Challenges for Youth

I saw this youth ministry effort a few weeks ago, and if you haven’t done something creative for youth ministry, now is the time to get started! Use the summer to re-engage the teens at the parish!

Comparison

“Comparison is the Thief of Joy.” It seems to be in my nature to compare. Whenever I’m tempted to compare my life with others or today with three months ago, I think of the above quote and also the mnemonic device, “Compare to Despair.” Are you comparing phase 1 reopening to pre-Covid?

Considerations for Re-Opening

During our final Keeping the Faith webinar, Rich Fischer and I had a conversation that asked a lot of questions. Things to consider as we plan to re-open our Churches. The conversation is in full above, I encourage you to take some time to watch. Below are some of our talking points. Parishioners are excited to come back, they are also nervous because they don’t know what to expect at the parish or with this virus.

Creativity in the Midst of Chaos

The past 7 weeks or so have felt like complete chaos to me, maybe to you as well. Masses were cancelled and suddenly everything I’ve taken for granted about being Catholic was put on pause. I’ve been encouraged though by the many priests and churches who have used this time to be creative! This is not an exhaustive list by any means, nor am I sharing to say that every priest and church needs to be doing the same thing. We each need to use our own gifts and talents to stay connected with our parish families.

Managing Expectations

The main expectation I want to talk about is this: Everything will be just as it has always been when we go back to Mass. That’s unrealistic. Each Diocese is working on different rules and policies for when we go back. I’m going to list some questions you need to ask when communicating these changes to your parishioners, and maybe some things you haven’t thought of yet.

Innovation

Earlier this year, the OSV Institute sponsored an event (the first of many) called “OSV Talks.” The goal was to mimic the format of TED Talk Conferences and inspire the Church to be creative in Her efforts to Evangelize and share the message of the Gospel.

What Happens Next

As I write today, I’ve attended more than 25 Liturgies via a screen. As someone who can count on one hand the number of times I’ve missed Mass, in a Church, on a Sunday, this has been quite a strange season. I know most of you reading this are feeling the same attending Mass via live-stream. I’m so grateful for our priests and parishes who are working through the wobbliness and strangeness of this entire process. As our associate keeps saying, “It’s very strange to say Mass looking at an iPad.”

Online Bulletins

Communication has always been necessary as a parish, but it’s even more important now. While most parishioners receive their regular news via the weekly printed bulletin, they aren’t in the pews for Mass to receive it.

On Being Without Mass

I wanted to share one of my favorites from my good friend Meg Hunter-Kilmer. She shares some interesting things about Simeon, Korea, and the Hidden Christians of Japan. It’s inspiring and worth your time!

Who's Responsible

Who’s job is it to share the Gospel? Who’s responsible for spreading the message of the Good News? Are we prepared to do our part as Baptized Catholics? Or is that why we have the priesthood?