The Apostolic Parish Library
Browse our article bank for free wisdom on creating thriving, apostolic parishes.
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Evangelization
“Make Your House Fair As You Are Able”: Christmas Welcome, and Welcoming Back
“Make your house fair as you are able”: you know where the line comes from, right? People, look east! The time is nearOf the crowning of the year.Make your house fair as you are able,Trim the hearth and set the…
The Crisis of Community: Why Parish Friendship Can No Longer Be Accidental
I recently read a Leadership Roundtable survey on the spiritual lives of young adults, and one line has stayed with me: more than anything else, young people are looking for community. They want friends. Honestly, don’t we all? Very few…
The Gospel of Welcome: Becoming a Parish of Radical Hospitality
Every parish wants to be known as welcoming. Yet many of us have experienced walking into a church and feeling invisible, unsure of where to sit, or whether anyone even noticed we came. Real Christian hospitality goes far beyond a…
Congratulations, You Are a Catechist! (…Now What?)
Once again, I am ceding this article to my colleagues in the field, Dr. Tim and Heidi Indahl. They have exciting news–and we are honored to excerpt their new book, The Proactive Catechist! Enjoy! — Susan Windley-Daoust Hello, Mark 5:19…
Faith Formation
Restoring the Heart of Catholic Schools: Parish, Parents, and the Common Good
Friends, this couldn’t be more timely as we move into a new academic year across the United States. I yield this space to my colleague Heidi Indahl, who consults with parishes and schools on Catholic catechesis and education. Her contact…
Rethinking Progress: What Are You Really Measuring?
Friends, I am ceding this article again to Heidi Indahl, who works alongside us so well. I just spoke about the pros and cons of measurements and metrics myself at a conference last week and it’s like she was there!…
A Realistic Look at the Child, the Family, and the Church
I welcome back my friend and parallel consultant, Heidi Indahl, to continue sharing her insights on the challenges and blessings of parish faith formation. Welcome back, Heidi! You can see more of her articles on parish faith formation here. “Whose…
Putting It All Together: Faith Formation That Works
Hello friends–I welcome back Heidi Indahl, who has been writing out faith formation articles. This is the fifth installment of a series, and you are encouraged to explore all the others here! Heidi, thank you for your ongoing work and…
Apost0lic Parish
The Crisis of Community: Why Parish Friendship Can No Longer Be Accidental
I recently read a Leadership Roundtable survey on the spiritual lives of young adults, and one line has stayed with me: more than anything else, young people are looking for community. They want friends. Honestly, don’t we all? Very few…
Starting a Parish Hospitality Revolution: The Tiny Habits of Holy Kindness
This article is part 2 of 2 on parish hospitality as a necessary moment of evangelization. See the first article, The Gospel of Welcome, here. Every true renewal of the Church begins not with power, but with love—not with innovation,…
The Gospel of Welcome: Becoming a Parish of Radical Hospitality
Every parish wants to be known as welcoming. Yet many of us have experienced walking into a church and feeling invisible, unsure of where to sit, or whether anyone even noticed we came. Real Christian hospitality goes far beyond a…
Learning to Speak Mission Again: Why Catholics Need Language Immersion for Evangelization
Catholics need a tactical immersion in God’s language to live and share the Gospel. Find out how parishes can rediscover the words of mission.
Apostolic Leadership
Affiliation Questions: When Data Doesn’t Match Your Experience
…How do you know when evangelization is working? Many of you may be aware of the work of Ryan Burge, who dissects statistics and religion at Graphs about Religion, a Substack newsletter. He is Professor of the Practice at the…
“Be Angry, But Do Not Sin.” (Eph 4:26) How Do You Do That?
This article is second on the theme of helping Catholic handle anger in their life of discipleship. Read the first article here. A few days ago I received permission to reprint a 2007 article I published with the now shuttered…
Mapping the Mission: Understanding Your Parish’s Given Mission Field
In today’s rapidly evolving religious landscape, our Catholic parishes face unique challenges in fulfilling their evangelical mission. Together, we can discover how to effectively serve both parishioners and the broader community by understanding the true nature of our mission fields….
Take Time Away to Measure by the Fruits of the Holy Spirit (Free Mini-Retreat)
We are a Church of the resurrection, and we get the joy to remember that every day this holy season. Happy Easter, friends! But I have long thought we don’t pay enough attention to the joy of the coming of…
Prayer
Silence Is A Necessary Teacher
I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that my husband was at the National Eucharistic Congress, and one of many people deeply moved by what they saw as a mighty move of God in that week. I was moved even…
The Week Jesus Walked Down My Street
…a mystagogy of the national Eucharistic procession At the beginning of June, life in Minnesota began to get good: temperatures well above freezing, flowers blooming, graduates commencing, kids eating ice cream. And in the midst of it, Jesus Christ was processed…
Begin with Discerning God’s Vision for Your Parish
Welcome to another Starting Conversations article! These articles are designed to be shared and discussed together, with staff, councils, committees, and teams. Enjoy and click the tag “starting conversations” for more of these quick reads that open up good questions….
The Rich Silence of the Eucharist
Many of the articles here focus on how to turn parishes toward a mission mentality, to become apostolic parishes eager to evangelize. There are a lot of “action items.” Perhaps it is the most necessary time to stake a spiritual…
Missions
After the Eucharistic Congress: Launching a Year of Mission in your Parish
Join us for our inaugural free webinar! Pastors, parochial vicars, parish staff, and all you baptized: Welcome to the year of mission of the National Eucharistic Revival! But first things first: we are not launching a year, but a life…
Are Parishes Addicted to a Maintenance Culture?
Welcome back to another “Starting Conversations” article, designed to provoke and create new discussions on living as missionary discipleships and fostering parish evangelization. This article presumes familiarity with the language of moving “from maintenance to mission,” found in Fr. James…
The Bigger Problem: How Do We Fund the Great Commission When We’re Just Scraping By?
Welcome back to the conclusion of our three part series on funding the Great Commission. Two weeks ago we introduced Part 1: Do you need money to foster an apostolic parish? One week ago, Part 2: Is your parish keeping…
What does it take to be better at saving souls?
Welcome back to our Starting Conversations series, a short shareable article for staff, councils, small group studies, and more to discuss. This one may be controversial, which can make for a spirited time together! May God bless your conversation. “What…
Social Mission
“Make Your House Fair As You Are Able”: Christmas Welcome, and Welcoming Back
“Make your house fair as you are able”: you know where the line comes from, right? People, look east! The time is nearOf the crowning of the year.Make your house fair as you are able,Trim the hearth and set the…
The Crisis of Community: Why Parish Friendship Can No Longer Be Accidental
I recently read a Leadership Roundtable survey on the spiritual lives of young adults, and one line has stayed with me: more than anything else, young people are looking for community. They want friends. Honestly, don’t we all? Very few…
What Parishes Can Do to Help During SNAP Cuts (…Or Anytime)
Boots On the Ground Steps for November–December Many families across the country rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to keep food on the table. When benefits are cut, delayed, or reduced — as is expected in November and…
The Gospel of Welcome: Becoming a Parish of Radical Hospitality
Every parish wants to be known as welcoming. Yet many of us have experienced walking into a church and feeling invisible, unsure of where to sit, or whether anyone even noticed we came. Real Christian hospitality goes far beyond a…