Church after the pandemic needs: training in compassion! Parishes/priests being encouraged to bring the sacraments to people without harsh judgment if they have health concerns that the priest doesn’t agree with. Also, better implementation and teaching (to parishioners too) of the wide scope of Catholic Social Teaching (which isn’t synonymous with GOP policies).
Church after pandemic: blow up (metaphorically) our old ideas about how one does parish ministry and focus efforts on engaging and developing adult disciples (Catholics with a personal, intentional, spiritual life centered around the sacraments and personal prayer who practice stewardship in and sustained by their community), both with practical skills for volunteer leadership and spiritual formation to sustain them. It'll get the most bang for the buck for any parish of any size or budget, and has the best long-term sustainability. It takes time, multiple years to build serious fruit, but refocusing on evangelizing and supporting adults will have an incredible ripple effect.
Two comments: The Church, via its bishops, needs to stop tiptoeing away from the abortion issue to embrace the more popular issues du jour -- "global warming" and "systemic racism." The initial outrage over Roe v. Wade has faded. (It's embarrassing to see the Southern, heavily Protestant states, doing more to curb abortion than the soi-disant Catholic states of the Northeast.) And, of course, Catholics have to be taught to impact the culture by voting pro-life.
Secondly, clerical homosexuality having become quite evident (JJay Report, etc.), the conducting of seminary selection and training has to be toughened up.
The data on fundraising may not be all it's cut out to be. This isn't meant as a criticism - just something to keep in mind when looking at it. A few potential ways the data can muddle the overall understanding:
- At least in some dioceses, if a parish doesn't meet its diocesan fund raising goal, it is required to make up the difference out of the general collection. Not sure if/how this would be reported.
- Showing the total amount collected is only half the picture. The number of people donating is also very important in terms of understanding the impact of McCarrick on the faithful. How many Catholics are going to Mass, how many of them are giving, and how much are they giving?
- The range of data is pretty small. A look at 10 years or more would give a better idea of whether we're seeing something that's part of longer term trends or something attributable to events of the last 3 years.
Fundraisers in the Denver diocese should take me right off their lists. The bishops totally caved to state authorities during the pandemic. I attribute it to cowardice. Why would I entrust the bishop with money when I can’t trust him with my spiritual needs and that’s his job?
Blaming Fr. Shelton is reprehensible of NBC. The fear of retaliation for speaking out is very real. The desire to just move in and never speak of it is very real. Especially if when you do speak out you are not believed and are blamed when you are the victim. I know. I am a religious priest who was the victim of one of my “brother” priests. When I went to my superior I wasn’t believed. I was accused of causing scandal. Blaming the victim is sick and twisted, especially doing it to get digs in against the Church as Corky Siemaszko of NBC was clearly doing. Talk about a hack journalist.
The pandemic led our family to parish hopping. We understood and respected restrictions, but not at the cost of faithfulness. Our family, and others agree that there needs to be greater welcome to families with small children and/ or special needs. We don't want an environment where our kids can run wild during Mass, but understanding when they have a tough time. And bathroom access. Seriously.
Also, pandemic "precautions" have brought to light what appears to be gross irreverence for the Real Presence of the Eucharist. Nonchalance about distribution and reception is rampant, at least in our corner of the Carolinas. We need better Catechesis on the subject, and clergy who are strong in the protecting the sanctity of the Eucharist.
JD and Ed, I just want to say thanks for being yourselves and bringing such a helpful, healthy, balanced perspective to your Catholic reporting. Serious but not sensationalist, orthodox but not reactionary, charitable but not blind. Even just reading these other comments, I am struck by how much you guys have to wade through, in terms of right-versus-left pet causes and complaints. I just really, really, really appreciate The Pillar. I'm subscribed for as long as you're in business (hopefully decades, God willing!).
Not sure where to post this but please accept a note of gratitude for publishing a follow up story about Archbishop Schnurr and other bishops disassociating themselves from Wilton Gregory’s protest against ‘Eucharistic Coherence.’ It sounds like the bishops were trolled, er ... approached about a general statement, perhaps in support of Cdl Ladaria’s rather anodyne guidance, and that someone behind the effort ‘tightened up’ the language to mean something different.
What the Church needs is a bath. What the Church needs to do is stop sinning against the laity, sowing division and instituting “Jab Crow” in God’s house. What the Church needs is repentance. What the Church needs is financial transparency. What the Church doesn’t need is another conference for “Professional Catholics “about how to shake down the faithful for more coin, rather, it needs professing Catholics. Seek first the kingdom of Heaven, and all the rest shall be added unto you. As if anybody who would attend such a conference believes that.
Fund raising is still fundamentally about relationships. If bishops would host a dinner once or twice a month in their homes, inviting 4-5 couples who have given for 5+ consecutive years to the annual appeal, and at the end of the meal ask them to prayerfully consider a gift in their will, with a follow up phone from the stewardship office, I would guess he’d “bat” at a .333 clip, which is enough for the Hall of Fame. And it is healthy for people of faith to know their bishop personally! Dioceses should “claim” the “legacy” space , while allowing parishes, schools and other ministries to prosper in the “per month” appeals. Otherwise, we are just slicing up the charitable “pie” in smaller pieces.
Fundraising in the church needs to be about casting a vision and funding work towards that vision. Diocese need to be transparent and more creative with assets they already have. Fundraisers need to involve and help Bishops refine and spread the vision. Go out and make all disciples, but what does that look like now and how are we doing it. Development is front line in this evangelical effort.
I worked for 4 years in Diocesean development and it is handicapped by lack of vision. Fundraisers, this is your role in the church. Light this fire with Bishops and donors alike.
I could riff on this subject forever. Thank you for bringing the financial deep dives. It is an area where we lack knowledge. Thanks for shining a light here.
EG 27 - I dream of a “missionary option”, that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation. The renewal of structures demanded by pastoral conversion can only be understood in this light: as part of an effort to make them more mission-oriented, to make ordinary pastoral activity on every level more inclusive and open, to inspire in pastoral workers a constant desire to go forth and in this way to elicit a positive response from all those whom Jesus summons to friendship with himself. As John Paul II once said to the Bishops of Oceania: “All renewal in the Church must have mission as its goal if it is not to fall prey to a kind of ecclesial introversion”.[25]
Church after the pandemic needs: training in compassion! Parishes/priests being encouraged to bring the sacraments to people without harsh judgment if they have health concerns that the priest doesn’t agree with. Also, better implementation and teaching (to parishioners too) of the wide scope of Catholic Social Teaching (which isn’t synonymous with GOP policies).
We need to learn how to love better: God, our family & friends & lastly, our enemies.
Church after pandemic: blow up (metaphorically) our old ideas about how one does parish ministry and focus efforts on engaging and developing adult disciples (Catholics with a personal, intentional, spiritual life centered around the sacraments and personal prayer who practice stewardship in and sustained by their community), both with practical skills for volunteer leadership and spiritual formation to sustain them. It'll get the most bang for the buck for any parish of any size or budget, and has the best long-term sustainability. It takes time, multiple years to build serious fruit, but refocusing on evangelizing and supporting adults will have an incredible ripple effect.
Two comments: The Church, via its bishops, needs to stop tiptoeing away from the abortion issue to embrace the more popular issues du jour -- "global warming" and "systemic racism." The initial outrage over Roe v. Wade has faded. (It's embarrassing to see the Southern, heavily Protestant states, doing more to curb abortion than the soi-disant Catholic states of the Northeast.) And, of course, Catholics have to be taught to impact the culture by voting pro-life.
Secondly, clerical homosexuality having become quite evident (JJay Report, etc.), the conducting of seminary selection and training has to be toughened up.
Must be handy having all those auxiliary bishops with which you can "pad your stats" when it comes to writing petulant letters!
Are you guys going to finally tackle the 300 lb gorilla do permanent Deacons need to keep continence with their wives? =)
The data on fundraising may not be all it's cut out to be. This isn't meant as a criticism - just something to keep in mind when looking at it. A few potential ways the data can muddle the overall understanding:
- At least in some dioceses, if a parish doesn't meet its diocesan fund raising goal, it is required to make up the difference out of the general collection. Not sure if/how this would be reported.
- Showing the total amount collected is only half the picture. The number of people donating is also very important in terms of understanding the impact of McCarrick on the faithful. How many Catholics are going to Mass, how many of them are giving, and how much are they giving?
- The range of data is pretty small. A look at 10 years or more would give a better idea of whether we're seeing something that's part of longer term trends or something attributable to events of the last 3 years.
Fundraisers in the Denver diocese should take me right off their lists. The bishops totally caved to state authorities during the pandemic. I attribute it to cowardice. Why would I entrust the bishop with money when I can’t trust him with my spiritual needs and that’s his job?
Blaming Fr. Shelton is reprehensible of NBC. The fear of retaliation for speaking out is very real. The desire to just move in and never speak of it is very real. Especially if when you do speak out you are not believed and are blamed when you are the victim. I know. I am a religious priest who was the victim of one of my “brother” priests. When I went to my superior I wasn’t believed. I was accused of causing scandal. Blaming the victim is sick and twisted, especially doing it to get digs in against the Church as Corky Siemaszko of NBC was clearly doing. Talk about a hack journalist.
The pandemic led our family to parish hopping. We understood and respected restrictions, but not at the cost of faithfulness. Our family, and others agree that there needs to be greater welcome to families with small children and/ or special needs. We don't want an environment where our kids can run wild during Mass, but understanding when they have a tough time. And bathroom access. Seriously.
Also, pandemic "precautions" have brought to light what appears to be gross irreverence for the Real Presence of the Eucharist. Nonchalance about distribution and reception is rampant, at least in our corner of the Carolinas. We need better Catechesis on the subject, and clergy who are strong in the protecting the sanctity of the Eucharist.
JD and Ed, I just want to say thanks for being yourselves and bringing such a helpful, healthy, balanced perspective to your Catholic reporting. Serious but not sensationalist, orthodox but not reactionary, charitable but not blind. Even just reading these other comments, I am struck by how much you guys have to wade through, in terms of right-versus-left pet causes and complaints. I just really, really, really appreciate The Pillar. I'm subscribed for as long as you're in business (hopefully decades, God willing!).
Not sure where to post this but please accept a note of gratitude for publishing a follow up story about Archbishop Schnurr and other bishops disassociating themselves from Wilton Gregory’s protest against ‘Eucharistic Coherence.’ It sounds like the bishops were trolled, er ... approached about a general statement, perhaps in support of Cdl Ladaria’s rather anodyne guidance, and that someone behind the effort ‘tightened up’ the language to mean something different.
What the Church needs is a bath. What the Church needs to do is stop sinning against the laity, sowing division and instituting “Jab Crow” in God’s house. What the Church needs is repentance. What the Church needs is financial transparency. What the Church doesn’t need is another conference for “Professional Catholics “about how to shake down the faithful for more coin, rather, it needs professing Catholics. Seek first the kingdom of Heaven, and all the rest shall be added unto you. As if anybody who would attend such a conference believes that.
Fund raising is still fundamentally about relationships. If bishops would host a dinner once or twice a month in their homes, inviting 4-5 couples who have given for 5+ consecutive years to the annual appeal, and at the end of the meal ask them to prayerfully consider a gift in their will, with a follow up phone from the stewardship office, I would guess he’d “bat” at a .333 clip, which is enough for the Hall of Fame. And it is healthy for people of faith to know their bishop personally! Dioceses should “claim” the “legacy” space , while allowing parishes, schools and other ministries to prosper in the “per month” appeals. Otherwise, we are just slicing up the charitable “pie” in smaller pieces.
Fundraising in the church needs to be about casting a vision and funding work towards that vision. Diocese need to be transparent and more creative with assets they already have. Fundraisers need to involve and help Bishops refine and spread the vision. Go out and make all disciples, but what does that look like now and how are we doing it. Development is front line in this evangelical effort.
I worked for 4 years in Diocesean development and it is handicapped by lack of vision. Fundraisers, this is your role in the church. Light this fire with Bishops and donors alike.
I could riff on this subject forever. Thank you for bringing the financial deep dives. It is an area where we lack knowledge. Thanks for shining a light here.
I often start here:
EG 27 - I dream of a “missionary option”, that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation. The renewal of structures demanded by pastoral conversion can only be understood in this light: as part of an effort to make them more mission-oriented, to make ordinary pastoral activity on every level more inclusive and open, to inspire in pastoral workers a constant desire to go forth and in this way to elicit a positive response from all those whom Jesus summons to friendship with himself. As John Paul II once said to the Bishops of Oceania: “All renewal in the Church must have mission as its goal if it is not to fall prey to a kind of ecclesial introversion”.[25]