Laying the Foundation for Forming Disciples in Our Parishes

A recent mailing of the Franciscan University of Steubenville declares, “The age of casual Catholicism is over. The age of heroic Catholicism has begun.”¹ Men and women starving for truth and eager to be heroes for Christ need to be shaped and formed.

In search of the formation they need and long for, many Catholics become members of the various “movements” in the Church, which have sprouted up under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Lay Catholics credit such groups as Cursillo, the Neocatechumenal Way, and the various “Renewal” experiences (e.g., Christ Renews His Parish, and various Marriage Renewal and Encounter programs, as well as robust parish missions and orthodox Catholic speakers) with sparking their conversion and deepening their formation as Catholic Christians. Having witnessed the wisdom and beauty of the Church flow so naturally from the hearts of families, I have often wondered why we are not accomplishing the same level of formation of Catholic disciples in our parishes and within the mainstream structure of the Church, such that Catholics hungering for more, look elsewhere. The draw of the movements is, in large part, the small community feel that allows for sharing and building relationships. Catholics in a parish of hundreds or thousands can often feel lost. This small group experience is good insofar as the primary focus of the group does not divide individuals from their parish, pastor, and bishop. The group must foster the growth of the whole Church. There is also a commitment to the formation of disciples present in the movements that our parishes have struggled to embrace, even though such formation is the parish’s core mission. As so many voices are straining to proclaim in this historical moment, parishes need to focus their efforts on helping men and women encounter and follow Jesus. This should be the ordinary work of daily parish life. Bills must be paid, facilities must be maintained, and money must be raised—but never at the cost of proclaiming the Gospel.

The parish, in the mind of the Canon Law of the Church, is, after all, a certain community of the Christian faithful stably constituted in a particular church, whose pastoral care is entrusted to a pastor (parochus) as its proper pastor (pastor) under the authority of the diocesan bishop and that pastor (parochus) is the proper pastor (pastor) of the parish entrusted to him, exercising the pastoral care of the community committed to him under the authority of the diocesan bishop in whose ministry of Christ he has been called to share. …²

The parish is the core of the community in which it is established. It proclaims to people of every faith and walk of life within that neighborhood, through the presence of its church building, the “dwelling place of God among men,” and the witness of its members, that Jesus Christ is alive in our midst. From his saving love alone, we receive the gift of true and eternal life.

In her wisdom, the Catholic Church has divided the world into geographic territories in order to provide for the systematic care of souls. The diocese and its parishes constitute the normative administrative structure and means of transmission of the Christian way of life left to the Apostles, and handed on through the Tradition of the Church. Alongside the diocesan and parish structure, there exist the various movements, which the Holy Spirit has inspired to bring new life to the Church. In some cases, tension, fueled by jealousy, scandal, and disagreements over theology and administrative style, has arisen when the parish and the movements exist in the same community. This need not be the case when the proper pastor takes charge and gives direction to the work of teaching, governing, and sanctifying the people of God within his territory and, of course, where true love, humility, and faith abide. Cardinal Wuerl, Relator of the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization in 2012, quotes the Synod’s Proposition §43, referencing how “The Holy Spirit directs the Church in her mission of evangelization ‘with various hierarchical and charismatic gifts’ (LG, 4). In fact the dioceses are ‘a portion of the people of God under the pastoral care of the bishop, helped by his presbyterate’ (Christus Dominus §11), where the diverse charismatic realities recognize the authority of the bishop as integral to their own proper action in service of the ecclesial mission.” The cardinal also relates how the synod “goes on to remind us that since the Second Vatican Council, the New Evangelization has greatly benefited from the dynamism of the new ecclesial movements and new communities.”³ Because the territory of any land where evangelization takes place is under the pastoral care of its bishop and proper pastor, and because, for the most part, the work of evangelization, even by those other than the parish staff, is undertaken on parish property, the parishes, “gathered in communion with the bishop, are called to be centers of the New Evangelization.”⁴ The cardinal continues by saying, “Of central importance is the parish,” a conclusion supported by Proposition §26 of the synod, which reads, “The bishops gathered in synod affirm that the parish continues to be the primary presence of the Church in neighborhoods, the place and instrument of Christian life. …”⁵ The Catholic parish, therefore, should be a place where truth and love unite, a center of vitality in the community, and the spring from which flows the Christian life of worship, proclamation, and service. All others, who desire to respond to the Lord’s call to evangelize, do so in collaboration with the parish in which they reside, or minister, in order to further the unified prayer and work of the Church. The Spirit inspires the movements—just as he guides the hierarchy—and the Spirit is One and cannot contradict himself. So, whatever is of God will be in harmony with the ordinary life of the Church. The movements will always hold a special place in the life of the Church for those who are drawn by the Spirit to their small group experiences, and according to their own unique charisms, while the dioceses and parishes will always be the primary loci of worship, proclamation of the Word and charity—the great enterprise of the Body of Christ. Loving collaboration within the Church supports the effective proclamation of the Gospel and its reception by all people.

The cornerstone of the New Evangelization, and thus the primary mission of the parish, is the formation of Catholics into, what Sherry Weddell calls, “intentional disciples.” She describes in her book, Forming Intentional Disciples, how a survey of pastors and parish staff people concluded that 5 percent of Catholics are believed to be intentional disciples, which is to say, they have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that motivates them to be active in their faith.⁶ If you think about your own parish, how many of the same people end up being involved in everything? It’s usually a small core group of devout people, and that’s presuming that being involved means they have encountered the Lord in a personal way, which is not always true. The number of real disciples—people who know the Lord, know their faith, and perceive their destiny to be saints—is shockingly small. So often, men and women in the Church today settle into the idea that they are “ordinary Catholics,” while sainthood is for the “extraordinary.”⁷ The reality is that we are all called to be saints. A human person, while always still prone to sin, who is determined to remain on the road to sainthood is best described as an intentional disciple. Pope Francis described the Church in this way: “We are all sinners here. Yet the Church is holy! We are sinners, but she is holy. She is the spouse of Jesus Christ, and He loves her, He sanctifies her. …”⁸ Our encounter with Christ, not our own piety, is what makes us holy. The Christian life, the life of the Spirit first given to us in baptism, ignites a fire in the disciple, which is meant to be fanned into flame by an intentional daily journey with Christ. In the parishes, we encounter a myriad of different types of people, all of them sinners, all of them in need of an introduction to Jesus and formation in the Christian life of discipleship. Confession, pastoral counseling, and the administration of a parish so often involves “spiritual triage”—quickly assessing the needs of human hearts and discerning how to best apply the salve of Christ’s love and truth. Pope Francis calls the parish the “field hospital”⁹ in the midst of the spiritual battle we face today. This is the incomparable blessing of parish life. This is the lifeblood of the Church’s New Evangelization. In our parishes, where we embrace the fullness of the Church’s treasure of spiritual resources, we bring Christ’s healing and form men and women to be intentional disciples.

So, where do we begin? How do we help those beyond the boundaries of the parish registry and the complacent majority within the parish to encounter Jesus and see the beauty of what is offered in Catholic life? What gives energy to these experiences of Catholicism so they do not become stale routines? The answer is: love. First, we need to open our own hearts to receive the love of God the Holy Spirit, who gives life and grace to the mission of the Church. We return that love by wrapping our ministries and apostolates in constant prayer and praise of God. We share that love in our embrace of the needs of everyone we encounter.

So we can ask ourselves: is the liturgy both faithful to the Church and imbued with prayerfulness and holy joy? Is my preaching flowing from time in prayer and anointed by the Spirit? Are our parish ministries and apostolates undertaken in a spirit of discernment of God’s will? Do people see our parish as a place where love and Love Himself resides? Love, like all the virtues, is a “habitual disposition to do the good.” Being disposed to something and developing a good habit takes time and practice. We need to deliberately train ourselves and our collaborators to love better. Hard decisions will still have to be made that will not please everyone (and pleasing is not the same as loving). Yet all the while, the parishioner and the stranger should know the parish is a place of love.

Sherry Weddell remarks in her book that the Good Shepherd image has been flipped around. We now have to leave behind the faithful one to go seek out the 99 lost. More souls are lost than are found in today’s world. This reality of our times demands that the parish be visible and reach out to the community. The Catholic parish in town ought to be involved in town festivals, belong to the local chamber of commerce, and support community events. If there is an opportunity to be seen as a place of love and generosity, seize it. Service to the poor and marginalized proclaims the Gospel and reveals the love of Jesus without words. The parish that wants to form disciples is welcoming and friendly, never turning anyone away, always returning calls and letters, and never allowing a visitor to leave alone and unacknowledged. We belong to a Church that does not wait for the lost and broken of society to stumble upon us. We are attentive to the people we meet along the way in life, and we bring them the love of the heart of Jesus. We proclaim to them Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, in deed and in word. Our love for God, his love in us, and our love for others is the spark of the Gospel that ignites the flame of faith.

Welcoming is the beginning and the constant underpinning of formation. We invite others to “come and see Jesus” in our communities. Something much deeper then occurs as Jesus’ loving presence transforms those who have encountered him. When we speak of formation in seminary terms, we mean the molding of men from different cultures, backgrounds, and experiences into holy men who have an abiding relationship with God and the ability to lead others to him according to the Catholic tradition. Formation addresses the whole person. The life of the priest demands a constant devotion to prayer, the ability to celebrate the liturgy with fidelity and devotion, maturity and comfortableness in one’s own skin, the skills to work well with people, the intelligence to articulate the teaching of the Church, and the pastoral sensitivity to build and lead communities of faith. Knowing the outcome necessary for the good of the flock, the Church determines the process of formation, which is broken down into four pillars: Spiritual, Human, Intellectual, and Pastoral Formation.

Analogously, what are the essential qualities of the formation of disciples that take place in the parish? Discipleship is a way of life that permeates the whole person. It also makes expensive demands on us. You won’t find a program endorsed in this article because the best authors and educators in the fields of theology and religious education know it’s all about Jesus, and not about the “best program.” Instead, we will shine the spotlight on some classics, drawing from our storeroom, the ancient and the new.

I am convinced that we cannot speak of discipleship in theoretical terms. The life of the disciple, which begins with an encounter with Christ, develops through the assimilation of the fullness of what the Church has to offer. Once people meets Jesus, he welcomes them into the Church where they continue their formation into disciples, saints. There has to be something substantial waiting for people when they come to us. “Catholicism lite” will not inspire, form, or maintain discipleship. A commitment to Catholicism, pure and simple—and yet so very profound—is the best way to form disciples. Returning to the tried-and-true basics that have kept us strong for almost two millennia results in disciples who never forget the core of what it means to be a Catholic disciple. These experiences touch the intellect, the soul, the emotions, and the wounds of men and women. They form the whole person in the image of Christ.

First, and by far, the most significant, everything Catholic centers on the person of Jesus Christ, present most substantially in the Holy Eucharist, the source of grace and summit of activity in the Christian life. Our Eucharistic Lord is first adored in Holy Mass and that worship of Christ is extended in Eucharistic Adoration. He is consumed in Holy Communion, as we become filled with the living presence of the Lord. He is served in our care of those in need, as we behold the face of Christ in our brethren. Having partaken of the Body of Christ, we become active as His Mystical Body. This three-fold Eucharistic manner of life—adore, receive, serve—is the heart of the Christian experience. It is also the heart of the parish.

Since Christ, present in the Eucharist, is the center of parish life and discipleship, then his presence should also be the focal point of the church building. Where the tabernacle is hidden, or made to appear secondary, implicitly Jesus has been relegated to the sidelines, and parish life serves other ideals than his. A parish that desires to form truly intentional disciples needs to purposely focus all the attention on Jesus, and that includes making sure the tabernacle is centrally located in the sanctuary itself, beautifully adorned, and easily within view of the faithful all the time. This reminds the people of Whom everything is about in their parish. Where God is adored, he bestows great blessings on the parish. As I heard Fr. Bruce Nieli, CSP, say in a recent conference at Franciscan University of Steubenville, “we need to put the Eucharist in the driver’s seat” and everything else flows from him.

In a similar idiom, after making a pastoral visit to a parish, Cardinal Timothy Dolan wrote:

“What makes this place tick?” I quizzed the exuberant pastor as he showed me around the parish, renowned for its high rate of Sunday Mass attendance; first-rate school; excellent religious education for kids, teenagers, young adults, and adults; remarkably effective stewardship; and successful initiatives of social justice, pro-life efforts, evangelization, and neighborhood presence. I wanted the “recipe” so I could bottle it and send it around! “Follow me, I’ll show you,” Father replied. … (W)e reached the chapel of the former convent, where, oh, perhaps six to eight people, of diverse ages, were in quiet adoration before Jesus, really and truly present in the Holy Eucharist, there in the monstrance on the altar. “We’ve had perpetual Eucharistic adoration now for four years,” the pastor whispered. … “I’m convinced this Eucharistic adoration is the key to the vitality, growth, and effectiveness of our parish.”¹⁰

That is a wise pastor, who knows that, without Jesus at the heart of everything, all attempts at proclaiming the Gospel are in vain. The well-formed disciple will be a Eucharistic-centered person.

Secondly, I am reminded of the flourishing of the early Church. In Acts 2:42, “about three thousand people” who are baptized after accepting the Spirit-filled message of Peter, “devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.” This tells us that the instinct of the earliest converts is to ground their lives in the teaching and traditions of the Church. This attitude must be adopted by any parish wanting to form intentional disciples. If we are not grounded in the heart of the Church, then we will form people by our activities and ministries to be something other than Catholic.

Because fidelity to Christ includes fidelity to the Church he established, and into which he welcomed us, friendship with Jesus, or discipleship, includes orthodoxy and orthopraxy. The two go hand-in-hand: lex credendi, lex orandi, lex vivendi. Our beliefs shape how we pray, and our prayer expresses our beliefs. Both doctrine and prayer shape how we live. At the same time, right belief, proper ritual, and the instruction in right conduct need to be vibrant, never heavy-handed or worn out, in order to be effective.

St. Augustine famously said that “orthodoxy without charity is not Christianity.” So often, I have encountered false dichotomies between love and truth. For example, some argue that if the Church loved people, she would not have such strict moral laws, or that being pastoral means bending tradition to fit the newest trends. On the other hand, some very committed Catholics can speak without making sense to modern man and woman. The fact is, that the Church’s moral doctrines are the best answers to the real issues facing modern people. The flock deserves the very best: balanced authenticity, a loving presentation of the truth. Christ deserves to be worshiped according to the rubrics established by Holy Mother Church; to be adored by his disciples; and to be loved in the person of the weakest among us. These realities are always interwoven. The Catholic approach is always both/and, not either/or. Orthodoxy has to be explained well and presented in a spirit of love. Liturgy that is reverent and true to its core purpose of worshiping God and sanctifying mankind speaks volumes to the people and resonates with their desire to experience God’s holy presence. Music that quiets the soul and speaks of God, and not ourselves, keeps our easily distracted minds focused properly. A shepherd who is in love with his Lord and at the same time willing to heed Pope Francis and sometimes “smell like the sheep” will inspire the flock. Commitment to the heart of the Church is a winning game plan.

There need not be a dichotomy between orthodoxy and charity. My experience has shown me that it is absolutely possible to “say the black and do the red” in the liturgy and to preach authentic doctrine in a sensible manner that inspires and intrigues, all the while showing great love for the flock. A shepherd after the heart of Christ does all of the above with a sense of joy and camaraderie with his people. It takes work, but the result is a more vibrant parish.

Thirdly, the liturgical calendar and traditional devotions of the Church provide a framework for the formation of disciples. The hours, days, weeks, and months are sanctified by our devotion, and the spiritual elements assigned to each one keep us constantly focused on the Lord. As we go about each day, certain hours provide times for prayer in a specific way. The day of a Catholic should always begin with a version of the Morning Offering, for unless we surrender everything to the Lord and seek to do his will alone, we will ultimately fail. Evening or bedtime provides an opportunity for thankfulness and examination—either the general examination of our sins or the particular examination of some struggle we’re working on. Evaluating the day and making resolutions for the next day keeps us from becoming complacent. Disciples also need to be taught Lectio Divina¹¹ in order that they might devoutly reflect on God’s Word, the source of life and inspiration, for 20-30 minutes each day.

These spiritual practices are the backbone of the Catholic daily experience. The ultimate purpose of all three is to attune us to the heartbeat of the Savior, thus allowing us to walk with the Lord through the day. In addition, the 3:00 Hour of Mercy is a good time to pause and remember the love of God for us manifested in the Passion of Jesus. Such a remembrance cannot help but stir the soul, lifting it from the often mundane and stressful daily experience of life to ponder the higher realms.

Some days are connected with particular mysteries of the faith, for instance, Thursday is the day of the Last Supper, and thus a prime opportunity for Votive Masses of the Holy Eucharist and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; Friday, the day of the Lord’s Passion, is a weekly moment in which to recall the saving action of the Lord, and to celebrate the Votive Mass of the Holy Cross; Saturdays should always include the Votive Mass of Mary, where appropriate. First Fridays and First Saturdays should never go by without attention to the devotions to the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts. The promises made by the Lord and Mary are just what the world needs to keep it from evil and on the path to salvation. As many of the saints as possible should be celebrated at daily Mass, for the men and women who have gone before us in faith offer us an irreplaceable gift as they inspire and intercede for us. The lessons of the saints are indispensable for Christian living. The months and seasons further open up new realms of formation. The month of May is traditionally dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and October to the Rosary, fitting times to emphasize the role of Mary in leading us to Jesus, her Divine Son. The themes of each liturgical season connect the hearts of men and women to the life of Christ in a constant cycle, thus keeping before our eyes the image of Christ, whose imitation is the path to eternal life. Since Pope John Paul II established the Feast of Divine Mercy, the Sunday after Easter should never be missed by any priest as an opportunity to proclaim God’s love and honor him with the devotion to Divine Mercy. The Way of the Cross in Lent, the Advent Wreath, and the Corpus Christi procession are tangible symbols that allow us to express our love for the Lord. Pastors, of course, first need to study all these observances, prayers, and devotions, and be prepared to preach on them in order to catechize the faithful before the celebrations themselves. Not a day goes by without a reason to speak of a unique aspect of our faith and make it real for our people. These opportunities do not need to be invented, but only embraced and shared.

Fourthly, I recall the wit of Fr. Brett Brannen at a retreat when I was in seminary. Among his many pithy sayings, he quipped, “90 percent of 90 percent.” He then explained: “90 percent of Catholics receive 90 percent of their information and inspiration from Sunday Mass.” That being the case—and we know from our experience how so few parishioners attend events during the week—Sunday Mass demands our heartfelt attention. A parish needs to examine its priorities and make sure that its liturgy is directed to the worship of the Almighty, not the glorification of the community, conducted according to the rubrics established by the Church, and filled with a spirit of delight in the things of God. Liturgy is not about creativity. It is about preparing a place for the Creator to manifest himself. Styles can vary within appropriate boundaries, but the fruit of the Holy Spirit will be manifest in adoration of the divine, obedience to the Church, inspiring beauty and authentic joy. Such a vibrant combination will be “catchy.” It will attract seekers and form disciples. In a world of constant noise, the noble simplicity of the liturgy allows transcendent realities—unity, truth, goodness, and beauty—to shine forth. The Spirit will move as he wills and capture the hearts of mankind. That requires that we get out of the way and let the Missal and the Lord do all the work.

A word about preaching must be added here, since the homily is the message which the 90 percent take home as their spiritual nourishment for the week. The homily is the facilitation of an encounter between the hearer and the living Jesus, who speaks through the Word proclaimed. Therefore, it is never a megaphone for any one preacher’s personal agenda. Preaching ought to be balanced: not fluffy, yet not over the heads of the people; rooted in Scripture, yet not a lesson in historical-critical scholarship; catechetical, yet not moralizing. Every homily does not have to begin with a story: explore the point of the story in three points, and then close the circle with a return to the moral of the story. The “story” can be a song lyric, an occasional joke, a quote, or a personal experience—something to set the tone. At the same time, what often works better than a circular approach, is a trajectory approach. The homily should take the congregation on a journey, from the opening “hook” through the scripture, to a concrete lesson, to an application of the lesson, and finally, a mission like a sound bite they can latch onto, that sends them out of church excited to live differently, because of the hope they have received from God. Preaching, done well, brings the listener to a meeting with Jesus in the words of Scripture, a meeting from which he or she leaves energized to walk with him in newness of life. So when a homily is being prepared, the preacher needs to ask in prayer: what, in these readings, will speak most eloquently to my people of the reality of Jesus’ saving love and liberating truth? Where is Jesus in my homily?

These are the core realities of the unique Catholic content of the formation of disciples in our parishes: an intentional focus on Christ in the Eucharist, fidelity to the heart of the Church, attentiveness to daily devotions and the liturgical calendar, liturgical fidelity, and preaching that leads the congregation into an encounter with Jesus, and challenges them to a holy life. These experiences of God in the life of the Church have formed saints for centuries. People learn and grow spiritually from such foundations.

In a variety of ways, we deliberately go out to find the lost, so that they can see in the Catholic man and woman the face of Jesus. That will be their initial encounter with love, and with Love himself, which God can make to grow into conversion and discipleship. Then, by his grace, they will come to behold the amazing dynamic beauty of our Catholic life which our parishes have to offer. If the parish is ready with all its priorities in order, the journey of discipleship will continue. If not, it will remain rather shallow or fade altogether. The people are hungering; with what shall we feed them? The choice is ours. Be heroic Catholics!