Our Catholic faith teaches that we should experience new life, abundant joy, and exuberant hope. Yet sadly, many of our parishes lack any of these. Drawing from decades of experience and service to over a hundred parishes, Deacon Keith Strohm breaks down the often complex and overwhelming task of parish renewal using a simple-to-understand framework that can help put your community on the path to vitality. Whether you’ve just begun the journey toward parish renewal or your parish is well on its way toward new life and mission, this book will provide critical insights and tools to help you on the way. “Ablaze gets to the heart of the matter in challenging parish and diocesan leadership to step up and, in spite of the cost, lead a transformation of the culture of their organizations.” —from the foreword by FR. JAMES MALLON, author of Divine Renovation: Bringing Your Parish from Maintenance to Mission
“God has created me to do him some definite service; he has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission.” — Blessed John Henry Newman The statistics are heartbreaking. In 2007, 24 percent of Americans identified as Catholic. By 2014, that had dropped to 21 percent. The number of people who claim no religious affiliation has surpassed Catholics and evangelicals, making “nones” the largest religious group in the United States. Catholics are simply walking away from the Church. Yet there are many committed, faithful Catholics who desperately want to stem this tide. We are here, in this moment, and are called to be part of the mission, for the sake of our members, and for those who are still outside the Church. Yet while we long for this renewal, we are often at a loss as to how to accomplish it in a practical way. What steps do we take? How do we start, and how do we continue? How will we measure success — and how long will it take? In Made for Mission: Renewing Your Parish Culture, author and speaker Tim Glemkowski offers four keys that can radically change parish culture: Cast the vision Prioritize a clear path to discipleship Mobilize leaders Align everything Implementing these four keys over time, parishes can become not simply gathering places for worship but seedbeds of discipleship and missionary outposts of the New Evangelization. This book is a must-read for Catholic clergy, lay parish staff, anyone working in ministry, and any dedicated parishioner who is passionate about renewing the Church. Click here to register for the related webcast ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tim Glemkowski is an international speaker and the founder and president of L’Alto Catholic Institute. He is also cofounder and president of Revive Parishes, an online formation platform for parish leaders. Tim has served in various roles in evangelization, including teaching high school theology, with youths and young adult ministry at a parish, and as a director of evangelization and catechesis. He double-majored in theology and philosophy at Franciscan University of Steubenville and has a master’s in theology from the Augustine Institute in Denver, Colorado.
"Strohm invites you not just to read about Jesus, but to have a transformative encounter with him. This isn't a book of theology, or an abstract story with little impact on your real life. It is the story that can and will transform you if you're open to it. In these pages, you will discover who you truly are and what you were created for. You will meet Jesus not simply as an historical figure, but as our living and present Savior and friend"--Back cover.
PREFACEThe aim of this textbook is to introduce Bible students and translators to the basic compositional structure and literary style of Hebrew poetry, especially the lyric-liturgical poetry found in the Book of Psalms (the Psalter). It is also intended to give readers some idea of the functions of the different psalms, emphasizing the manner in which these texts were used, and are still being used, to carry out several important communicative purposes. We shall see how the psalmists constructed these beautiful prayer-songs so as to express their deepest spiritual needs, problems, thoughts, and emotions---to God first of all, but also to the great assembly of fellow believers. Although the basic principles that are learned here focus specifically on the Book of Psalms, they can also be applied in the many passages, both long and short, that have been written as poetry in the Old Testament, especially in the prophetic books.The approach to be followed is known as "discourse analysis." This simply means that during the course of our study we will try to examine the different aspects of these poetic texts as an integrated whole. The focus will be upon the formal features of the psalms, on both the higher as well as the lower levels of discourse structure. But elements of content (e.g., key terms) and function (e.g., psalm types or genres) will also receive due consideration.
Jesus died to set us free, yet we all experience thoughts from the enemy that lead us away from Christ and his truth. Popular author and speaker Deacon Keith Strohm shines Gods light on ten of the most common lies that Satan uses to bind our hearts and prevent us from experiencing the fullness of Gods love. Not only does Deacon Strohm help us gain clarity to the ways in which these lies take hold and imprison us, he also shows us that through the use of Scripture and the spiritual traditions of the Church, we can break the power and authority those lies have in our lives. We all want to be drawn closer in our relationship with Jesus Christ and more secure in our identities as sons and daughters of God, so we can never be too vigilant in battling the lies of the enemy. This book offers valuable wisdom for any Christianthose just beginning to follow Christ and those who are more mature in their faith.
As human beings we are constantly engaging and disengaging in everything we do. We engage and disengage at work, in marriage, as parents, in our quest for health and well-being, in personal finances, environmentally, politically, and, of course, we engage or disengage spiritually. If you walk into any Catholic church next Sunday and look around, you will discover that some people are highly engaged, others are massively disengaged, and the majority are somewhere in between. Why? What is the difference between highly engaged Catholics and disengaged Catholics? Answering this question is essential to the future of the Catholic Church. If we truly want to engage Catholics and reinvigorate parish life, we must first discover what drives engagement among Catholics. Matthew Kelly explores this question in his groundbreaking new book, and the simplicity of what he discovers will amaze you. Four things make the difference between highly engaged Catholics and disengaged Catholics: the four signs of a Dynamic Catholic. Whether you are ready to let God take your spiritual life to the next level or want to help reinvigorate your parish, The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic promises to take you on a journey that will help you live out the genius of Catholicism in your everyday life.
"It is not the same thing to have known Jesus as not to have known him, not the same thing to walk with him as to walk blindly, not the same thing to hear his word as not to know it.... We know that with Jesus life becomes richer."-Pope Francis, The Joy of the Gospel In her first book, Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus, Sherry Weddell, cofounder of the Catherine of Siena Institute, captured the attention of Catholics across the globe as she uncovered the life-changing power that accompanies the conscious decision to follow Jesus as his disciple. Now, in the groundbreaking Becoming a Parish of Intentional Disciples, she has gathered together experienced leaders and collaborators whose exceptional field-tested wisdom and enthusiasm for transforming Catholic parishes into centers of discipleship and apostolic outreach is both inspiring and practical. The authors consider: The role of intercessory prayer in parish transformation How "fireside chats" can help a pastor connect with his parishioners and call them to personal discipleship and mission The co-responsibility of lay people andpastors in the work of making disciples The revolutionary impact of a discipleship approach to youth ministry How one parish successfully fostered a culture of intentional discipleship, and much more As Sherry asks in her own chapter, "Are we willing to answer the call and pay the price necessary to become a new generation of saints through which God can do extraordinary things in our time?"
This book focuses on difficulties and opportunities in revitalization of old, derelict or abandoned buildings into a library and investigates the transformation of buildings which originally had a different purpose. The publication shows worldwide best practice examples from different types of libraries in historic environments, both urban and rural, while maintaining a focus on sustainability concerning the architecture and interior design.
