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Bruce Downes has a charism, by which I mean the gift given by God through an individual and through the Church but given to the world. It’s a gift given by God to build up the Church for the sake of mission – and this at a time when God is calling the Church to become more missionary. Bruce is a classic case of the new category which is sometimes called, ‘a Catholic evangelical.’ In the past, those two terms would have seemed mutually exclusive, but not anymore. We need to become more deeply Catholic and more boldly evangelical and that’s the combination you find in the Catholic Guy Ministry.

Bruce has been gifted by God in a variety of ways, and the fruits of this Ministry have long been apparent. His prime gift is the gift of an evangelist who is deeply attuned to the mysteries of the Catholic faith but attuned no less to the currents of contemporary culture and in particular the culture of the media. He is able to find the right words and images to explain ancient and at times complex truths in a way that makes them seem fresh and accessible. In that, he models what is true of the whole church as we face the challenges of the new evangelization.

Bruce’s approach has never been narrowly confessional, let alone crudely ideological. He draws upon the power of the Gospel to cut across confessional (denominational) barriers, speaking a language which is truly Catholic yet open to all. Add to this his formidable powers of organisation and networking and you have the potent mix that has become the Catholic Guy.