A Podcast Club

Over the last few weeks I’ve seen a few new podcasts I wanted to share with y’all. I’ve really been appreciating them or anticipating them, if I’m being honest – I haven’t listened to one on the list, but I did listen to an interview with the author of it. Podcasts are a great way to listen on the go for personal development, but they’re also an easy thing to share on social media. I think it would also be intriguing for a parish to have a “Podcast Club” where participants listen to an episode before the meeting, then come to discuss. I’ve never seen this done before, but it would be very intriguing. If you try it, let me know!

Undignified Liturgical Music

I just listened to the last OSV Innovation Talk about Liturgical Music and I’m in love with his vision. It’s different than what anyone else is talking about and also my dream for Liturgical Music. It reminds me of a quote from Thérèse of Lisiuex. “My God, I choose all! I don’t want to be a saint by halves; I choose all that You will!” She’s talking about the spiritual life. She wants to be a Saint 100%. For me, regarding Liturgical Music, “I choose all.”

Changing Hearts

I’ve always thought that comment boxes on the internet are the absolute worst places. Read an article you love then look at the comments to see tons of people agree with you – and you won’t find them. Just hatred thrown at the author, anyone who agrees with the author, and anyone who might remotely look like, believe the same, or read the article. It’s where we’re our worst selves.

2020 Innovation Challenge Winners

Did you know that the OSV Institute has been hosting an Innovation Challenge these past 12 months? Well, if not, these are some great Catholic Organizations to check out. The 12 finalists are all outlined here on the Challenge Website. After a year of preparation, this past Saturday was Demo Day.

Our Lady of the Rosary

October is right around the corner, if you can even believe it! Two of my favorite Marian Feasts are during October: The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7th and the Miracle of Fatima on October 13th. So I thought I’d share a few “Let’s Celebrate the Blessed Mother” ideas with you today to prepare for a month dedicated to the Rosary next month.

Virtual Evangelization

These days we’ve been spending a lot of time online. We work online. We workout online. We learn online. We hang out online. We eat together online. We worship online. We practically live online. Even as parishes return to public Masses, most people aren’t comfortable gathering in groups outside of Mass. They’re still minimizing their risk and exposure; sticking to much of their gathering online. For this reason the Church needs to step up her online presence in the form of evangelization. I’ve always thought we needed to be online, but if you haven’t started, now is the time!

Social Justice Series from Pope Francis

Did y’all see that the Holy Father is starting a new series about Social Justice in light of things he’s seen during the pandemic? What a great topic to discuss at our parishes this fall. There’s a LOT in the news right now about social justice that the Church needs to start talking about but many I speak to have no idea where to start. The basic plan: We need to understand what we believe, how to act on those beliefs, and why it’s imperative for our faith. So here are a few resources that are not just ‘based on what’s happening in the news’ but that share the teachings of the faith in a time-honored way, a way to discusses Church teaching based on the previous 2000 years not just 2020.

Small Catholic ‘Water Drops’

As a Cradle Catholic, I often wonder what brings converts to the Church. The ultimate answer is the Lord, of course – but what methods or people or situations did He use?! When I saw this article from a few weeks ago, I was taken aback by this phrase in the man’s conversion story: small Catholic ‘water drops.’

Upcoming Webinar

I rarely advertise for our upcoming webinars here at Transform Your Parish but I’m making an exception. Will you join me Wednesday, August 26th at 2 pm Eastern for a webinar I’m hosting with a co-worker?

It Looks Different

How does a parish have a festival in the midst of a global pandemic? St. Joseph in Summit Hill, PA, figured it out this summer. Cars lined the street as they waited to order their favorite dishes at the 86th Annual Parish Festival!