Community organizing and activism are happening beyond traditional parish structures, generating vitality and purpose from which many parishes could stand to learn.
In this second special episode on the American parish today, we talk with three writers about their concrete proposals for creating more vibrant, hope-filled parish
Churches are spaces for every part of the body of Christ. By not making them accessible to disabled Catholics, we fail in our commitment to universal inclusion.
On this episode we hear from two of the most knowledgeable, hopeful voices in the American church: Susan Bigelow Reynolds, an expert theologian who studies “lived ecclesiology” at the parochial level, and Fr. Hector Madrigal, pastor of the multi-ethnic and multi-lingual St. Joseph’s Church in Amarillo, Texas.
The parish, like the country, is changing and diversifying—but we should embrace these changes, and recognize them as opportunities rather than threats to our faith.
Demographic shifts, a shrinking priesthood, and the financial pressures facing the church all tell a complex story about the future of Catholic parishes.
Preachers should emulate teachers at mass, striving to be adaptable, humble, loving, and willing to learn by inviting participation from the congregation.
