In the Press

ChristLife has been featured in the National Catholic Register, Ave Maria Radio, EWTN, and more.

Dianne Davis on EWTN's "At Home with Jim and Joy"
At Home with Jim and Joy, EWTN, February 2024

Dianne Davis joined Jim and Joy to share examples of how average Catholics can utilize a personal touch to be effective evangelists.
Episode 1 / Episode 2


Making missionary disciples
Iruthaya Das Arulanadam, PDNEC, Herald Malaysia Online, February 26, 2022

"Bishop Sebastian said he was drawn to the words ‘curiosity’ and ‘seekers’ from the programme. Curiosity or quest for meaning is infinite with no room for boredom, and of being in the company of seekers awaiting the right answers and asking the right, provoking questions."


ChristLife evangelization program helps to deepen faith
Jennifer Burke, Catholic Courier, September 17, 2021

"Can one program change the trajectory of parish life in a Catholic community? Yes it can, if that program is ChristLife, according to Julie Cohn, pastoral minister at St. Rita Parish in Webster."


Parishes collaborate to make disciples, one at a time
Donna Ottaviano-Britt, Catholic Star Herald, June 24, 2021

"Father Cadmus Mazzarella, pastor at Our Lady of Peace, said rolling out ChristLife is directly related to the Convocation. He has been pastor for many years, and he said this is one of the best things the parish has ever done. 'It created personal connectedness for people. … It gave us seeds for planting, cultivating and harvesting.'"


ARISE Convocation Highlights Mercy and Forgiveness
Tony DeGol, Proclaim!, February 2020

"Now working for ChristLife Catholic Ministry for Evangelization in Baltimore, Ascosi shared his personal faith journey and the broader significance of Reconciliation during a convocation kicking off season four of the diocesan renewal initiative ARISE Together in Christ."


Merrill parish emphasizes relational ministry
Jenny Snarski, Catholic Herald, September 20, 2019

"[ChristLife] nailed the need for relational ministry and discipling and how to create a culture of community in the parish,” [Dcn. Jim Arndt] said, and shared how immediately drawn he was to the program..."


New evangelization ministry helps church members deepen, share faith
Natalie Kennedy, Wellsboro Gazette, September 12, 2019

"After four complete cycles, the program is having an impact on the church and making inroads into the community, said participants. A welcoming committee has formed in the wake of ChristLife and a parish retreat is in the works for next spring."


From Canada to Malaysia, ChristLife draws evangelists to Baltimore Archdiocesen
Rus VanWestervelt, The Catholic Review, June 27, 2019

“We are continuing to move outward and to help Catholic churches incarnate the mission of evangelization in very practical ways,” Ascosi said. “ChristLife gives parish leaders the opportunity to move from maintenance to mission.”


Challenges of Evangelization
Kresta in the Afternoon, Ave Maria Radio, March 29, 2019

Evangelizing a world that has rejected God’s call can be a challenge. How can we speak to people who have rejected our message? Where do we being? We talk with Dianne Davis.


ChristLife Series at center of parish evangelization effort
Peter G. Sánchez, Catholic Star Herald, February 14, 2019

"For the past three years, Holy Eucharist Parish here has helped countless men and women from all corners of the Diocese of Camden learn to “discover, follow and share” Christ, and thus be transformed into new creations on fire with the faith.”


ChristLife: A Parish Renewal Process
Albert Galea, The Irish Catholic, November 22, 2018

"It is Christ-centred, enables Catholics to start or deepen a personal encounter with Jesus, helping them to become missionary disciples.”


ChristLife spurs faith-sharing efforts
Mike May, Catholic Voice, July 9, 2018

Christ the King members Robert and Madaline Hursh also have attended ChristLife, which helped them gain the tools and the confidence to reach out to share Christ with others. It’s also deepened their prayer life, he said. “I pray that the Lord will help me bring him to the people I meet each day.”


Missionary Disciples: ChristLife discovers, follows and shares Christ
Mary K. Tilghman, Catholic Review, June 22, 2018

LaDonna Hale Went to church but didn’t feel she had a relationship with God. She considered herself a lukewarm Catholic – until she discovered ChristLife. "I know Him now and I know He knows me," Hale said, choking back tears as she shared her story June 21 with the more than 200 people gathered for the three-day ChristLife National Training Conference at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Ellicott City.


Adult Faith Formation Program Changes the Parish Landscape
Melissa Montealegre Egan, Our Parish Times, May 2018 (page 12)

Medy DeAusen, coordinator of the ChristLife Series at St. Francis, said having graduates offer their “cardboard testimony” on how their relationship with Christ had changed before and after taking the series’ three courses offers a powerful message to the parish community. “You become witnesses to how the parish is changing,” she said. “[The ChristLife Series] changes the landscape of the parish."


Trafford Parish To Offer Weekend Session 'Discovering Christ'
Colleen Pollock, The Catholic Accent, March 2018

"'Evangelization, through our common baptism, is something we are called to do,' [Father Nazimek] said. 'Through ChristLife we find new ways of doing these things.'"


Linked Parishes Reignite, Unite Through ‘Discovering Christ’
Katherine Long, The Catholic Sun, January 2018 

"You can know everything about the Catholic Church, but if you don’t believe, it’s only knowledge, it’s only a rational construct. What happens in Discovering Christ, is it creates a conversion climate, and that’s what has been necessary for people to take that next step."


Popular parish program returns to St. John
Jeff Peterson, The Sun Chronicle, September 2017

"It is important that people realize this is not a “typical” religious education program; in fact we strongly invite and encourage anyone regardless of their current religious affiliation or lack thereof, to attend," Donoghue explained. "It is about your personal story, your experience and how we believe together we can find meaning and ultimately joy in the ancient message of Christianity. A lot of us are so busy with the day to day activities of living, and the stress that comes with family and work obligations or other specific hardships we may face, that we lose sight of the bigger picture. This program gives participants a chance to take a moment and put things in perspective."


ChristLife Catholic Evangelization Program Igniting Hearts Worldwide
Breakfast with Bacon, September 2017

Jennifer King spoke with Dr. Christine Bacon about the ChristLife evangelization process.


Agenda set for September ChristLife conference
Staff, The Steubenville Register, September 2017

Initiated by Steubenville Bishop Jeffrey M. Monforton, ChristLife, which includes "Discovering Christ," "Following Christ" and "Sharing Christ," is for the Catholic who needs an awakening of faith, for people not active in their parish and for a person who has no affiliation with the church, Adams said.


ChristLife at the Convocation of Catholic Leaders
Carolyn Dean, Divine Mercy Radio, August 2017

Dianne Davis and Juan Rodriguez shared their personal testimonies at the Convocation of Catholic Leaders in Orlando, Florida. They shared about ChristLife and how it works.


ChristLife Series Becomes Main Adult Faith Formation Program
Melissa Egan, Our Parish Times, August 2017

With St. Francis having offered every course at least one time to parishioners, Fr. John said he has noticed a demonstrable change in the faith lives of participants. Many participants have shared that they’ve found meaning and purpose in life. Others said they have experienced the love of God in a very deep and life-changing way and feel comfortable sharing that experience in front of large groups.


The Choices We Face
Ralph Martin, EWTN, June 2017

Dave Nodar spoke with Ralph Martin about his personal conversion and how that led to the founding of ChristLife.


Attleboro faithful 'discover Christ' this Lenten season
Dave Jolivet, The Anchor, April 2017

The Attleboro parish’s venture into the ChristLife series was the first in Massachusetts. "The people who have attended the sessions have loved it,” said Donoghue. “Some have said it has exceeded their expectations. The fact that 130 people attend each week speaks for itself."


First and foremost, faith is a relationship
Therese Bussen, Denver Catholic, April 2017

Having a relationship with Jesus is at the very heart of the faith — it is the most essential part. ChristLife founder and director, Dave Nodar, created his parish-based evangelization program for this very reason.


4 parishes join in ChristLife program
Bob De Witt, Pittsburgh Catholic, February 2017

"It’s been fabulous," said Judy Dulemba of St. Teresa of Avila Parish in Perrysville, which is hosting Discovering Christ. "Our group is very cohesive, and people are not afraid to share." Dulemba’s pastor, Father Bob Vular, is enthusiastic about the program and the parishes working together.


St. John's Church to Start Seven-Week Course
Staff, Sun Chronicle, February 2017

Don't just give up chocolate this Lent, parishioners at St. John the Evangelist Church are being urged. For many Christians around the world Lent, the six-week period leading up to Easter, is a time for increased spiritual practices such as fasting, prayer and charitable works. It is traditionally seen by many as a time to give-up something you enjoy in order to focus more on your relationship with God, according to parish member Chris Donoghue.


Joyful News to Share
Fr. Anthony Man-Son-Hing, An Attitude of Gratitude blog, December 11, 2016

Many efforts have been put forward, and many programmes have been tried in an effort to evangelize, but none of them so far have continued to awaken desires to learn about faith once they draw to a close.  In June of this year, after much prayer and discernment, I first heard about ChristLife.  Like most other Evangelization programmes, I was skeptical at first, yet the letter of James urges us all to be patient(James 5:7-8) and to investigate all possibilities for doing the Lord’s work.


Visiting Priest Energizes 'Discovering Christ' Sessions
Tom Maguire, The Catholic Sun, September 29, 2016

Practical benefits of ChristLife at [Fr. Mike Saporito's] own church in Westfield, N.J., he said, include more attendance at Mass, a new greeter ministry, more contemporary music, a common message in all homilies on Sundays, deeper faith among the congregation, and even conversions.


ChristLife in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Zane Williamson, St. Paul Evangelization Society, September 2, 2016

Meghan Cokeley, the Director of the Office for the New Evangelization, said, “It was not just about the logistical training. ChristLife wants you to experience [in the training] what it will be like in Discovering Christ itself.”


Parishes seeing first fruits of ChristLife, as ministries, participation grow
Jerry Zufelt, The Catholic Accent, July 28, 2016

Parishes that have been participating in the ChristLife evangelization model are beginning to reap its benefits, according to Greg Petrucci, director of evangelization. "Parishes are seeing a rise in volunteerism and people returning to reconciliation," he said.


ChristLife in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Holy Spirit Radio, May 16, 2016

Most Rev. John McIntyre, Meghan Cokeley, Fran Novak, and Brian Odelli spoke with Dave Parker of Holy Spirit Radio about ChristLife in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.


ChristLife sparks personal, parish renewal
James Graves, Our Sunday Visitor, April 15, 2016

"It’s amazing the kind of transformation that can take place when people’s hearts are awakened to the reality of God’s love for them, the reality of his mercy and care," Father Arnold said of ChristLife’s first program. "'Discovering Christ' proclaims that Good News, creating an environment for people to hear it, welcome it and respond to it."


Peter Ascosi talks about ChristLife on the radio
April 3, 2016

Peter Ascosi speaks to the Archdiocese of Baltimore about ChristLife and the upcoming National Training Conference.


St. Paul introduces ChristLife program
Mississippi Catholic, March 22, 2016

“I have always felt we ask people to share Christ without giving them Christ. We need to give people an opportunity to know Christ before they can witness their faith,” said Father Hurley. The parish completed the first session of Discovering Christ in February. Participants were energized by their experience.


ChristLife Program Teaches Catholics to Evangelize
Linda Oppelt, Colorado Catholic Herald, January 2016

Schubert estimated that about 200 people have participated in "Discovering Christ" at Holy Apostles. To Schubert, the beauty of the program is that "it reaches people in all different places of their faith," whether they are already actively engaged Catholics or very unchurched.


Apostolate Helps Faithful to Truly Know Christ
Joshua Bitting, Diocese of Wichita, December 2015

These three scenes are representative of a movement that is happening throughout the diocese to provide opportunities for people to discover, or re-discover, the person of Jesus Christ. Comments from participants illuminate the meaning of these experiences for them.


Learning How To Connect Or Reconnect With Christ: Evangelization Training
The Catholic Key, September 11, 2015

Father Arnold said, "For many years we’ve heard talk about the New Evangelization, but most parishes haven’t known what that could actually look like in a parish setting. Now the desire to do something has grown so strong that we’ve seen a real hunger in parishes to find ways to put it into practice. The ChristLife series offers them a real, concrete way to put the work of evangelization into practice. The most important thing we can do is provide parishes with tools to help bring parishioners (and those still outside the parish) into a life-changing relationship with Jesus and his Church."


Dave Nodar talks about ChristLife on the Radio
Ave Maria Radio, August 13, 2015

Dave Nodar spoke with Teresa Tomeo about ChristLife's upcoming Following/Sharing Christ Conference in Detroit, MI.


ChristLife Holds Evangelization Training Conference
Catholic Sun, July 17, 2015

"Evangelization is a mission rooted in the heart of God. The idea of evangelization is to speak openly to others of our faith, something that is relatively new to Catholics. Our mission field is everywhere and we need to talk to anyone and everyone," Nodar told the Sun in a recent interview.


Centennial Renewal at St. Lawrence O'Toole Is Spiritual and Physical
Ron Lajoei, Catholic New York, July 9, 2015

The spiritual renovation was no less extensive. The blueprint for that was provided by “Discovering Christ, “ a seven-week ChristLife Ministries program from Baltimore, Md., which is designed to generate conversions, renewed commitment and an intensified sense of community.


A Light Brightly Shining
Archbishop William E. Lori, A Pastoral Letter on Evangelization-Based Parish Planning, June 2015

The Senior Staff (department heads) of the Catholic Center decided to undertake the ChristLife program (which was developed locally and is now used in more than 50 parishes in the Archdiocese of Baltimore). No program, of course, is the be-all and end-all of evangelization, but we needed a proven vehicle to get and keep us focused on “what really matters right up to the day of Christ Jesus” (cf. Phil 1:9). We met for six weeks around my dining room table and talked about the faith not merely in theoretical and professional terms but rather about the impact of Christ and faith upon our personal lives. (page 12)


An Inspiring Spiritual Experience
William Cone, Pittsburgh Catholic, May 15, 2015

Lou Reda said he began ChristLife facilitator training at his parish, St. Gabriel in Whitehall, thinking he was going to help others become better followers of Christ. He didn't realize how much it was going to affect him. "I was blown away by how much I changed and became closer to Christ. It was an inspiring spiritual experience," he said about the course presented during Lent.


150 Parishioners, Clergy Attend Discovering Christ Conference at Seminary
John Woods, Catholic New York, April 29, 2015

“I’ve had a transformational experience,” Rosson said of his experiences in Baltimore and at St. Joseph’s. The “grassroots nature” of Discovering Christ, with its emphasis on creating a “warmly welcoming” atmosphere for each person who attends, is a “spot-on” approach to evangelization, Rosson said. Our Lady of Good Counsel already has held two planning sessions in anticipation of offering Discovering Christ in September. “We’re committed to doing this,” he said.


Discovering Christ Conference at the Spiritual Life Center in Wichita, KS trains participants to share about the New Evangelization
Catholic Advance, March 20, 2015

Representatives from ten parishes from the Diocese of Wichita, as well as a parish from Kansas City, Kansas, and one from New Ulm, Minnesota, took part in the Discovering Christ training conference aimed at bringing people into a life-transforming encounter with Christ.


Dianne Davis talks about ChristLife on the Radio
Busted Halo, February 4, 2015

Dianne Davis spoke with Father Dave Dwyer about ChristLife's Discovering Christ course and the upcoming National Training Conference.


Equipping Catholics for the New Evangelization: ChristLife
Dan Burke, National Catholic Register, December 17, 2014

There’s a lot of talk about the New Evangelization, but for ordinary Catholics, it can seem underwhelming. Just what does it mean? And how do you pull it off in the midst of your already busy life? Parishes, too, can find the call to evangelization challenging. Talk to almost any parish secretary about turnout and volunteer rates: how do you get people excited about yet another parish program? And then how do you staff the thing? That’s where ChristLife comes in.


Six parishes embrace, engaged in evangelization model
Elizabeth Fazzini, Diocese of Greensburg, October 9, 2014

Mary Blythe said ChristLife is open to everyone; and since its inception at the parish in Lent 2012, more than 400 people have participated, including some from the Pittsburgh diocese. "The cool thing about it is there were eight other parishes in our diocese represented, as well as people who weren’t Catholic," she said. "Once you teach someone how to share … people are bringing people with them, maybe back to a session or encouraging them to sign up for it."


Slovaks Using Three New Effective Courses for Mission and Formation
Fr. Rastislav Dluhý, Redemptorists International, September 19, 2014

From the time of the City Mission in Bratislava in October 2010 Redemptorists and lay missionaries of the Calvary Bratislava Fellowship have been offering three courses for evangelization and formation in Slovakia.


Fr. Michael Saporito talks about ChristLife on the Radio
Ave Maria Radio, September 4, 2014

Fr. Michael Saporito appeared on Ave Maria Radio to talk about ChristLife.


Awakening and Igniting the Faith
Maria Pio-Negro, Catholic Herald, June 11, 2014

"It was very fruitful," said Rossnat Rodríguez, member of Effetá, the parish ministry that volunteered to facilitate and help translate the series. "We had people who were part of parish groups for years and youths, but also people who were not involved in the parish or were away and wanted to come back to the church."


Ministry’s Mission Is to Help Catholics Discover Christ
John Woods, The Catholic New York, April 17, 2014

About a year ago, Dianne Davis came into the store where Petrucelli works and contributed to a charitable collection being taken up there. That simple act sparked a conversation between the two that led Ms. Davis to purchase a Bible for him. Before long, she invited him to attend the Discovering Christ program at her parish, St. Martin de Porres in Poughkeepsie, during Lent.


Encounter Jesus: ChristLife conference to teach Catholics how to make disciples
Elizabeth Lowe, The Catholic Review, February 17, 2014

"Having a ministry whose sole mission is evangelization sets it apart from other ministries," said Father Erik J. Arnold, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Ellicott City. "The mission of ChristLife is to bring out the Gospel to the world around us."


Dave Nodar on "The Choices We Face"
EWTN, February 10, 2014


‘ChristLife’ to help parishes evangelize
Elizabeth Wong, The Michigan Catholic, February 7, 2014

Spearheading the initiative for the Archdiocese of Detroit, Auxiliary Bishop Michael J. Byrnes called ChristLife "a tool for bringing the Gospel to people who may have grown bored or unused to hearing it."


Peter Ascosi talks about ChristLife on the Radio
Our Lady of Guadalupe Radio Network, February 3, 2014

Pete Ascosi appeared on "Building the Kingdom," a radio show of Our Lady of Guadalupe Radio Network (Wash DC metro area), to talk about ChristLife.


A Parish Experiences "Discovering Christ"
Deacon Jim Mann, The Deacon's Call, November - December 2013

We assembled and trained a team of volunteers and, about one month after we had attended the conference, we began the Discovering Christ program at St. Thomas More. To our delight, about 55 people signed up to attend – a wonderful response for a parish of our size. That verified what we already knew – that there is a widespread hunger to know Jesus personally and to experience the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.


'Discovering Christ': Evangelization Series gets Hopatcong parishioners 'fired up' about their faith
The Beacon, Newspaper of the Diocese of Paterson, NJ, February 28, 2013

"This ['Discovering Christ'] has been a boost. It has deepened my faith and increased my spiritual growth and development," said longtime parishioner Marsilia Basile, after having sat in a small group at one table, discussing with others the importance of the Resurrection. "I’ve never felt part of a church community like this. We really should get to know each other, eating together and discussing our faith. This is really beautiful," she said.


Maple Ridge 'Discovering Christ' over dinner
Pat Byrne Casey, The B.C. Catholic, January 25, 2012

"This process reaches out to people who are experiencing a lack of peace and purpose in their lives, whether they are Catholics who have drifted away or people who have never really been part of any faith community."


St. Louis Parish to hosts ChristLife conference on evangelization
The Catholic Review, January 16, 2012

"Our parish has benefited tremendously from the ChristLife evangelization process," said Monsignor Joseph Luca, St. Louis’ pastor. "We are excited to welcome Catholic leaders from around the country to learn how to grow as evangelizing parish communities."


Putting Christ Front and Center Is Goal of Evangelization Ministry
Ron Lajoie, The Catholic New York, July 27, 2011


ChristLife Hopes to Make Faith a Reality
Matt Palmer, The Catholic Review, April 2, 2009