Back in October, when it still seemed like an open question, we made the difficult decision to not host our usual Christmas Eve celebration at the Maryland State Fairgrounds. It was a decision we didn’t take lightly. Christmas Eve at the Fairgrounds has become a defining part of who we are as a parish. But […]
In some ways, the role of the local parish church has not changed through the current crisis. At a basic level, people are still looking for refuge from all the craziness of the world around us. We can be a place of stability and civility, a place of hope and help. In some ways the role […]
Many of the bitter fruits of the COVID crisis can be ignored, at least for a time. But unlike lower attendance, decreased engagement, and smaller reach, parishes can’t ignore the issue of money for long. Bills come due, staff salaries must be paid; maintenance cannot be deferred indefinitely. Giving is down in almost all parishes, […]
This year’s election has felt increasingly like a contest not so much of two politicians or parties but of competing visions for the future of the country. In each case, the other side is represented as an existential threat, a radical departure from life as we know it, and a sure step towards a bleak […]
They say in polite conversation to never discuss politics or religion. In my profession, I find it pretty difficult to stay away from the topic of religion. However, I have found it necessary to stay far away from the topic of politics, at least here in church. In fact, I do not talk politics in […]
This year we’ve reimagined just about everything our church does, from the way we worship to the way we work. The disruption has created many problems, but our team has been there with creative solutions, many of which will become permanent even after Covid fades away. But the most daunting challenge of reinvention comes now, […]
If there is a single, principal fear that pastors and church workers share in this season of COVID-19, it is the fear that people simply won’t come back to church. Declining attendance was already an established pattern pre-COVID, which has now simply accelerated. Church leaders know that with disaffiliated parishioners comes the loss of funding […]
For most people in our community and across the culture generally, life revolves around the school year. Most parishes have recognized this, which is why student programs and faith formation classes follow the school schedule. Consequently, while not a liturgical season, the start of the school year marks a new season of life in our […]
In a crisis, the easiest response is to go with what you know. But the problem with the COVID-19 crisis is that some of the very things we were most comfortable with in parish life are the very things that we are now restricted from doing. COVID-19 is like a big reset button on everything […]
In July, the Vatican’s Congregation for Clergy issued an instruction on the “pastoral conversion” of the parish community in the service of the evangelizing mission of the Church. While the focus of the document was clearly on evangelization, it also made a number of important points regarding the reality of parish life moving forward. Here […]
