We are a source of support and encouragement for those who love their faith, those who struggle with their faith, and those who long to learn more about the richness of Catholic tradition.ġ4.7K ⋅ 29.2K ⋅ 9 posts / week View Latest Posts ⋅ Get Email Contact 2. Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash.Catholic Digest connects with readers through personal stories of triumphs and struggles, joys and challenges, and also the lighter side of Catholic living. Judy Paulsen of Toronto is professor of evangelism and director of the Institute of Evangelism at Wycliffe College. Thank you, school chaplain Stephanie and hospital chaplain Jo.Īnd thank you Pastor Bob, wherever you are. Thank you, bishops Andrew, Susan, Greg and David.
Thank you, pastors Peter, Maria, Don, Sean, Cheryl and Brent. I’ll start with some of the clergy I know. It may just do more good than all the critique and resourcing ever could. Let’s mail them a note, leave a voicemail, send them a text, or simply holler across their lawns to let them know we’re grateful. Let’s stop seeing them as desperately in need of resourcing by the latest expert.
Let’s stop suggesting they’re overly focused on Sunday morning, or are trying to shore up a Christendom model of the Church. Let’s stop critiquing their less-than-slick videos. Let’s just simply be thankful for our pastors, these faithful men and women who have largely set aside their own worries in this stressful time and are continuing to serve both God and their fellow human beings as best they can. Many are spending their days on email, working harder than ever to help their church stay connected, nourished and actively serving their communities. Many are grappling to learn new technology required to preach to a camera set up in an empty church instead of the kind of preaching to a physically present congregation they’ve done for most of their career. Many are dropping things into the mailboxes of rural church members: orders of service for next week’s home-bound worship, supplies for an Advent kids’ craft, a simple note of encouragement, or the medication they picked up at the local pharmacy. Many are doing funerals for the loved ones of families who couldn’t say goodbye and can’t even be present for the ceremony. Many are spending more time providing pastoral counselling and encouragement over the phone, to people living alone, people who have lost their jobs, people who have lost a loved one. But those of us whose business it is to keep an eye on what’s happening in churches in these strange times can make some educated guesses, based on what we see pastors struggling to do during this pandemic. What exactly was the church member thankful for? Readers were left to guess. It read simply, “I am thankful for Pastor Bob.” He came home.”Īnd some spoke directly to the reality of life in a pandemic: “I am bored but not dead.” “Fell in love six feet apart.”īut there was one response that stood out for me. Some were poignant: “Pandemic baby after years of trying.” “Ambulance took him. Some of the responses were funny: “Braless at home? No one cares.” “Aunt’s Jell-O salad not gonna happen.” Just before American Thanksgiving The New York Times asked its readers to tell what they were thankful for.