Father Michael White
This Summer, Rebuild!
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As the warmth of summer begins to be enjoyed, parish communities stand at the threshold of a new season filled with possibilities for renewal and rebuilding. Just as nature undergoes a transformative journey of rebirth and rejuvenation during this time, so can our parishes. Below, I offer a few insights and ideas. 1. Clean the Read More
Forming an Easter Parish
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In our Catholic culture, we sometimes seem to embrace a losing mentality. There are probably many reasons we do this. One comes from the incredible challenges we face as a Church community. We serve in a time of declining Church attendance in many places, as well as a period in which the Church has less Read More
Why Small Groups?
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In our new book, “Rebuilt Faith” (Ave Maria Press, $18.95), my co-author, Tom Corcoran, and I, in part, explore the purpose and value of small faith-sharing groups in the life of the parish and the experience of participating parishioners. Our group program, here in our parish, has become an integral part of our discipleship efforts. Read More
Rebuilding Your Parish
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The National Eucharistic Revival (NER), sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, entered its second phase this past summer. It is styled the “Year of Parish Revival.” This effort could be an important opportunity for parishes looking to finally move on from our collective COVID-19 setback or reignite energy and enthusiasm in the face Read More
Simplify Your Schedule
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When I arrived at my parish, the expectation was that the pastor does everything, from unlocking the front doors on Sunday mornings to changing the toilet paper in the men’s room (I’m not sure who took care of the ladies’ room). Furthermore, my presence was absolutely expected and, in fact, demanded at absolutely everything that Read More
Five Common Responses to Declining Attendance
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Preaching to an empty church in the early days of the COVID-19 crisis was jarring, to say the least. I knew the cameras were rolling, but was anyone really watching? Losing my congregation was disheartening, even though we knew it wasn’t a permanent loss … at least not totally. COVID didn’t introduce declining church attendance, Read More
The Livestreaming Question
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We are in interesting times, to say the least. As the COVID-19 crisis has waned, parishes that went online have been faced with a choice: continue to stream Masses online or turn off the cameras. There are still so many unanswered questions, chief among them: Will churches that embraced online livestreaming (like ours) fall behind Read More
Responding to Current Events at Church
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More than ever before, we experience major world events collectively. Raw footage and intensely personal stories of victims are immediately available to us through the news media. Local events and tragedies take on increased significance, too, in local communities where more and more is communicated over widely distributed social networks. These major events are defined Read More