A year ago, one of our parishioners suggested that I read the book “Rebuilt: Awakening the Faithful, Reaching the Lost, and Making Church Matter. ” It was a great recommendation and proved to be the starting point for many positive changes in our parish, including using technology as a means of Evangelization!

“Rebuilt” is story of Nativity Parish in Timonium, a dying parish in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, MD. The book recounts the journey the pastor and lay pastoral associate took to completely revive the parish community, now one of the most vibrant and flourishing in our nation today.

A few months later, I was asked to serve on the Pastor’s Board of our Diocesan Center for Evangelization: St. Paul Inside the Walls, in Madison. At our first meeting, the Diocesan Director of Evangelization, Fr. Paul Manning, began to speak of a book that Bishop Serratelli wanted the parishes of the Diocese to read and ponder. I felt good to be ahead of the game having already read “Rebuilt”. Fr. Manning asked that a few of us on the Board begin to discuss how to implement some of the ideas of “Rebuilt” in our parishes, to serve as models for the Diocese.

I then passed on copies of “Rebuilt” and the companion publication, “Tools for Rebuilding: 75 Really, Really Practical Ways to Make Your Parish Better”, to our pastoral staff, Pastoral Council, Liturgy Committee, and Finance Committee to read, review and discuss. Let me tell you, we had some very lively discussion and creative responses! I was gratified by the enthusiastic embrace of our parish members!

First of all, we recognized that we already do many things Nativity parish implemented, so we felt very affirmed by that. Some ideas suggested did not feel feasible for us, while others we felt were within reach for us in the months and years ahead.

We have already revised our Parish Mission and Vision statements to focus more on the theme of evangelization and discipleship.

To be more child-friendly, we will implement “Liturgy of the Word with Children” specifically for our younger children. We plan to start this in the fall at the 10:00 am Sunday liturgy　on weekends when we do not have Faith Formation classes.

In addition, we have begun to offer more contemporary “Praise Band” music for our Sunday, 5:00 pm masses during the year and the 11:00 am Sunday liturgy in the summer months.

Our Finance Committee is making plans to meet with heads of various vital ministries in our parish to consider their visions of future goals, with an eye towards helping them achieve the finances to implement those goals.

Our Liturgy Committee has approved the idea of forming groups of couples and/or families to serve as Greeters at the entry to the church to augment the hospitality our Ushers already provide.

Our Pastoral Council organized a Technology Committee to focus on technology as an important means of evangelization. Our Technology Committee met for the first time in July. The very dynamic and exciting meeting uncovered many forward-looking ideas, including creating a You Tube channel to convey parish programs to those who are not able to attend personally.

We also discussed the possibility of setting up screens to better view the mass, to display the music and lyrics of the hymns at mass, and to offer the opportunity for simulcasts. New members are certainly welcome on this Technology Committee.

These are exciting new initiatives that I believe will be vital future generations of Catholics who are so media and technologically savvy.

Pope John Paul II once said, “We are called to use science and technology in a full and constructive way, while recognizing that the findings of science have to be evaluated in the light of the centrality of the human person, of the common good and of the inner purpose of creation.” I hope that implementing some of the ideas from “Rebuilt” and making use of the gift of technology will enhance our mission of Evangelization in St. Matthew the Apostle Parish.