Mark Thomason named director of catechesis evangelization, RCIA

By JoANN AMMANN, Globe intern
Jan. 25, 2007

Mark Thomason is in his second week as the new director of catechesis, evangelization and RCIA. He has started adjusting to Sioux City life as well as his position at the diocese.

Thomason is a Denver native and has worked in various ministry roles. He is also an artist, painter and sculptor. "It's exciting and overwhelming all at once here," said Thomason. "There is a lot of potential which is fascinating and awesome. There is a real chance to build the church here. On the same note, there is a lot of stuff to go through and put together a strategy to start the process."

Thomason added that his past work experience has helped him bring a new perspective to this job.

"My previous experiences help me to be creative and to look at big pictures and see things in different perspectives, as opposed to just 'think outside the box' a little bit and try new things," said Thomason. "No one hands an artist $10,000 and tells them to paint, you have to go out and find the shows and hustle."

He has several different ideas in mind to try and form a better way while at the same time creating a more uniform way of teaching catechism in the diocese.

"One idea is trying to find a universal catechetical agenda for the diocese, so that everyone is on the same page and learning the same things," said Thomason. "Also, a certification process for our catechecist, so they have all the same sort of base knowledge and so they are all teaching the same things and know the same things. These are basic, but huge projects."

A new change to this position for the diocese is that the director of catechesis will also be in charge of RCIA and evangelization for the diocese. This change has also given Thomason insight on the three groups.

"My hope is to really build up RCIA," said Thomason. "Converts are the life blood of the church. They bring a whole new energy to the church."

Thomason went on to mention the energy that converts give should be inspiring to everyone because of how closely the three different things can be related.

"I think the three are intimately related," Thomason said. "I think catechism should be formative and the information needs to form us. Directly what we are learning should inspire us to become evangelists. Then I should be more on fire for my faith to be able to share that with people so that catechists should lead evangelists, which should lead to RCIA. RCIA should help reinvigorate the whole catechetical program. It should really work together, plus it makes a really nice Trinitarian model, which is always nice for the church."

Thomason also stated that converts could bring a new feeling that can be shared with other parishioners.

"A convert always brings a new energy to the church that we should tap into, so I hope that their zeal can invite a positive way of impacting their parishes," Thomason said. "That is one of our main goals, to spread the Gospel and bring people back to the home of the Catholic Church."

Thomason said his main goals here are being able to share the teachings of the Bible.

"I want to help the bishop in his mission of spreading the Gospel, that should be the goal of the whole chancery and church," Thomason said, "to spread the Gospel."