The Eucharist, literally meaning “thanksgiving,” also called the Blessed Sacrament, Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper, or more simply, Mass, is the heart of Catholic worship and devotion. It’s a sacrament that is incomparable in value, rich in meaning, rooted in scripture, and vital to the spiritual life of the faithful. The origins of the Eucharist […]
Category: Making Church Matter
Eastertime and springtime…there’s something undeniably special about this season. A time, above every other time of the year, of rebirth and renewal. If you’re looking for a path or a plan, check out the 5 steps in Rebuilt Faith. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Serve We are called to embrace the privilege of serving others with hearts overflowing with love […]
Guest Blog Post: As the Lenten season comes to an end, Christians worldwide prepare to celebrate one of the most sacred events of our faith: Easter. Beyond the colorful decorations and joyful gatherings, Easter holds unequaled significance as a time to reflect on and celebrate our central Christian belief. At the heart of Easter lies […]
As holidays go, New Year’s feels quite relaxed around Nativity. Our staff takes a well-deserved rest following the rush to Christmas, and most families are enjoying down time before school and work pick up again. The church is not closed of course (we offer the regular Mass schedule), but our celebrations are more subdued. During […]
Recently we had a fun weekend here at Nativity as we announced our return to the Maryland State Fair for Christmas Eve, for the first time since 2019. If you don’t know the back story on “Christmas at the Cow Palace” (as we say around here), check it out in Rebuilt. Bottom line, we go off […]
Next to Christmas itself, Fall is absolutely my favorite season of the year. The days get cooler, the nights get longer (which I love) and here in Maryland the foliage delights with its annual colorful display (no where more impressive than right here on our church campus). But for us churchpeople it is also the season of […]
I was speaking to a bishop recently who was telling me about an experience he had at an area parish. He received a call on a Saturday afternoon from the pastor requesting weekend Mass coverage as he was being called away on an urgent family matter. Not having other obligations that weekend the bishop agreed […]
It’s hard to imagine a bigger disruption to church life in the last hundred years than our experience with the Covid-19 crisis. Gathering together for worship and the Sacraments, at the very heart of our mission, was halted and, when we did come back, it looked very different. Parish leaders were left to navigate this […]
I’m not entirely sure where the number even came from. One moment, we were talking generally about the desire to increase participation in our small group program. The next, my associate Tom Corcoran was declaring in front of the whole congregation and our online audience that our goal for this year was to get 1,000 […]
Recent observations in and around the parish: Over the last ten weeks, we have recorded a modest but steady decline in weekend online attendance, coming at a time of year that would normally (pre-COVID) bring our best attendance. Lenten men’s and women’s retreats that we would normally (pre-COVID) struggle to attract interest in and attendance […]
