I do a lot of work in catechumenate ministry. RCIA team members will often ask what the catechumens have to know before they can become Catholic. I understand the motivation for the question, and yet I often feel uncomfortable answering it. It is akin to asking what a bride needs to know before she says “I do” on her wedding day. A lot, to be sure. But exactly what is difficult to say. And ask anyone who has been married for a year, five years, ten years—on your wedding day, did you know this is the person your spouse would become? Did you know this is what marriage is? Of course not. The “knowing” is always a work progress. A mystery unfolding. An ongoing revelation.

I thought of the catechumens today when I read John Allen’s article in the National Catholic Reporter (“Trent launches world revolution in theology”). He is reporting on a July 24-27 gathering of nearly 600 Catholic ethicists and moral theologians, representing four continents and 73 countries. Half the theologians were laity and at least 200 were women.

A radical new lens for theology

If Allen and the organizers of the event are right, the content of theology will not change all that much in the future, but the way it is expressed will be racially different. That means that the catechisms, textbooks, sacramental preparation programs, liturgical adaptations, ritual music, and prayer resources of the future will look and feel and sound a lot differently than they do now. All of these resources will still reveal the same person—Jesus Christ. But the lenses with which we view the person of Jesus Christ will be much different. Think of it as an 80-year-old woman looking at the man she married 60 years ago. He’s the same man. And yet there is so much more to see and he looks so different.

According to Allen, there three significant implications of the “revolution”:

1. Future theological and pastoral resources will be much more attentive to diversity in the church.
2. Future resources will have a broader sense of the key issues in society that impact our faith. Allen’s article noted five in particular:
• Human dignity (and not just in the context of health care and “life” issues);
• Justice (North/South, but also within cultures);
• The environment;
• New technologies;
• The position of persons within institutions.
3. Finally, no resource will rely on exclusively on one’s own national perspective.

An example of this last point might be the resource the U.S. Bishops publish each election cycle on how Catholics are to participate in the election process. Future editions might begin to be influenced by how democracy is understood by Catholic theologians in the Ukraine, Italy, Brazil, and so on.

The revolution will be social

The church moves slowly, especially in matters of theology. So I’m not sure how much of the revolution many of us will see in our lifetimes. However, as scholars and theologians begin to develop these new ways of seeing, writing, and teaching, their work will not only appear in dusty tomes shelved in European theological centers as may have happened in the past. They will also begin to appear on blogs, Facebook updates, and Twitter posts. Marshall McLuhan once said the medium is the message. That is perhaps especially true concerning the revolutionary way the gospel message will be proclaimed.

The other day, Tom Peters inspired me to think of ways parish volunteers could practice leadership. Today’s leadership practices focus on the ministry of greeters and ushers.
 
 
 

1. Greet people with a two-handed handshake, placing your left hand on the other person’s upper right arm.
2. As you greet people, introduce yourself with your name. Wear a name tag with your first name in 48-point type.
3. As you greet people, say a prayer in your heart: “Christ, thank you for manifesting yourself to me in this person today.”
4. Be alert to newcomers; show them to a seat next to someone you know and introduce them.
5. Greet people coming in the side door if it is usually unattended.
6. Hand people a hymnal or worship aid, already opened to the opening song (or the next song, for latecomers)
7. Stand on the sidewalk to greet people.
8. Greet the people around you in the pews when it is your Sunday “off” from door duty.
9. During Mass, be alert to non-Catholics; show them how to follow the Mass in the hymnal or worship aid.
10. Wait until the opening prayer or reading is finished to seat latecomers

No doubt, your parish changes its church décor to match the liturgical seasons. But what about your website? If you are running your website on the free WordPress software, you can install a “Liturgical Year Themes” plugin (also free). The plugin calculates the current liturgical day or season to adjust your website theme to correlate with the current time in the liturgical year.

You can download the plugin here. And if you are not yet using WordPress to run your website, here are some helpful tutorials to get you started.

Management guru Tom Peters posted this on his Twitter feed yesterday:

Leadership has … ZERO … to do with org charts. It can be practiced, for example, on Day #1 in any job at any age.

That made me wonder about many of the volunteer jobs parishioners take on. Do they all think of themselves as practicing leadership in their volunteer roles? How do we, as parish leaders, help those around us think of themselves as leaders? For example, here are 10 ways Communion ministers can practice leadership:

1. Arrive ten minutes before the liturgy. Offer a brief prayer in front of the tabernacle for all those you will serve today.
2. Before Mass, find at least one person in the assembly you do not know and greet that person.
3. Participate fully in the liturgy. Sing even if you don’t feel like singing, as an example to the catechumens and children in the assembly.
4. If you are new to this ministry, expect to make mistakes. Learn from your mistakes, and don’t make the same one twice.
5. A Communion minister normally receives both the Body and Blood of Christ. If you are not comfortable sharing in the cup, considers serving in a different ministry.
6. When a communicant approaches you, say with your mouth, “The Body of Christ.” Say in your heart, “I believe this bread is the Body of Christ; I believe this person before me is the Body of Christ.”
7. Or, say with your mouth, “The Blood of Christ.” Say in your heart, “I believe this cup is filled with the Blood of Christ; I believe this person before me is filled with the Blood of Christ.”
8. Do not be scrupulous.
9. Remain a moment after Mass and thank someone else for his or her ministry that day—another Communion minister, the lectors, a choir member, an acolyte.
10. If your parish hosts coffee and doughnuts after Mass, find someone who is standing alone and start a conversation with him or her.

The new text of the Roman Missal will not be implemented until Advent 2011. However, there is one change you might consider making now in order to make the transition smoother next year. The popular memorial acclamation, “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again,” was not approved by the Vatican and is not included in the new missal. You can see the approved texts on the USCCB website.

In my experience, most worshiping communities use “Christ has died…” almost exclusively. If you begin to transition away from that response now, it will feel like one less change you have to make next year.

Unfortunately, none of the new texts are exactly the same as the ones we have now. However, option C in the current translation and option B in the new one are very close:

If you begin to use the current option C more often, you will be one step ahead by the time you need to implement the rest of the changes.

• The new missal: We wait in joyful hope
• Introducing the new missal: A four-step strategy

By now you have no doubt heard that the new translation of the missal has been approved by the Vatican and the implementation date has been set for the First Sunday of Advent 2011. And you are probably also aware the new translation has been controversial. In the August 28, 2010 issue of The Tablet, Philip Endean, SJ, lists a four-step strategy for introducing the new translation to our parishes:

• Acknowledge the wider issues at stake. Some of the issues are not just about correct translation, but also about issues of ecclesiology.
• Acknowledge conflicting concerns. Some choices in translation were made between conflicting goods. A decision for one “good” is not a rejection of the other.

• Recognize that reverence and accessibility are theologically complementary. “If the introduction of a new text can be described as one side ‘winning’ some kind of competition between gospel values, things have gone badly wrong.”
• Only say in public what you actually believe. Parishioners need to hear your authentic voice regarding the new translation. “Defending what you do not believe will be far more harmful to the Church than any public disharmony.”

To read the entire article, click here.

(Thanks to the Pray Tell blog for putting me on to this.)

• The new missal: We wait in joyful hope
• “Christ has died” acclamation will not be an option

In The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itself, John Jantsch writes about a business consultant—Scott Ginsberg. There is one truly remarkable thing about Ginsberg. He wears a name tag. Every day. All day. All night. He has done so for more than nine years now, and he intends to keep doing so for the rest of his life. He is so committed to wearing a name tag that he has had one tattooed to his chest—just in case you meet him at a pool party.

He’s not crazy. Okay, maybe he’s a little crazy. But he has a sound reason for his obsession with wearing a name tag. He wants people to approach him. And it works!

How can pastoral leaders glean something from Ginsberg’s strategy for improving parish hospitality? Can we use name tags in more creative ways to make ourselves more approachable to parishioners and visitors?

Some parishes do provide name tags for ushers and hospitality ministers. Most, however, do not. And even fewer ask key parish leaders to wear name tags. So here’s my suggestion. Make a list of everyone you think of as a leader in your parish. That would certainly include all paid staff members and the parish council members. For me, it would also include all committee chairpeople, catechists, school teachers, and liturgical ministers (lectors, Communion ministers, etc.) Draw the line wherever you like, however.

Next make a list of times and places folks in leadership would be expected to wear name tags. For example, during business hours, during school hours, at parish functions, at Sunday liturgy. Again, draw the line where you like. I think Sunday liturgy would be the bare minimum requirement because that is where we are most likely to encounter strangers.

Finally, decide what kind of nametags you are going to use. Scott Ginsberg, who is the nametag expert, wears the plain, paper, peelable kind and handwrites his name. If you decide to invest in permanent name tags, make sure the first name is at least 48-point type so it is readable at a distance.
 
This is 48-point type.
 

And, of course, tattoos are optional.

Do you have any more suggestions to share? How are you using nametags in your parish? What other ways are you making yourself more approachable to parishioners and visitors?

I recently returned a phone call from a parish staff member. This is how it went.

[Phone ringing]

Recording:          “If this is an emergency, hang up and dial xxx-xxxx. Mass times are ________. To speak to Fr. Jones, press 1. [Repeated in Spanish.] For a directory of names, press 2….”

[I pressed 0; three rings later, the receptionist answered.]

Receptionist:     “St. Adalbert’s parish.”

Me:        “Good morning. This is Nick Wagner. I’m returning a call from Jane Smith.”

Receptionist:     “Today is Jane’s day off.”

[silence]

Me:        “Okay, would you please let her know I returned her call?”

Receptionist:     “What is your name?”

After I gave my name again and my phone number (which Jane presumably has, since she called me), I went to the parish website to see if Jane had a direct-dial number. The parish mission statement, which was placed prominently at the top of the home page, startled me a bit:

St. Adalbert is a welcoming, hospitable community, committed to spreading the joy of Christ in the world. We do this by loving everyone we encounter as Christ loves them.

(All names have been changed, and the mission statement reworded to protect identities.)

I am not saying the receptionist was inhospitable and unloving, but she certainly didn’t exhibit the verve the parish mission statement implies. Unfortunately, my experience with St. Adalbert parish is not uncommon. This is understandable in part. Parish receptionists are often volunteers. Even those who are paid are usually underpaid and overworked. Nevertheless, the potential impact this key team member can have to help you implement your mission is priceless. If you cannot afford to pay your receptionist more money, pay her in other ways. For example, give your receptionist:

• more training
• more thank you’s (verbal and written)
• Starbuck’s coffee cards
• a prime parking space for Mass
• flowers on her birthday
• flowers on Secretary’s Day
• flowers on Mother’s Day
• a dinner-for-two gift certificate on her wedding anniversary

In other words, go overboard to thank her and make her feel like her contribution to the parish mission is invaluable. Because it is. In return, ask her to contribute outstanding value to her role. Some examples might be:

• answer the phone on the first ring
• treat every caller as though Jesus is calling
• solve problems for the caller
• capture and remember names
• take full and complete messages
• suggest ways to improve the parish interface with the public
• transform the receptionist role from a job into an art form

What is your experience? Do you encounter excellent receptions when you call Catholic parishes? How have you created excellence at the front desk in your parish?

The introduction of the new translation of the Roman Missal is not going as smoothly as its promoters perhaps wish that it would. At a recent meeting of clergy and lay leaders in Milwaukee, participants expressed their dissatisfaction with the texts. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel quoted Father Ken Smits, a Capuchin priest and liturgical scholar as saying: “For some people this will be very unsettling. The real concern is among the parish priests, who will have to explain something many of them are not in favor of. They’d much rather spend their time in ministry than have to go through this linguistic exercise.”

Some of the clergy in Chicago are apparently in agreement. Jerry Galipeau, Associate Publisher at World Library Publications, reported on his blog today about a meeting he had with ten priests of the archdiocese who told Jerry that “not one priest of the deanery gives his personal approval for the need for a new translation—and there is some resentment and fear.”

And all this follows on the heels of the “What If We Said, ‘Wait’?” movement, which has collected over 21,000 signatures from people who “are very concerned about the proposed new translations of the Roman Missal.”

Jerry Galipeau, however, sees the introduction of the new missal as hopeful moment.

[T]he advent of the new translation—I hope—will lead to a discovery, or rediscovery (as the case may be) of the real art of celebrating the Mass for these priests. We look for a new dawn of liturgical engagement, a synergy among the realities of text, celebrant, music, and people. It is within the life that is generated through this synergy that God’s work of mercy, love, and reconciliation in Christ takes root, blossoms, and grows day after day, Mass after Mass, year after year, until our voices are joined with countless hosts of angels in that eternal “Hosanna!”

The most compelling statement of support I’ve read came from Kathleen Hughes, RSCJ. Hughes committed almost two decades of her life to creating the second English translation of the missal, which was approved by the world’s English-speaking bishops’ conferences in 1998, but rejected by Rome. If anyone has reason to be resistant to the current translation, it would be her. Instead, she said this at the July 2010 meeting of the National Associations of Pastoral Musicians:

[W]e can make a choice now not to be cranky about the new translation or to disparage this word or that phrase. I have more reason than most of you in this room to wish it were otherwise. I worked for the former ICEL for nineteen years and we had neared completion of a new translation of the Missal using different translation principles. But that was then. Now I have made a conscious choice to button my lip. Being cranky, especially being perpetually cranky, sours us and keeps us in a sort of low grade depression. None of us really wants to live like that.

This will be a defining moment in our ministry as liturgical and pastoral leaders in the church. There is certainly enough to criticize and denounce. But, as Hughes, suggests, do we really want to live like that? The reason we all chose lives of ministry is because of our radical conversion to the hope Christ offers and our apostolic compulsion to proclaim that hope to others. It’s time to go to work.

• Introducing the new missal: A four-step strategy
• “Christ has died” acclamation will not be an option

For a busy parish pastor, a blog has the potential of becoming your most effective and time-efficient tool for evangelization.

A pastor’s fantasy

Think of it this way. Suppose that after Mass next Sunday, you are shaking hands and saying goodbye to parishioners as they leave. A new person greets you and says, “Father, I’m thinking of becoming Catholic. Can you tell me what I would need to do?” Now suppose the rest of your Sunday is completely free. And suppose you are not exhausted from the killer week of meetings, weddings, and funerals you just completed. (Hey, this is a fantasy. Bear with me.) If you had all the time and energy in the world, you could spend the next couple of hours just chatting with the seeker that the Holy Spirit sent to you at that moment.

But you don’t have all the time and energy in the world. You’ve got the next Mass or the emergency finance council meeting or lunch scheduled with the capital campaign chairperson (and largest contributor to the parish). And even if you have nothing else scheduled, you’ve been looking forward to your first free Sunday afternoon in a month to just kick back and watch the game.

Now imagine there are ten such seekers and imagine there are ten more next Sunday and ten more the Sunday after that. Because in a medium-sized parish with three Masses on a weekend, that’s the potential. You can’t possibly meet, individually, with each and every one of those seekers. But they can “meet” you—if you are blogging.

When you put yourself out there on a blog, people get to know you as a person. Even if you are blogging about what you had for dinner, over time, people will discover your level of integrity, what you are passionate about, what you know about, and what you think is important in life. And they will also encounter you as a person of faith—which is what they are seeking in the first place.

No time to blog

But doesn’t blogging take time? Precious time that you don’t have to spare? Yes to the first question, no to the second. Evangelization is the number one job for parishes. Take out your calendar and add up the number of hours you are evangelizing this week. Then add up the number of seekers your evangelization efforts are touching this week. What do you think? Are you spending enough time on job one? Are you reaching enough people? If so, maybe you don’t need to blog. But most pastors are caught up in a lot of “smaller” jobs related to just keeping the parish afloat.

What if you could carve out one hour a week for evangelization and touch hundreds or maybe thousands of seekers? That’s what I’m suggesting. Write two short posts a week. Spend 30 minutes on each. And get yourself out there in the blogosphere as the evangelizer-in-chief for your parish.

And really—if you think you are too busy to blog, check out this guy! You can’t possibly have more on your plate than he does.

What to blog about?

I think what stops most pastors from blogging is not the time it takes. It’s writer’s block. What in the world would people be interested in that you would have to say? Okay, you’re going to have to imagine with me again. Or better yet, remember.

Remember back before you were a priest. Maybe remember all the way back to childhood. What did you think of priests? Weren’t you wildly curious about what kind of people they were? What they did? Why they became a priest? Did they pray all the time? Do they talk directly to God? And does God answer? Just because you have come to realize that priests are flesh-and-blood people like the rest of us doesn’t mean the rest of the world has. Seekers in particular, who are not likely to know any priests personally, are fascinated with the whole idea of “priest.” So draw back the curtain a little, and let them peak inside. You can blog about anything. It doesn’t have to be about faith or the church. In fact, it’s probably better if some of your posts are more “secular.” Here is a short list of some ideas to blog about, but don’t limit yourself to these:

• The last movie you saw
• The last book you read
• A joke someone told at the priests’ retreat
• A Scripture passage you are struggling with as you try to write this Sunday’s homily
• A great meal you had at a parishioner’s house
• What the bishop said to you the last time you spoke with him
• How you pray
• Your best (and worst) golf score
• What you would do if you weren’t a priest
• A list of hopes you have for the parish in the coming year
• Pictures from your last vacation
• The last time you blessed a car and what you think of blessing cars
• The hobby you wish you had more time for
• Your favorite musician / your least favorite musician
• How you will be spending the next holiday
• Saint of the day and why that saint is important to you
• What the upcoming Jewish, Muslim, or Buddhist holy day means and how Catholics should think of it

Guidelines

When I said you could blog about anything, I meant anything within reason. The U.S. Bishops have recently posted some very helpful guidelines on social media that you should read before you start blogging.

And here are five reasons you don’t need a social media policy!

Do you have questions about getting started? I can help. Post a comment or send me an e-mail.