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
Last week, Deacon Presberry wrote about how “Church isn’t out for summer”. It does have seasons – liturgical seasons. And just like we gear up for sprinklers and strawberries in the summer and snow shovels and hot cocoa in the winter, we can prepare for the Church seasons of fasting and feasting through intentional liturgical living.
That’s kerygma, not charisma.
Yes, a personality with a lot of charisma is a great gift when it comes to evangelization. But what we’re talking about here is even more powerful and essential to evangelization. Read more
I spend a lot of time helping to form volunteers and ministers in parishes and schools. We have spent time in prayer and reflection, time learning about our rich faith, time redefining our priorities, and time learning how to do the ministry to which we have been called. However, as I reflect on encountering these wonderful people and accompanying them on their journey with Christ, I fear I have been missing an important step: the proclamation of the kerygma. Read more
Pope Francis and the bishops at the Synod on the Family called for marriage preparation to take on a catechumenal form. What an exciting proposition! When preparing couples for marriage, I invite them to model their immediate marriage preparation after Lent and Advent. Read more
There are some amazing conferences happening in our Archdiocese this week. The Mid-Atlantic Congress (MAC) begins today! This is the fifth year that the Archdiocese has offered pastoral leaders the opportunity for skills development, networking, and prayer with other pastoral leaders. Also happening this week is Mount 2000, an intense retreat for high school students. It provides young people with an opportunity to pray in community and be formed more deeply in their faith. Both the MAC and Mount 2000 can be intensely moving. Some call these type of occurrences “mountain top experiences” because on the top of the mountain you feel spiritually and physically closer to God, and in hindsight these moments can be seen as climactic. Read more
