Over thirty years ago, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released a document, Communities of Salt and Light, focused on the role of Catholic parishes as the center of faith in our community. The document stated:
“The parish is where the Church lives. Parishes are communities of faith, of action, and of hope. They are where the gospel is proclaimed and celebrated, where believers are formed and sent to renew the earth. Parishes are the home of the Christian community; they are the heart of our Church. Parishes are the place where God's people meet Jesus in word and sacrament and come in touch with the source of the Church's life.”
These profound and direct words form the basis of the work staff and volunteers do every day at Our Lady of Peace. Over my three-plus years at OLP, I have been part of countless conversations with Fr. Ellis and staff about ways we can better impact our local Catholic community. Whether it’s our most recent focus on hospitality or expanding times for confession, Wednesdays at 5:30, the goal is always to make OLP a place “where God’s people meet Jesus in work and sacrament and come in touch with the source of the Church’s life.”
With that lofty goal comes the next step: asking whether we are making real progress toward it. One way to determine how the parish is growing in its connection to Christ is the most recent parish survey Fr. Ellis reflected on this Fall. Another way is to look at some broader national trends that reflect some realities we face locally. For context, beyond OLP, I wanted to share a quote from a 2025 Pew Study:
“About one-fifth of U.S. Catholics say they are involved in their parish in some way in addition to attending Mass. This includes 14% who say they volunteer at their parish, and 16% who say they participate at least yearly in parish activities outside of Mass.”
When you read this quote, what is your first reaction? My reaction was that 16% isn’t enough. Am I foolish to think that 50% is too small a goal for each parish in the US?
If you look at the history of Catholic parishes in the United States, it is clear that parishes during the early 20th Century were a hub for the entire community. They become a place to take part in the sacraments, but even more so a place to live in community. There have been many books and articles written about this phenomenon and the reasons for its formation and decline, but for whatever reason, we can all admit that in many places in the US, our parishes are not the hub for the community.
In an effort to grow participation in parish life beyond the Mass, OLP has embarked on a plan this year that offers more opportunities to dive deeper into your faith as parishioners and school families. The opportunities include the following:
- Watching The Chosen in Pates Hall as a community through our Following Jesus Series
- ALPHA
- “Living Faith” @ Coffee and Donuts
- Family Sunday Funday and Vikings Game @ OLP
- Sips and Snacks
- OCIA (the process for becoming Catholic)
- New Small Group middle school program
- Small group ministry
- Learning and Growing in Faith
Why is engaging in the OLP community so important for parish and school families? The simple answer is that by engaging in our faith through the parish, we are entering into a relationship with Christ and his body! The more fundamental answer is this: In an interview with the Augustinian Order, the future Pope Leo XIV emphasized the enduring nature of the Church’s mission:
“The mission of the Church has been the same for 2000 years, when Jesus Christ said: ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…’ We have to announce the good news of the Kingdom of God at the same time that we understand what the Church is in its universal reality.”
In many of my discussions and presentations at OLP, my goal is to connect everything I talk about back to the kerygma. The kerygma is a Greek word that means the proclamation of the Gospel. There are many ways to speak about the kerygma, but a helpful one for me was dividing the message of love and salvation through Christ into four steps:
- God Created the World
- Sin Entered the World
- Jesus Saves
- We Respond
OLP is here to be a place for each of you, whether parish or school-connected, to respond. The fullness of truth is found in our Catholic faith, and the only way to unlock that truth is by spending time experiencing God through the Church's sacraments and by living fully in community with the body of believers.
That brings us back to St. Francis of Assisi’s quote from the start of this article. Is it time to become more involved in your own personal journey toward Christ? How can you sanctify yourself as the first step to sanctifying the world? However you decide, OLP wants to be the hub of your community and walk with you on your journey.
Nick Cichowicz
Director of Faith Formation
