Everyday Witness: 7 Simple Habits for Sharing Your Faith

Do you want to share your faith with others but think you might not know enough? Are you worried that conflicts will arise as you openly talk about and share the love of Christ?

In Everyday Witness, Sr. Theresa Rickard, O.P., president of RENEW International, offers seven simple habits to help fellow Catholics more comfortably talk about and model Christian faith in our everyday lives.

Most often people come to Christ because they’ve admired the words and actions of believers they respect. But talking about God and witnessing by our actions can be very difficult. In this primer for evangelizing witness, Sr. Theresa Rickard, O.P., presents inspirational stories and biblical reflections along with spiritual coaching and practical advice for Catholics who want to get better at sharing what they believe and how they came to believe it.

Rickard encourages us to adopt seven habits that will help us confidently share our faith in word and deed:

• choose joy
• be humble
• preach from the pulpit of life
• pray unceasingly
• listen closely
• practice the art of accompaniment
• engage in God-talk

Each chapter includes Rickard’s reflection on witnessing the faith in her own life, a brief survey of what the Bible says on the topic, and the story of an ordinary person who gives witness to their faith in an extraordinary way. Each chapter also offers self-reflection questions, simple ideas about how to grow the habit, and a closing prayer that gives us not only food for thought but also practical help for becoming better witnesses to our Catholic faith.

Theresa Rickard, O.P., is a Dominican Sister of Blauvelt, New York, and the president of RENEW International. She is a preacher, writer, retreat leader, and conference speaker. Rickard is also the author of Everyday Witness, three devotionals in The Living Gospel series with Ave Maria Press, and LiveLent! (Years A, B, and C). She also contributed to Preaching the Sunday Assembly and We Preach Christ Crucified.

She earned a doctorate of ministry in preaching from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri, a master of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and a master of arts degree in religion and religious education at Fordham University.

Prior to working at RENEW, Rickard ministered in two multicultural parishes in the South Bronx, was the director of vocation and formation ministry for her congregation, and was a member of the Archdiocese of New York’s Parish Mission Team.