How Can I Welcome Someone at Mass?
None of us want our parishes to be a place that’s not welcoming, that’s not hospitable to the outsider, visitor, guest, or occasional-attender. The question is how? What to do? What…
Faith Library
Author: Colleen Vermeulen
Seek a Future of Hope (Jeremiah 29:11-14)
“When you look for me, you will find me.” –Jer 29:13 Through the prophet Jeremiah, God says to His people, “I know well the plans I have in…
The Journey Matters (Psalm 37:5)
“Commit your way to the Lord” –Ps 37:5 Commitment is hard. From taking the first step in a new resolution, to sticking it out when distractions arise, to…
What is Salvation?
If our idea of salvation isn’t God’s idea, then (spoiler alert!) by extension the Good News that we proclaim and announce isn’t going to be truly Good. Earlier this…
Jesus, How Long Are You Going to Keep Us In Suspense?!?
Imagine you’re sitting on an outer porch of the Jerusalem Temple during the time of Jesus. You’re at one end of a massive stone structure, as large as six…
Tradition That Inspires, Not Stifles Evangelization
Misunderstanding the Catholic meaning of “Tradition” can stifle inklings of innovation, creativity, and new design in our mental models as we seek to evangelize. Let’s start from the…
Friendship and Church?
A few years ago the Alex Williams of The New York Times shared a story mixing anecdote and research called “Friends of a Certain Age.” The basic question is…
Baptism and Belonging in Lent
What is belonging? When we belong, we experience fitting in, just as we are, right now. We experience being a part of something bigger than ourselves. We are…
Reaching “Nones”
I recently read Christel Manning’s book, “Losing Our Religion: How Unaffiliated Parents Are Raising Their Children” and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in better understanding the nuance, diversity,…
From Small Talk to Life Talk
Spreading the love of God is inevitably a personal, relational experience. We know as Christians that–if we stay at this “evanglism” thing long enough, we’re going to have…