Many influential speakers from around the world have gathered at the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) in Budapest, Hungary, from September 5-12, 2021, sharing their testimonies of Eucharistic faith.
Fr. Michael White, a priest of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, pastor of the Church of the Nativity in Timonium, Maryland, and author of the popular book Rebuilt, shared his three key strategies for parish renewal in a previously recorded video that was presented at the congress.
The first step Fr. White laid out was, “Focusing on church people.” He explains that this means viewing the parish from the outside, rather than from within, and making decisions based on this perspective.
The second key to renewal is, “Prioritizing the weekend experience.” This is concerned with focusing resources on the weekend Masses and making it a priority for the parish.
The third step Fr. White elaborated on is, “Challenging church people with a clear discipleship path and plan.” This involves challenging the people in the pews to take a personal ownership of their faith that motivates them to share their faith with others.
Fr. White then goes on to focus on the second step for renewal, and how the weekend Mass is vital to the growth of any parish.
You can watch his complete talk through the video below. His talk begins at the 2:48 mark.
And today we celebrate...