At the beginning of Ordinary Time every liturgical year, our readings show Jesus revealing his mission through preaching, healing, and recruiting disciples. Through preaching, Jesus is sharing a vision and a call to action. This vision in turn draws and empowers the disciples, forming them for their mission to also preach, heal, and recruit. Jesus continually shares his vision and call to action, even in the face of resistance (see Luke 4:28-29).
The beginning of Ordinary Time, then, is good time for parish leaders to consider: are we regularly communicating our vision of a missionary parish that forms and sends disciples through our preaching and our actions?
Certainly, the initial phases of Beacons of Light were fairly concrete and tactical: establishing a Family Leadership Team and evaluating Sunday Mass schedules, among other "first things." While most Families of Parishes have a vision statement, implementing that vision in a strategic way is more ambiguous and challenging. That’s why Vision Communication is an ongoing process and an essential part of Beacons of Light.
And that’s why establishing culture, through strategic encounter and leadership formation are the essential commitments of Phase 3.
Contact your liaison or the Center for Parish Vitality staff for guidance and support. Let's communicate our vision for a Church that truly radiates the love of Christ to all!
The 2025 Parish Vitality Report will be released digitally on February 1st. Pastors and parish communicators are asked to help spread the word to the faithful. Resources will be available on the Pastoral Planning Pathway Communications resource page, including a 1-page bulletin insert, social media text, introductory video, images, and more. Parish leaders will be notified when 2025 resources are available.
Bits and Bytes
The Jubilee Year is underway! Check out all the ways in which the Archdiocese of Cincinnati is celebrating the gift of hope in 2025. Read More >
Don't forget about Impact, a monthly resource for parish stewardship, free to download and use. Read More >
Curious about how the Church throughout the world is approaching parish planning? Check out the 2020 Vatican instruction on the role of the parish, including the document, helpful videos, and more. Read More >
Parish Communications for Today's Church
The Lord’s final mandate to His disciples before the Ascension was to preach the Gospel to all the world. To do this today, followers of Jesus are called to be communicators, passing on the faith through word and deed. Not everyone is called to this professionally, but most of our parishes employ a communications person who must effectively communicate to both the larger world and individual parish members.
We are all called to sow the seeds of evangelization in our corner of the world, but it is clear the people who lead our parishes’ communications do so in a unique way: they place their language and design talents at Christ’s disposal. Even when we’re just checking the bulletin for Holy Day Mass times or Facebook for images from Friday’s Fish Fry, these men and women work hard to keep communities “in the loop” and aware of our faith’s beauty.
“I serve the St. Joseph, Pillar of Families, Parishes by using my creative expertise to evangelize other Christians through digital solutions,”
Save the date for a one-day workshop with Fr. Paul Turner for Christian Initiation teams: OCIA coordinators, team members, clergy, Directors of Worship & Evangelization, parish musicians, and more! Details and registration coming very soon!
Culture for Mission Part 2
May 20 | Good Shepherd
We often lump the stages of discipleship into one big bucket. If the journey of discipleship is lifelong, it makes sense that each stage of that journey will require different levels of formation, accompaniment, and training. Join us as we break open the stages of beginning disciple, growing disciple, and missionary disciple. Together we will imagine new ways to accompany people through the stages of discipleship and commission them for mission.
Please join us for the fourth annual CNE Appreciation Banquet. This banquet is our opportunity to show our gratitude for your often overlooked work in the vineyard of the Lord and to highlight the work of the Holy Spirit throughout the Archdiocese - free event!
