March 2023 Good News Notes

March 29, 2023

Spring is upon us and this means new growth, which we see in both our gardens and our parishes. There are two general ways our parishes can grow: deep and wide.

Through the seasons of Lent and Easter, our parishioners have additional opportunities to develop a deeper relationship with the Lord and one another in the community. As they embrace discipleship, they will experience a deepening of their spirituality.

We are also called to grow our churches wide, to welcome outsiders. Growing wide, or evangelizing, cannot be done through a program or position. It requires a culture of welcome.

Last spring, Rebuilt offered a series of webinars on this topic. In those webinars, they explored 4 reasons why we should grow wider as churches. So, why should we pay attention to this as Catholic parishes?

Jesus told us to. There are multiple places in scripture where Jesus tells us that we need to reach out to people who are not with us. In Luke, He tells us He came to seek and save the lost (19:10). There are several examples of new Christians joining the Church in Acts. In the great commission (Mt 28:19-20), Jesus tells us to make disciples of “all nations.”
Our Churches will die out if we don’t. In past generations, making disciples could be counted on by having children and raising them in the Church. This is no longer the norm as we move further from Christendom. If we are not intentional about reaching out to new people, we will not see new people.
It animates and brings life to the Church. New people bring new life, new energy and new ideas. While that can be messy or uncomfortable, it is true that we can be revitalized with new life.
It expresses our love for people. Jesus makes our lives better and makes us better at life. There is no greater love than to encounter someone and share the love of Jesus.

In the webinars, the Rebuilt team also offered keys to create a culture of welcome in our parishes:

Personalize the value of welcoming. Each person in the parish must embrace the value and call to reach out to people. The people we need to welcome are people we know and love. They are our families, our friends, our neighbours. Think of a person who you would love to see come to know and love Jesus in His Church. Personalizing and internalizing this call, and using that personal desire with all who we welcome, will draw us all into an authentic culture of welcome.
Define the quintessential person you want to welcome. At the Church of the Nativity, the parish written about in the book Rebuilt, they defined a specific, fictional person they wanted to reach. They specified who they are geographically, demographically, culturally, and spiritually. They asked the questions “Why did this person stop coming to Church?” and “Why don’t they come to Church now?” Targeting the welcome to that quintessential does not mean others aren’t welcome or reached out to. Like in darts, when we aim for a bullseye, we rejoice when we reach the areas surrounding it.
Create an excellent weekend experience. The weekend is the strongest culture in a parish. Plan for and expect new people to join you. Allow your music, message, and ministers to be accessible to new people. Be the place where people want to invite their unchurched or dechurched friends and family members when they invite them.

Many of these concepts are not new, but hopefully, put together they bring a fresh perspective to our call to grow our churches wide.

If you want to dive deeper into this, watch the webinar series at Growing Wide Webinars from Rebuilt: 1, 2, 3, 4. You will need to register to access them and registration is free.

Great Things We Found On The Internet This Month about Music:

Without Holy Spirit, Evangelizing is Empty Advertising - Detroit Catholic
What's Engaging Gen Z - Springtide
Why the Church Celebrates Octaves - Blessed is She
The Difference between "We Are Open" and "Made Just For You" - Tilma Blog
Leadership Books for Leaders - Tilma Blog

If you have a Good News Story from your Family of Parishes, please share it with us! We have an online form available for staff, volunteers, and parishioners to share the Good News happening in their communities!

Important Dates in April 2023

Click the links for more information about the saint or occasion.

2 - Palm Sunday & Holy Week Begins

6 - Holy Thursday

7 - Good Friday

8 - Holy Saturday

9 - Easter Sunday

16 - Sunday of Divine Mercy

17 - St. Kateri Tekakwitha

25 - St. Mark

29 - St. Catherine of Siena

30 - World Day of Prayer for Vocations