The following material is from the General Directory for Catechesis (GDC) published by the United States Catholic Conference (USCC) in 1998, paragraphs 46-50.

Evangelization 
 

46. The Church "exists in order to evangelize" that is "the carrying forth of the Good News to every sector of the human race so that by its strength it may enter into the hearts of men and renew the human race."

The missionary mandate of Jesus to evangelize has various aspects, all of which, however, are closely connected with each other: "proclaim," (Mk 16,15) "make disciples and teach," "be my witnesses," "baptize," "do this in memory of me," (Lk 22,19) "love one another" (Jn 15,12) Proclamation, witness, teaching, sacraments, love of neighbor: all of these aspects are the means by which the one Gospel is transmitted and they constitute the essential elements of evangelization itself.

Indeed they are so important that, at times, there is a tendency to identify them with the action of evangelization. However, "no such definition can be accepted for that complex, rich and dynamic reality which is called evangelization." There is the risk of impoverishing it or even of distorting it. Evangelization, on the contrary, must develop its "totality" and completely incorporate its intrinsic bipolarity: witness and proclamation, word and sacrament, interior change and social transformation. Those who evangelize have a "global vision" of evangelization and identify with the overall mission of the Church. 

The process of evangelization
 

47. The Church, while ever containing in herself the fullness of the means of salvation, always operates "by slow stages." The conciliar decree Ad Gentes clarifies well the dynamic of the process of evangelization: Christian witness, dialogue and presence in charity (11-12), the proclamation of the Gospel and the call to conversion (13), the catechumenate and Christian Initiation (14), the formation of the Christian communities through and by means of the sacraments and their ministers (1518). This is the dynamic for establishing and building up the Church.

48. Accordingly, in conformity with this, evangelization must be viewed as the process by which the Church, moved by the Spirit, proclaims and spreads the Gospel throughout the entire world. Evangelization:

• is urged by charity, impregnating and transforming the whole temporal order, appropriating and renewing all cultures;
• bears witness amongst peoples of the new way of being and living which characterizes Christians;
• proclaims explicitly the Gospel, through "first proclamation", calling to conversion.
• initiates into the faith and the Christian life, by means of "catechesis" and the "sacraments of Christian initiation," those who convert to Jesus Christ or those who take up again the path of following him, incorporating both into the Christian community;
• constantly nourishes the gift of communion amongst the faithful by means of continuous education in the faith (homilies and other forms of catechesis), the sacraments and the practice of charity;
• continuously arouses mission, sending all the disciples of Christ to proclaim the Gospel, by word and deed throughout the whole world.

49. The process of evangelization, consequently, is structured in stages or "essential moments": missionary activity directed toward non-believers and those who live in religious indifference; initial catechetical activity for those who choose the Gospel and for those who need to complete or modify their initiation; pastoral activity directed toward the Christian faithful of mature faith in the bosom of the Christian community. These moments, however, are not unique: they may be repeated, if necessary, as they give evangelical nourishment in proportion to the spiritual growth of each person or of the entire community.

The ministry of the word in evangelization
 

50. The ministry of the word is a fundamental element of evangelization. The presence of Christianity amongst different human groups and its living witness must be explained and justified by the explicit proclamation of Jesus Christ the Lord. "There is no true evangelization if the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the Kingdom and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, are not proclaimed." Those who are already disciples of Jesus Christ also require to be constantly nourished by the word of God so that they may grow in their Christian life.

The ministry of the word, within the context of evangelization, transmits Revelation, through the Church, by using human words. These, however, always refer to works: to those which God has done and continues to do, especially in the liturgy; to the witness of Christians; to the transforming action which these Christians achieve, together with so many men of good will, throughout the world. This human word of the Church is the means used by the Holy Spirit to continue dialogue with humanity. He is, in fact, the principle agent of the ministry of the word, the one through whom "the living voice of the Gospel rings out in the Church-and through her in the world".

The ministry of the word is exercised in "different forms." The Church, since apostolic times, in her desire to offer the word of God in the most appropriate manner, has realized this ministry in the most varied of ways. All of these, however, perform the essential and fundamental functions of the ministry of the word itself.

Evangelization. What does this word mean? Paul VI, in Evangelization in the Modern World (Evangelii Nuntiandi, (EN) 1975), says that evangelization means "bringing the Good News into all the strata of humanity, and through its influence transforming humanity from within and making it new"(EN 18). Evangelization brings about conversion of the inner person and ultimately the world through the power of the Gospel.

Evangelization not only means conversion, but a call and challenge to discipleship. This discipleship involves change and decision, growing in God's Word, faith-sharing, communal celebration through sacred sign and through missionary initiative to others. Consequently, evangelization needs to happen in all parishes and in all its programs and processes.

As stated in the General Directory for Catechesis, "the ministry of the word is a fundamental element of evangelization"(GDC, #50). "Catechesis is a form of the ministry of the word that initiates church members into the meaning of Christian signs and symbols. It is a ministry based on the assumption that the persons being catechized have already accepted the proclamation of Jesus Christ and are gathered by it into community"(The Catechetical Documents, LTP, p. 150). In other words, catechetical programs are often attempting to teach children and adults about things that they have no relationship with. Parish programs are attempting to catechize people who have not been effectively or sufficiently evangelized.

The following material is from Good News in New Forms published by the National Conference of Catechetical Leadership (NCCL) in 1998, pages 15-16.

The activities of evangelization and catechesis are "essential and mutually complementary; go and welcome, proclaim and educate, call and incorporate" (GDC 61). As a moment of evangelization, catechesis shares in the central characteristics of evangelization while expressing them in somewhat different ways. To disclose the enriching capacity of situating catechesis within the context of evangelization, we can begin by reviewing the core characteristics of evangelization as set out in the GDC and recognizing their articulation in catechesis: Catechesis, like evangelization, is an ecclesial activity, is made up of multiple and complementary activities, and has the goal of conversion.

Catechesis is a fundamental ecclesial activity. In all of the ways in which the Church acts, it is giving expression to the Gospel: The Church "proclaims it, celebrates it, lives it, and she transmits it in catechesis to all those who have decided to follow Jesus Christ. This transmission of the Gospel is a living act of ecclesial tradition" (GDC 78). Drawing on the rich images and experiences of the catechumenate, the writers of the GDC point to the vivid action of traditio-redditio symboli: "The profession of faith received by the Church (traditio), which germinates and grows during the catechetical process is given back (redditio), enriched by the values of different cultures" (GDC 78). To speak of catechesis as an ecclesial action, therefore, is to recognize the dynamism of proclamation and profession of faith, conversation and conversion, re-expression and renewal that is at the heart of genuine catechetical activity. To speak of catechesis as an ecclesial action is to see beyond the catechist instructing the learners and envision the whole Church engaging in deepening its identity within the tradition and renewing its capacity to express in ever new ways the depth and significance of the Gospel for these days.

With this image of the whole Church as catechist and as learner in mind, it becomes increasingly evident that the expressions of catechesis go beyond a limited understanding of instruction within a schooling paradigm and draws instead on multiple elements of the Church's life. Within the GDC, the multiform reality of catechesis comes into focus in the discussion of the tasks of catechesis that attend to knowledge of the faith, liturgical education, moral formation, and prayer (GDC 85). Developed in more detail in Part Three of the GDC, The Pedagogy of the Faith, the discussion of the multiple tasks of catechesis makes clear that integration into the experience of the community as it lives out and celebrates the faith is key to catechesis. Beyond and in the midst of learning about the faith, liturgy, morality, and prayer, "catechesis prepares the Christian to live in community and to participate actively in the life and mission of the Church" (GDC 86).

As with evangelization, the objective of catechesis is conversion. This is conversion beyond the first turn to faith in response to the original proclamation of the Good News in word and deed: That is the task of evangelization. Catechesis builds on that and fosters a continuing maturing in faith with the aim of "putting people not only in touch, but also in communion and intimacy, with Jesus Christ" (GDC 80 from CatechesiTradendae). This deepening conversion leads to a faith that is "living, explicit, and fruitful" (GDC 82) - a faith that is itself an evangelizing faith.