All Posts
Culture of Generosity
Stewardship: How and Why Gratitude Always Wins
By Shannan Brommer A Christian steward is one who receives God’s gifts gratefully, cherishes and tends them in a responsible and accountable manner, shares them in justice and love with… Read More
Leadership
4 Considerations for School and Religious Education Leadership in a Natural Disaster
By Dr. Michael Ashton As a school leader, we are most often on the periphery of a terrible event, not in the middle of one. But really, given the students… Read More
Pastoral Planning
Webinar: Priests, Pastorates, and Planning
Clear Path to Discipleship
3 Reasons Your Parish Needs Small Groups
From the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis 1. Authentic Community Everyone longs for intimacy – it’s the way God made us. We have an innate desire to love and be… Read More
Pastoral Planning
The Rural Proposal
As many of you already know, the Archdiocese of Omaha is going through a rural pastoral planning process. The primary impetus for this planning is the dramatic projected decrease of… Read More
Pastoral Planning
Facing Reality, Facing Grief
This is just going to be messy. How can pastors be helpful with the pastoral planning process? Nothing beats transparent communication. Many of our parishioners heard in the most recent… Read More
Pastoral Planning
3 Things You Should Know Right Now About Rural Pastoral Planning
1. Timing Not all of these changes are happening today or even in the next 5 months. We know that in 5 years, we’ll have 24 fewer priests. That’s our… Read More
Leadership
Why Delegation is the Key to Successful Pastoral Leadership
A New Reality Crucial to pastoral planning is changing the paradigm of pastoral leadership we may have learned or inherited. With fewer priests and therefore fewer pastors available, we know… Read More
Pastoral Planning
Guides, Not Gospel: The 3 Phases of Pastoral Planning
It’s better to think of the 3 phases of pastoral planning as a good guide, rather than the Gospel truth. It’s a good overview and points out several helpful landmarks,… Read More
Pastoral Planning
PODCAST: Archbishop Lucas on Pastoral Planning
“Planning for Mission, not Maintenance” In several parts of archdiocese – both metro and rural – populations have shifted or are declining. We also know that the number of active… Read More
Pastoral Planning
Masses, Meetings, and Mail: The Problem with Clusters
With the pastoral planning proposal, essentially, at the bare minimum, all that the parishes in your circle are sharing are a pastor, maybe some clergy, and a Mass schedule. The question… Read More