Fathering the Living not the Dead: A Letter from Australia
Not long ago, I received a letter from a parishioner that pierced me deeply. He wrote bluntly: “I don’t want to be part of a moribund parish.” I never heard of the word moribund, so I did not initially bother. Then later on, I deeply reflected on the word. Moribund basically means dying. He actually told me in that letter, he did not want to be part of St Kilian’s because it’s dying.
The word hit me hard.
Evolving in Darwin: A Story from Australia
Six years ago, Father Dave stepped into the role of parish priest for the first time. As a member of the Missionaries of God’s Love, his vocation had been focused on formation for novices. But now he was in Darwin, Australia, at Holy Spirit Parish.
He was told by a couple of local priests, “Don’t expect anything to happen in Darwin.”
For the Beauty of the Church: A Story from Canada
Setting foot in the Holy Eucharist Cathedral in New Westminster, Canada, is a visually arresting experience. An artist-in-residence has filled every wall, ceiling, and corner of this Ukranian Catholic Church with newly painted sacred art.
Perched above, in the glassed-in choir loft, a recently created non-profit daycare is buzzing with neighbourhood children.
All of this is part of the parish’s focus on evangelization. From art to Alpha, childcare to catechism classes, Holy Eucharist Cathedral is set on renewing the parish through reaching out to people in every way possible with the message of the gospel.
Father Mykhailo Ozorovych has had a fire for evangelization since childhood. He sees his calling to Canada as distinctly missional. An Eastern Rite priest, Father Mykhailo never thought he would end up in North America, let alone be the youngest parish priest of a cathedral. He says, “I came here to evangelize, to be a missionary.”
Caught up in a Movement: A letter from South Africa
Most people don’t look to the Catholic Church in South Africa and expect revival. But something is happening at Bryanston Catholic Church (BCC), and it’s not by accident.
We’ve been caught up in a movement—Divine Renovation. Not a program. A transformation. It’s not about better systems or busier schedules. It’s about what happens when a parish dares to put the Holy Spirit first, makes evangelisation the mission, and raises up real leadership to shepherd the flock and the lost alike.
This is our testimony—not to say “look at us,” but to say, “God hasn’t forgotten South Africa.”
When Prayer becomes Mission: A Story from the USA
Since 2021 St. Mary’s, Uxbridge, MA, has been on the parish renewal journey with Divine Renovation (DR). Through coaching, the parish has begun embracing principles and practices of parish renewal that are transforming their outlook on mission and evangelization. (read more about their story here).
One of these practices is Missional Prayer, which is Aligning our prayers with God’s purpose and interceding for the Holy Spirit’s work in transforming lives in our parish and neighborhood.
This year, the parish’s women’s group had women share their testimonies at the monthly meetings. “Literally one of the most powerful hours in the parish,” says Diane, one of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) members. When Michelle, a cancer survivor, shared her testimony, Diane knew that the leadership team needed to hear her story. Michelle was a living example of Missional Prayer, which the SLT was about to be coached on by DR.
This is Michelle’s story:
Sparking a Generation of Evangelists: A Story from France
Astrid and Tiphaine laugh as they switch between English and French on the Zoom call. It is Maundy Thursday of Holy Week and they are sharing their testimonies before heading off to evening Mass at St. Marc and La Daurade Church, part of the Paroisse Etudiante de Toulouse (Student Parish of Toulouse).
Paroisse Etudiante de Toulouse is a non-geographic multi-church parish focused on the largest concentration of college students in France (140,000 students within the city).
The assistant priest, Father Antoine Laviale, interned with Divine Renovation at Saint Benedict Parish before his ordination in 2023. Now, he ministers within a parish seeing intense renewal, especially in the Gen Z population.
Paroisse Etudiante de Toulouse is unique, yet the overarching principles of Divine Renovation are at work. Their Leadership Team oversees smaller teams representing each of the parish’s four fraternities, composed of priests, young families and students — reflecting the unique structure of this student-focused parish.
The primacy of evangelization has spread beyond the clergy and leaders into the students themselves. Astrid and Tiphaine are evidence of this.
“A Fish in Water”: A Story from Taiwan
For the last 11 years Father Patrik has been serving in Taiwan where Catholics make up just 1% of the population. He says, “From the missionary perspective, there is a lot to do.” In his journey towards the priesthood, he studied philosophy in Rome where he met two sisters from mainland China – sparking a desire in him for the Chinese people. Father Patrik eventually joined the Divine Word Missionaries and seized an opportunity to take part in an overseas training program in Taiwan. Afterwards his superiors allowed him to stay and finish his studies there. “I felt like a fish in the water…it is a joy to be here.”
“God Opens a Window”: A Story from Canada
Five feet of fresh snow cover the Northern Canadian town of Sault Ste. Marie, blanketing St. Veronica’s Church in a Christmas Card-worthy outline. But for Joanne, Christmas here has been less than picturesque, filled with the painful reminder of her mother’s death.
In 2015, two days after Christmas, Joanne’s 65-year-old mother, Susan, died suddenly, leaving Joanne without close family nearby as she raised her young daughter, Sophie as a single mom. Joanne’s mother was a devout Catholic and had made sure her children were baptized and received their sacraments but following mom’s death Joanne found it difficult to feel anything but anger at God. She recalls being filled with despair and grief, telling God “I needed her,” “it’s not fair,” and “you can just leave me alone.”
Then two years ago, again at Christmastime, something new was in store for Joanne.
Menschen begegnen an Weihnachten
Die Tage vor und an Weihnachten – fĂĽr viele Menschen eine sehr schöne Zeit. Wir bereiten uns vor, auf die Geburt Jesu. FĂĽr viele Menschen ist Weihnachten…
From a Warehouse to the Lord’s House: A Story from Lithuania
In 2018, Švč. Mergelės Marijos Ramintojos bažnyčia (Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Peacemaker) in Vilnius, Lithuania, started its first Alpha. Today, their Alphas are so fruitful that over 60% of participants identify as unchurched — and even as they run the course twice a year, they still need to put people on a waitlist.
But the history of this church is much older and more convoluted than their present-day evangelistic fruitfulness would suggest.
