Name: Patrick Schmadeke
Job title: Director of Evangelization
Contact information: 563-888-4394; schmadeke@davenportdiocese.org
What is your role for the Chancery? My role is to collaborate with parish, school and chancery leaders to integrate evangelization into our efforts.
What do you find most rewarding about your position? Working with people in parishes and schools to think creatively about how to bring the joy of relationship with Jesus into everyday life. The calling of the Holy Spirit is ever anew and it is exciting to walk with people around our diocese on this journey.
What do you find most challenging about your position? The challenge has to do with the size of our diocese. This probably is a common reality in our country, but our diocese makes up the 22 counties of southeast Iowa. This is a large geography, within which there are many diverse needs. That variety is also part of what I find so rewarding about this role.
What question do people most often ask you? I tend to get clarifying questions about what “evangelization” does or does not mean. The term has become more commonplace, but a fleshed out understanding and integration into daily life is still in progress. That is a creative journey that lasts a lifetime, so there really is no end to that exploration.
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