Evangelization through institutional sponsorship. Education and experience in the congregation's tradition can move the laity to full partnership in the ministry

Sponsors' efforts to empower lay leaders to carry on the Catholic healthcare ministry can be understood as a process of evangelization, or the proclamation of the Gospel to Christians and non-Christians in order to awaken and nourish faith. By involving the laity in the operation of their institutions, sponsors assume an evangelizing posture. To ensure the continuation of their ministry, sponsors share with the laity their history, charism, and values. They thus set a standard on which institutions can base their own mission and values. Catechetics, or religious instruction, is another aspect of evangelization. For sponsors, catechesis takes place through governance and mission integration activities. The sacraments are also important to evangelization. Through prayer before a board meeting, the use of paraliturgy during the commissioning of new board members, or the eucharistic liturgy, sponsors raise people's awareness of the sacred even in the midst of workplace routine. Sponsors themselves need continual evangelization. As congregations help the laity carry out the Church's healing mission, they are also called to examine how they sponsor.