In Latin America and Spain Holy week is lived intensely. Hispanics celebrate the passion of the Lord with colorful images and with signs that represent their culture, this ‘religiosidad popular’ is what helps the community accompany the Lord on his way to the cross. Read more
It seems these days that every time we open a magazine or read an online article there is more bad news about Catholics leaving the Church. Last week, the Catholic News Agency reported the results of a CARA study about why young people leave the Church. Of the 214 former Catholics interviewed for the study, the median age at which they said they had decided to leave was 13; overall, seventy-four percent had decided to leave between the ages of 10 and 20.
The natural follow-up question to: “Why do people leave the Church?” is: “What can we do about it?”
Thankfully, we do have resources that show how parishes today have overcome what seems like an overwhelming challenge.
Two key resources come to mind: The Amazing Parish and Parish Catalyst. Both of them have studied parishes across the country and identified the hallmarks of vibrant, thriving, evangelizing parishes. It’s no surprise that they both found some of the same hallmarks.
In addition to a “Sunday experience” focused on “hymns, homilies, and hospitality” (or “music, message, and ministries”), The Amazing Parish identifies three essential building blocks for a parish to become “amazing”:
Likewise, Parish Catalyst has amassed a treasure trove of information on best practices of “great Catholic parishes,” descriptions of which can be found in the book Great Catholic Parishes: How Four Essential Practices Make Them Thrive, by Parish Catalyst founder, Bill Simon, Jr. From these interviews they identified four essential practices of “great Catholic parishes.” These are:
Notice any similarities?
Of course, these things don’t just happen without deep prayer and thought, hard work, and tough decisions. They also don’t happen overnight.
Pope Francis wrote in The Joy of the Gospel that “if a parish proves capable of self-renewal and adaptivity, it continues to be the Church living in the midst of the homes of her sons and daughters.” Here we find at least one answer to the question of what to do about the latest religious trends: if we want the Church to continue to be relevant in our communities, it must be open to change and be able to respond to the demands of the times.
There are excellent programs that focus on personal conversion to Christ as the first step to a parish full of missionary disciples. (For example, ACTS, Alpha, Christ Renews His Parish, ChristLife, and Dynamic Catholic.) But only if we keep focused on all the elements that contribute to long-term, sustained parish vibrancy will these programs be truly transformative. Looking at the daunting statistics on religion today, and reading the stories of parishes where missionary discipleship is thriving, we realize that it’s essential to be intentional and strategic about engaging in this call if we are to be successful. This is a foundational premise of Archbishop Lori’s Be Missionary Disciples planning initiative.
If you need a little inspiration or information to dig deeper into best practices for missionary discipleship, I encourage you to register for the upcoming Mid-Atlantic Congress, being held in Baltimore February 15-17. There will be many outstanding speakers and lots of fabulous resources available to help you. Additionally, the Rebuilt Conference is happening April 16-17 in Timonium. Those who can travel further afield can take advantage of the Amazing Parish conference in Dallas, TX April 25-27 or the Divine Renovation conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia June 11-12.
I once had the opportunity of meeting a professional physical trainer at a coffee and donuts gathering after Mass. Now, the irony of meeting a professional trainer at coffee and donuts was not lost on me. I did take the opportunity to ask him about his work, and I learned from him. Read more
The sacramental life of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, particularly the sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist, gave St. Mother Teresa everything that she needed to serve the poorest of the poor in Calcutta. Read more
Do you ever consider why you go to Mass on Sunday?
Many of us were raised to believe that it’s our obligation to attend Sunday Mass under penalty of sin. We also go because we look forward to special time with Jesus Christ in the intimacy of Eucharistic reception. It is important for us to remember, however, that Eucharist is not the only way in which we encounter Jesus in the liturgy. Read more
40 million adults in the United States have an anxiety disorder. Thirty percent do not even know they have a disorder or do not seek help for anxiety. Read more
Everyone loves a good story and we share them all the time. We talk about our kids, grand kids, family, and friends, but how often do we share stories about our relationship with Christ? Read more
On hearing the signal… the monk will immediately set aside what he has in hand and go with utmost speed… Indeed, nothing is to be preferred to the work of God. (Chapter 43, The Rule of St. Benedict)
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This post corresponds to the Mission Priority “Encounter”
Have you ever heard this definition of insanity? In·san·i·ty: Doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.
This post corresponds to the Mission Priority “Send”
Not too long ago, I was speaking with some folks who worked at a parish. They were eager to discuss this whole evangelization thing. Suddenly, in response to what I thought was an innocent question, one of them exclaimed: “Wait a second! What if we do go out and start doing all these things? What if all kinds of people really do start coming? Read more
This blog post corresponds to the mission priority of “Vibrant Liturgy”
First, let me introduce myself. I am the new Director of the Office of Worship and Sacramental Formation. I have just moved to Baltimore from the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana where I was the Director of the Office for Divine Worship and the Catechumenate for the last 15 years. Read more
This blog post corresponds to the mission priority of “Encounter”
An encounter with Christ changes a person’s life. During a recent spiritual exercise, I recalled the moment that I had that encounter: the moment when my whole life changed. Read more