Bishop Rene Ramirez RCJ: A Heart Remade for Mission – A Story of Parish Renewal
A little over a decade ago Bishop Rene Ramirez, a priest with the Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus priest (RCJ), had never served as a parish priest. Listen as he shares his conversion of heart for evangelization and the process of leading parish renewal in his previous parish, Holy Family Parish – Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, Australia.
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.
Bishop John Adams – The Power of Collaborative Leadership (A Testimony of Parish Renewal)
Before he led the diocese of Palmerston North, Bishop John Adams was the parish priest of St Peter Chanel Parish in Waimakairi, NZ. Over several years, through implementing the 3 Keys of parish renewal he saw his parish transform. Listen as he details the pivotal role his senior leadership team played in this change.
Fr. Philip Conner’s Story – A Testimony of Parish Renewal
For the last 6 years Father Phillip Conner has been the parish priest at St. Joseph’s in Lancaster, UK. Watch how a deep desire to evangelize his community led him to focus on renewal and change the parish culture.
