Elements in Building a Renewed and Evangelizing Parish

By Mr. Tom Quinlan

1.)   Great Liturgy

• Not just what we do, but who we are as Body of Christ!

 2.)  Effective Welcoming/Intentional Orientation Process into Parish

• Lots of possibilities: ie.) welcome dinner…meet staff and  parishioners; create system of mentor relationships…person to person, family to family

 3.)  Staff and Parish Leadership Find Common Vision and Mission

• Synergistic collaboration…GOOD!  Turfism…BAD!

 4.)  Create Small Community Dynamics

• Be intentional in design so as to minimize the chance of “enclaves” forming.
• Small communities must always be understood as existing within the larger parish context.

 5.)  Develop Meaningful (Experience-laden) Adult Ministry (Pastoral, Social Justice, Spirituality…)

• Adult ministry should be developed with an eye toward starting with experience and designing mystagogical catechesis off of the experience.  (The same can be said for child and youth catechesis.)

 6.)  Create an “Investment” Culture within the Parish

• Where it is expected, natural and life-giving to share one’s talent and time.

 7.)  Orient Everything Toward and in Relation To Sunday Liturgy

• ie.)  Lectionary-based, liturgical prayer for all meetings, all faith formation sessions, all sporting events, etc.  Calendar and schedule in accord with and not in competition with weekend Masses.

 8.)  Place Tremendous Emphasis on Parent Faith Formation

• Pull out all the stops, especially for Baptism and then Eucharist!
• Make Eucharist and eucharistic lifestyle a focal point for all sacramental formation…for all ages.
• Speak to parents “where they live”…help them make connections between life and faith.

 9.)  Do A Better Job of Integrating RCIA into the Parish Community

• Throughout the process!  We can do more than just trot them out for dismissals and milestone rites.
• This would enrich parishioners and RCIA participants, alike.
• Beyond mystagogia, continue to mentor and integrate those initiated.  (50% attrition among those initiated very quickly!)

10.) Look at Everything as Relational/Evangelizing Opportunity

• Every phone call, every late registration, every bereavement process, every marriage process, all scouting, sports, social service events…and everything relating to the parish school.

 11.) Utilize Effective Marketing Principles

• Get away from calling anything related to adult faith formation a “class”.
• Create multiple exposures via multiple means.
• Don’t forget to use personal invitation…often most effective.
• Using the bulletin alone is akin to preaching to the choir.

 12.)  Allocate Parish Resources More Effectively, More Justly

• Requires vision, creativity and courage.
• The change in ministry alignment and financial support may need to be radical.

 13.)  Don’t Shy From the Gospel’s Challenging, Prophetic Message

• Create service and outreach opportunities for all ages, with a focus that reaches beyond the parish.

 14.)  Take Advantage of Technology to Help Build Community

• Websites and email are incredibly powerful and helpful, and yet just a part of the possibilities.
• Don’t dismiss technology in strengthening the relational dynamics in a parish…they can!

 15.) Give Particular Attention to Ministries for the “Wounded”

• Our greatest opportunity to evangelize comes when life has left us vulnerable or grieving.
• People will never forget how well (or not) the parish was there for them in times of bereavement, illness, divorce, etc.

  16.) Understand Your People and the Culture They Live In

• Listen to them, love them…build ministry according to their needs, with, of course, Catholic faith in Jesus Christ always underpinning and giving focus to it all.

 Tom Quinlan is the Director of the Religious Education Office in the Diocese of Joliet.

Be An Evangelizing Catechist

 by Mr. Tom Quinlan

 1.) Pray for your children, your families … and for yourself!  Pray privately and within the liturgical/sacramental life of your parish community.

 2.) Provide a gentle, firm, consistent presence.  Be there early to welcome each child by name. Strive to achieve respect prior to seeking to be liked.

 3.) Listen to and remember the significant things going on in your children’s lives. (This presumes that an environment is fostered where they will feel comfortable sharing.)

4.) Create a physical setting that is comfortable and conducive to meaningful learning.

5.) Come to the session well-prepared … and thus, more confident and more relaxed.

 6.) Find ways to reach out and connect with parents (or guardians).  Parents are much in need of re-evangelization and faith formation today.  Strive to bring the learning home for families to continue together!

 7.) Minister in relationship to other catechists.  The personal bonds and creative sharing will be a blessing to you and your ministry…and theirs!

 8.) Pray well with the children.  This means:

•  Dedicate sufficient time and quality to the experience
• Incorporate a liturgical dimension (including ritual action) that fosters a Catholic sensibility in the children and makes Sunday Mass more meaningful
• Allow them to participate in substantial and creative ways
• Give them the opportunity to encounter the sacred up close and personal…incorporate a meditative silence, involve special items from their families, etc.

9.) Help them to gain a command of:

•  The Catholic approach to scripture
• Distinctive elements of Catholic faith (i.e. various prayer traditions, the Pope and apostolic succession, Eucharist and our sacramental system, Mary and the saints, social justice teaching)

10.) Remember that children (and adults) learn more, and more deeply, by doing than by listening…and the most by teaching.  Use this to find creative ways to make the learning deep and lasting.

11.)  Always strive to make connections that show relevance:

• Between the issues of the day/their lives…and what we believe
• Between what we believe and how we are called to live … discipleship lifestyle

12.)   Teach Catholic faith fully and faithfully.  And share your faith experience insofar as it can strengthen the process of learning and integration.

 13.) See yourself as more than just a medium to Catholic faith. The catechist is an embodiment of Christ and the Church!

 14.) Help your learners to experience Catholic faith and community as good news. We learn more when there is joy and humor, enthusiasm and hope.

 15.) Don’t pretend to have all the answers. Be with them on this journey of faith discovery.  Try to find answers from good sources, when possible.  But also help them grow comfortable with the concept of mystery, the unknowable dimension of God.

 16.) Utilize a variety of learning modes so as to form the whole person.  Since catechesis is much more than a strictly academic subject, care must be given to create a learning dynamic that attends to intellect, emotion, spirituality and human experience in proper balance.

 17.) If there is a parish Catholic school, make creative connections:

•  Catechist to teacher
• Student to student

18.) Encourage your children to be evangelizers, in their actions and in their words, at home and in the world.

 19.)  Be open to the Holy Spirit, both in prayer beforehand and during the session. On occasion the lesson plan will need to be adjusted.

 20.) See yourself as a work-in-progress.  Engage in catechist formation that develops your knowledge, your skills and your interior faith life in a way that is integrative.  Seek out opportunities to grow as a person of faith, not  just as a catechist. (Remember to log your efforts that can count toward catechist certification, too.)     

Tom Quinlan
Director, Religious Education Office
Diocese of Joliet

Hear Testimonies from Users of Awakening Faith

Leaders from five parishes share their experiences of using Awakening Faith–PNCEA’s resource for outreach to inactive Catholics.  You can hear what they have to say by clicking here.  Be sure to turn your speakers on.