New Easter Catholics: Why Too Many Leave Too Soon and What We Can Do About It

One of the joys of Easter is witnessing the entrance of new sisters and brothers into the Catholic Church. Just like beaming newlyweds remind older married couples of when they first fell in love, these new Catholics remind us what a precious gift our Faith really is. But what happens when the celebration fades into memory and the challenges of being an active Catholic in today’s world kick in? Read more

Mission Matters: Mar. 29, 2016

Please keep in your prayers the repose of the soul of Thomas McCann, and the consolation of the McCann family. Thomas, the son of Mary McCann, passed away unexpectedly last night. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.

This week’s “Parish Table Talk”: Retreat for health ministers; Marriage and Family Life town hall meeting; Mother Angelica’s legacy; plus this Thursday’s blog post. Read more

Developing Young Missionary Disciples

Thanks to Pope Francis, much of the Church- including our own Archdiocese – is talking about Missionary Discipleship. That’s a really nice catch phrase, but what does it look like?  How do we do Missionary Discipleship and how do we create a young church full of Missionary Disciples? Here are three ways to start: Read more

Mission Matters: Mar. 22, 2016

This week’s “Parish Table Talk”: Prayers for the Victims and their loved ones in Brussels; Questions and answers on the Triduum; Persecution and loss of religious freedom in Israel; Fr. Alexander Schmemman on Lent; Holy Week around the world; plus this Thursday’s Blog post. Read more

Some Thoughts on Rebuilding Your Parish from Up Close

As a parishioner at Church of the Nativity, I have seen up close what an evangelizing parish looks like, at least when it’s located in Timonium, Maryland. But there are some things that every parish needs in order to become an evangelizing parish. In this week’s post, I would like to introduce you to one of the great sites on our resources section: the Rebuilt Parish Association (RPA). The pastoral leadership at Nativity is pretty excited about RPA and they believe you will be too. Read more

Mission Matters: March15, 2016

This week’s “Parish Table Talk”: ChristLife National Training Conference; A fresh look at Pope St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body; Marriage & Family Life’s town hall meeting; plus, our weekly blog. Read more

Caring for God’s Creation: A Passion for the Lost and Forgotten

Laudato Si  is Pope Francis’ powerful and prophetic encyclical aimed to awaken us to the reality that if we do not care about our planet then it will not be able to care for us. Read more

Mission Matters: Mar. 8, 2016

This week’s “Parish Table Talk”: The Pope’s monthly universal intentions; Thanksgiving for the fruits of the events this weekend; Youth Pilgrimage; Camp Glow; Marriage stats; PAS Bill; Symposium; plus this Thursday’s Blog post. Read more

Mission Matters… Near and Far

Pope Francis (and most popes before him) encourages us to focus on mission and evangelization. Something I had perhaps forgotten over the years, but I’ve been reminded that the bottom line is this: our mission as Catholics and as Christians is to love our neighbor, near and far.

Haiti is a near neighbor. Read more

Mission Matters: Mar. 1, 2016

This week’s “Parish Table Talk”: Baltimore faith leaders in Rome; Responding to questions about “Spotlight”; Parish Resources for the MD General Assembly; Events this weekend;  Transitions, plus this Thursday’s Blog post. Read more