Faith of a Child: A Focus on Evangelization
A parish’s ability to evangelize hinges on inclusion. When families do not find a place for their children to belong in church it often means the adults are excluded too. Laura states “you are limiting who you can evangelize to if you don’t provide something for kids.” She continues, a parish needs to ask itself, “who are we trying to reach? And what are their barriers for coming? And how can we mitigate that? And children’s ministry is a big one.”
An Easy Yoke: A Focus on Rest
For those in the Northern Hemisphere, August marks the peak of summer, a time when many–including priests– schedule their “break.”
But this rest can often equal a burn-out coma or an overscheduled “holiday” only to return to the same hamster-wheel pace.
Father Peirluigi Vajra CRS, a DR coached Parish Priest at Our Lady of Lourdes in Perth, Australia, shares his journey in experiencing rest as something more than just “not-working”. Like many priests – his workload is great, and rest does not come easily. But in his 28 years as a priest, he has come to recognize the profound value of prioritizing rest.
Why We Give: A Donor Story
Christopher Ryan is a lifelong Catholic. His wife, Yuriko, experienced a conversion 10 years ago. When they read Divine Renovation: From a Maintenance to a Missional Parish, they both…
A Prognosis of Life: A Story from the Netherlands
On Nov. 26th, 2011, a reporter asked the newly appointed Bishop of Breda, Jan Liesen, “Are you the last Bishop of the diocese? Will the Church now finally go to rest and be over with?”
While historically a very Catholic diocese in the Netherlands, now only 1% of self-identifying Catholics attend Mass in Breda. Born in the diocese, Bishop Liesen spent most of his priesthood outside of North Brabant.
In 1968, A decade before he went to seminary, all seminaries in the Netherlands (about 30 in total) closed, including in Breda. This shift had an immediate effect on vocations: in one year, ordination dropped to 0. When Bishop Liesen first felt the call to the priesthood as a young man, he didn’t even know the route to take.
The Widow at Nain: A Focus on Mothers
The Widow at Nain is a woman who has lost everything.
In parish renewal, the first step that often leads people to connect with DR is facing their holy discontent, admitting that there is a problem in their parish. For some, with churches closing or parishes amalgamating, it feels like there is nothing left to do but throw up their hands and mourn for what was, like a mother’s despair over a lost child.
Global2033: A Decade of Evangelization
“The Holy Spirit is initiating something exciting worldwide. We have a chance over the next 10 years to make disciples in our parishes like never before! The potential is huge as many movements and ministries join forces together. The Catholic parish system is the ‘sleeping giant’ in the universal Church and it’s time for us to wake up and invite others to know Christ, 2000 years after the events that changed history forever.”
Catalyst for Change: A Focus on Evangelization
A group from St. Agnes Parish in Thunder Bay is currently helping run an Alpha… in another Parish. What started as a small group attending DR 2016 in Halifax has grown into a full blown parish renewal that is now spilling over into neighbouring parishes in their city. “We are being the catalyst to bring that into the city… the real dream would be to see our whole diocese on fire.”
Welcoming People Home: A Focus on Hospitality
Father Mark explains, “I am completely convinced that what people desire more than anything is to belong, and to feel welcomed and to be accepted, and to be embraced as they are… And I think the message of Jesus, the great revolutionary message of Jesus, in many ways, is that you do belong, and that you are accepted – that you are welcome.”
Parish Renewal and the Synodal Church: An Interview with Sister Nathalie Becquart
Sister Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ, undersecretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod expounds, “it’s completely missionary focused we can say.” A synodal Church is in communion, participating together for the mission of the Church.
Beyond Borders: A Story about a Priest in Portugal
Father Jose has been the Pastor of the joint parishes of Santa Eulália de Fafe e Santa Comba de Fornelos since 2017. Historically it had an “immense vitality between the 80’s and 90’s,” he relates, but in recent decades has seen far fewer parishioners in the pews and now stretches to cover larger neighbourhoods. Father Jose knows he is not alone in feeling this holy discontent, “this disquiet” about what is happening in parishes.
Father Jose connected to DR through a brother priest, who directed him to Leadership Coach, Father Tiago Veloso.
“I came to Father Tiago through other priests, here in our diocese of Braga, particularly Father Sérgio Torres through our conversations and sharing about parish ministry.” Father Jose started in coaching with DR in 2021 with cohort of Portuguese priests. “Now,” he states, “I try to put all this into practice.”
