Ministry
Don’t Let ‘Program’ Become a Dirty Word
Daniel Cellucci Comments Off on Don’t Let ‘Program’ Become a Dirty Word
I want to share a secret with you. Please keep it between us. You specialize in confessions and thus I know I can share this with you. I offer programs. There, I said it. And guess what? Other organizations and apostolates offer programs, too. Those of us serving the Church in apostolates have heard the Read More
Forming an Easter Parish
Father Michael White Comments Off on Forming an Easter Parish
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
Multi-parish Pastoring Is the New Normal
Daniel J. Cellucci Comments Off on Multi-parish Pastoring Is the New Normal
As a child, I remember my siblings claiming that my mom loved me best. I don’t blame them. I was a terrific child. But every time they said this, my mother would respond vehemently with her own claim: “I love all my children the same.” Now, as the father of four children, I know she Read More
Led to the Truth
Father Michael Ackerman Comments Off on Led to the Truth
A priest that I was friends with from seminary told me a humorous story about traveling on a plane. He said that he boarded a flight once when he heard a woman scream, “Oh, yes!” as she pointed at him and waved. He looked rather perplexed as to her greeting. She promptly replied, “Now, we Read More
Better Call Paul
Edward P. Hahnenberg Comments Off on Better Call Paul
No collaborator is more important to today’s pastor than the lay ecclesial minister. It’s difficult to imagine even a small parish without one or two lay ministers on the staff working alongside the pastor, helping to coordinate everything from baptismal preparation to Communion for the homebound. Larger parishes employ ministerial teams composed of lay pastoral Read More
John the Baptist’s Example for Priests
Father Ronald D. Witherup Comments Off on John the Baptist’s Example for Priests
Every priest knows that John the Baptist is a major figure in the liturgical season of Advent. He is hard to miss. A dominant image in all four canonical Gospels, John looms large in the story of Jesus of Nazareth, primarily because of his important role as the forerunner of the Messiah. Yet we can Read More
Hospice Chaplain
Father Richard S. Jones Comments Off on Hospice Chaplain
The old Latin aphorism Nemo dat, quad non hat (“You cannot give what you do not have”) I find particularly true when providing spiritual care as a hospital chaplain at UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh, founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1847. In order to help others who are suffering physically, emotionally, mentally, socially and Read More
Collaboration in the Vineyard
Father Keith Stewart Comments Off on Collaboration in the Vineyard
People in the Diocese of Memphis know that I am a convert from the Southern Baptist Convention. I grew up attending East Park Baptist Church on the corner of White Station Road and Park Avenue. It later moved to a larger structure and was renamed Briarcrest Baptist Church. The Stewart family lived next door to Read More