Parish Life
Four Ways to Address Declining Attendance
Owen Phelps Comments Off on Four Ways to Address Declining Attendance
In the face of major challenges, wise leaders know that their effectiveness depends on two things: an appropriate inner disposition and a solid plan of action. Lacking either is a recipe for failure. In the February 2023 issue of The Priest, Father Michael White addressed what is possibly the most pressing challenge in parishes today: Read More
Developing Catholic Culture
Msgr. Michael Heintz Comments Off on Developing Catholic Culture
We hear often about “Catholic identity”: in our grade schools, high schools, Catholic colleges and universities and even health care institutions. Some institutions may even have a Catholic identity committee, tasked (one imagines) with monitoring and strengthening Catholicism at a given venue. However, I wonder if, in doing so, we are missing the mark. Too Read More
Simplifying Difficulties
Father Patrick M. Carrion Comments Off on Simplifying Difficulties
Do you ever get exasperated as to why things get so complicated? You are planning something in your head, but when it comes time to execute it, it becomes so complicated. Something that you think will be, and should be, a cinch to pull off, you decide to abandon, as it is now too difficult. Read More
Showing Concern for Parishioners
Owen Phelps Comments Off on Showing Concern for Parishioners
When my friend Vic was alive, he would talk about coming to the United States from Lithuania via a German POW camp. He arrived in New York with a pregnant wife. Catholic Charities greeted them and provided train tickets to Chicago, “the second largest Lithuanian city in the world.” When they arrived in Chicago, they Read More
Loyal Catholics
Father Robert J. Hater Comments Off on Loyal Catholics
A parishioner recently told her pastor: “I watched the livestreamed Mass from our parish website this weekend. When the camera panned over the congregation, the attendance was much smaller than before the pandemic.” The downswing in Sunday Mass attendance since parishes closed during the COVID-19 outbreak represents a turning point. Previously, the number of people Read More
‘Great Resignation’ and the Church
Father Patrick M. Carrion Comments Off on ‘Great Resignation’ and the Church
If the teenager does not show up for his/her shift at McDonald’s, someone else has to flip those burgers and fry the fries, because burgers do not flip or fry themselves. Moreover, the staff that showed up might be checking sodas lines and prepping the kitchen while customers are arriving. So, now, the manager must Read More
Pastoral Leadership in a Revitalized Church
Robert J. Hater Comments Off on Pastoral Leadership in a Revitalized Church
Father Jason, the pastor of a downtown church, learned that Bill’s father was seriously ill in a nursing home. When the priest stopped to visit him, Bill was emotionally spent and ready to break down. After seeing his condition, Father Jason spent an hour walking with him in a nearby park until he regained his Read More
The Livestreaming Question
Father Michael White Comments Off on The Livestreaming Question
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