In It For The Long Haul Home | Our Impact | In It For The Long Haul In It For The Long HaulA Parish Case Study CLARKSVILLE, MARYLANDSt. Louis Parish2010YEAR STARTED RUNNING THE CHRISTLIFE PROCESS1600PEOPLE THROUGH CHRISTLIFE, APPROXIMATELYThe Question: How to Reach Fallen Away Catholics? During Christmas 2009, our then pastor Monsignor Joseph Luca, wanted to reach the fallen away Catholics who only attended Mass during the holidays and on special occasions. He decided to run the video “Catholics Come Home” during each Mass on Christmas, hoping to draw people back to the beauty and truth of the Catholic Church. This generated much interest, although Msgr. realized he needed a “hook” to keep people coming back. It was suggested to offer Discovering Christ. This would offer a way to involve returning Catholics in parish life and provide connection with others, as well as draw in parishioners who were just “checking the box” of church attendance. But most importantly, Discovering Christ would provide the attendees with the understanding that church involvement begins with a personal relationship with Jesus, rather than just a series of rules to follow. They could truly come home! Figuring Out How to Get Started Msgr. agreed and suggested offering Discovering Christ as a Lenten activity. He spoke at every weekend Mass, inviting parishioners to participate in the course and to come have dinner with him. It was a powerful invitation! His goal was to reach 300 people – and that’s how many registered! The team had to run two Discovering Christ courses to accommodate all those who were interested. Then they ran Following Christ and Sharing Christ to complete the ChristLife Process. The core team was already familiar with the format of a weekly video series and sharing in small groups, so it was natural to turn to the ChristLife Process to provide a fuller Catholic experience. Members of the team attended a ChristLife conference to learn the entire three-course evangelization process, the importance of encountering Jesus personally, and the ChristLife philosophy of using relational evangelism to form missionary disciples–all with a Catholic perspective. After receiving training, they ran a successful pilot course with the core team and other interested parishioners, then embarked on our new process! Did it work? ChristLife began at St. Louis with tremendous enthusiasm which still continues today. Each year St. Louis has had an average of 70-80 people attend ChristLife. Overall, they have offered Discovering Christ 22 times and the entire ChristLife process 16 times. People continue to share feedback about the wonder of having a relationship with Jesus, the blessing of growing closer to Him through prayer and Scripture, and gratitude for knowing how to share His love with others. Lives have been changed! Even a pandemic couldn’t stop the Lord. When COVID-19 affected church attendance in March 2020, we were scheduled to begin Sharing Christ. Participants were so eager to continue, that leaders had to take a crash course in using Zoom to complete the series. It was a challenge and a blessing! The following year, the entire process was offered by Zoom. In the 2021-2022 season, the ChristLife Process was offered in a hybrid fashion–both online and in-person. They were surprised at how the Holy Spirit worked even through online gatherings! They’ve Seen Years of Fruit Through the ChristLife Process and the complementary ACTS retreat experience, St. Louis parish has become an active and vibrant church community. Lifelong friendships in Christ have been formed, small groups meet regularly to encourage and “walk the walk” with each other, and service abounds. Visitors experience Jesus in the Mass and in the welcoming actions of the parishioners. Early on when we first began using the ChristLife Process, the Director of Religious Education noticed a change in participation of parents in sacramental preparation programs. When she asked why, the parents responded to having a new interest in spiritual things since attending Discovering Christ and wanted to pass that on to their children. Getting Creative The ChristLife Process has been used in a variety of ways at St. Louis. Courses were offered after school hours to the teachers of our school and on Saturday mornings to the parents of religious education students, while their children attended classes. Recently Discovering Christ was integrated as an essential part of the RCIA faith formation process at St. Louis. Their pastor emphasized that RCIA is not just a series of classes, but rather a way to grow in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ through the Catholic Church. Because conversion should precede catechesis, Discovering Christ is a way to move from the educational “head knowledge” of Jesus to a relational “heart experience” of Him. The Director of RCIA relayed, “Discovering Christ was a perfect fit for those who participate in the RCIA process. It provided them with a solid opportunity to explore who Jesus is and to express their thoughts in a prayerful and faith-filled environment.” ChristLife continues to have a positive impact on their church community, and in vibrant faith-filled lives and loving Christian relationships. Bilingual Blessings ChristLife unites communities! People at Sacred Heart parish who had seen each other for years were finally able to greet each other and establish a friendship. Keep ReadingA Vibrant New Community The pilot team took ChristLife for a “test drive” to critique it. They were transformed instead! The graces continued when they ran it for participants. Keep Reading
