangelists of other persuasions frequently stress the end of the world while Catholics stress the transformation of the world through the power of the Gospel. In its role as evangelizer, the Catholic Church in the US is just beginning to realize its potential for social transformation. It is a beacon of hope for the world. The model for Catholic evangelization is the Holy Eucharist.