Parish Ministry
Love of God and neighbor: Jesus says this is the greatest commandment . . . which means that it's also your personal mission -- a mission these pages will help you to fulfill.
Praying through just one of its 60 short, singularly potent chapters each day will usher you through a two-month-long spiritual retreat. It's guaranteed to increase your knowledge of God, to intensify your love for Him, and to cultivate within you the steadfast virtues of a missionary disciple, able and eager to lead others to that same knowledge and love.
Are there greater gifts you can receive? And then pass on to your neighbors?
Masterfully combining Bible passages and Church teachings with practical directions, Fr. John Bartunek, author of the best-selling book The Better Part, here serves as your personal 60-day retreat master. He shows you how to overcome the inevitable spiritual obstacles you'll face, how to nurture your holy desires so that they become stronger and more vibrant, and how to concentrate every element of your soul and personality in service of loving God and neighbor.
Among other things, he also shows you:
What it truly means to be in Christ, and how that sublime state of soul can be yours
How to become conscious of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in every moment
What you must do now to let God bring full spiritual maturity to your mind, your emotions, and your will
How to properly manage the roller coaster of everyday life
How to regulate your spiritual growth prudently, so as to avoid missteps and burnout even as you work tirelessly to bring others to Christ
And much more to equip you to love God and your neighbor as an inspired and enthusiastic missionary disciple!
Children of varying ages and states of faith formation undergo a variety of paths to Christian initiation. This book is an invaluable resource for initiation coordinators, catechists, and directors of religious education as they prepare children and their families to undertake their journeys of faith.
Author Rita Burns Senseman shares the Church’s wisdom concerning the vision of children’s initiation found in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA). You will find parish-tested models and sample sessions; appendixes on how to prepare and lead child catechesis, and how to celebrate the liturgical rites; answers to frequently asked questions; and a glossary of terms.
This book has been revised according to the new translation of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA).
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) is the Church’s ritual for welcoming and forming adults and children of catechetical age in the way of Jesus as it is lived in the Roman Catholic tradition. In this resource, Fr. Ronald J. Lewinksi provides a basic and thorough introduction to the Church’s vision for the process of Christian initiation, guiding initiation ministers through the various rituals and steps of the OCIA through the lens of conversion, evangelization, and discipleship. This book is an excellent resource for new and experienced initiation ministers as well as for those who seek a deeper understanding of how the Church welcomes and initiates adult Catholic Christians. This revised edition has been updated to reflect the new translation of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults.
What if the Church radically shifted the focus of her mission to making disciples one person at a time?
Everett Fritz outlines a framework for one-to-one outreach that helps us develop as mentors in faith, furthering the Kingdom of God as Jesus commanded when he told us to go and make disciples. When we learn how to focus on a ministry of one, we will multiply our efforts to create a movement that meets the spiritual needs of many.
Whether you're someone who's actively involved in professional or volunteer ministry or an everyday Catholic who wants to share your faith, One Disciple at a Time reveals how you can live out your calling to spread the Gospel by focusing on forming disciples one at a time.
Drawing on insights gleaned from his personal spiritual journey and work in Catholic parish ministry, Fritz--founder and executive director of Andrew Ministries--shares practical steps for transforming our approach to living our faith and sharing it with others. In this book, you will learn:
Five years after she graduated from high school, teacher, youth minister, and sought-after speaker Katie Prejean McGrady returned to her alma mater in Lake Charles, Louisiana, to teach freshman theology. In the early years of her career, McGrady’s hormonal, sometimes grumpy, and often confused students taught her what it means to evangelize. Her frequently witty and always candid stories—and the ten lessons she offers—will inspire anyone who works with youth in the Church today.
As she began her first year of teaching, McGrady was eager to impart the Catholic doctrine she loves to her class in room 24 at St. Louis Catholic high school, but she was quickly rattled by the magnitude of the task, especially when she was challenged by a teen who said he didn’t believe. In ten brief and compelling chapters, McGrady shares humorous and hopeful interactions she’s had with her students that helped her learn that teaching them about Jesus and his Church is not as important as knowing them, loving them, and inviting them to know and love Jesus as a personal friend and savior.
Her frequent mistakes and occasional successes with her students taught McGrady how to evangelize young people by building relationships in joyful, humble, and prayerful ways. Likewise, McGrady determined that the power of inviting conversation, welcoming questions, and witnessing to faith through personal stories engages students and helps them fall in love with Jesus.
