I am an avid reader; I much prefer reading the morning Globe than listening to the news on radio, and never on TV. I enjoy sitting down to a good book, especially mysteries and travel adventures; but there are also books that some may consider “work-related” that also catch my eye and my imagination.
The reason for reading work-related books is basically because I love the Catholic Church, I believe it is the Cadillac of churches but it is out of gas! I look at the total picture of our church and realize that church attendance has plummeted to historic lows worldwide. Many young adults show little interest in church and find the church “irrelevant and judgmental.” Parishes and schools are being shuttered and the number of priests has been shrinking over these past few decades. I read because I want to make sure that I am doing the best I can to assist us in being a vibrant community; and to find the best practices for us as a parish to meet the challenges that face our universal church.
We have been trying to implement the “best practices” in today’s church circumstances I am going to use the next five weeks of bulletin letters to communicate how our church measures up in regards to five key principles. The principles are wonderfully summarized by author Chris Lowney is his book Everyone Leads: How to Revitalize the Catholic Church. The first letter will begin by introducing the five ideas. This week I am just going to introduce the five areas as best summarized in Everyone Leads: How to Revitalize the Catholic Church by Chris Lowney. There are many other authors who have suggested similar ideas, Lowney hits the nail on the head. His acronym for these practices is EASTeR.
• Entrepreneurial
• Accountable
• Serve the Poor
• Transform each worshippers heart and soul
• Reach out to those beyond our own church doors
Next week I will look at the ways we are working at being entrepreneurial here at Sacred Heart. Before then I would like you to reflect upon how you have seen us do so and if you wish e-mail the ways you have seen us do so; or even how you would like us to do so. My e-mail is
[email protected] . For those who do not e-mail, jot it down on a piece of paper and put it in the collection basket with my name on it, or simply hand it to me. I would like your wisdom in each of these areas, as we want to be relevant in Hopedale and we want demonstrate Catholicism in action. Stay tuned!