Thanks be to God! We can now say that there is light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. Vaccine distribution has finally begun. It is now possible to imagine a Post-Covid 19 world!
So now is the time for parish leaders to guide parishioners into a post-pandemic re-entry into parish life. Of course, it is very tempting to simply “plan to get back to normal.” It is precisely because things have been abnormal for so long that we need to lead toward something other than “getting back to normal.”
The norm has been broken. Habits have been broken. Many parishioners have been scattered and, for some, even Mass has become optional at best and irrelevant at worst. Things are not normal, so we need to lead and plan accordingly.
With all of this in mind, pastors, councils, and parish leaders are intentionally and strategically planning toward two critical questions. The first relates to building up the parish: “What do we need to build and/or rebuild in our sacramental relationships and our parish, to unite the body of Christ?”
The second question relates to the Church’s primary task of evangelization: “What will we do NEW, to help people discover and rediscover that Jesus is the Good News for their lives?” This question points to “Kerygmatic Preaching,” that is, inviting people to encounter Jesus in a personal & life-changing way. Please read the ACTS XXIX white paper below, "Re-Imagining the Catholic Parish".
Remember the Holy Spirit is blowing boldly in and around us. We can do this with God’s help! But we need to plan and lead toward the newness that God wants to bring forth.The Lord is counting on us to go and make disciples, especially now when the Good News is often lost in a suffering world.
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Re-imagining the Catholic Parish
To be a disciple of Jesus is not to see some things differently, but to see everything differently — to see reality as it truly is. Please read this Acts XXIX white paper.