Twenty-eight parishes from our diocese went to the Amazing Parish Conference in Cincinnati from May 13-15.
Above: The teams from the 28 Diocese of Toledo parishes gather for a photo at the Amazing Parish Conference in Cincinnati with Bishop Thomas.
Prior to the start of the conference, the attendees from the Diocese of Toledo gathered for a retreat at the Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Retreat Center in Norwood. Fr. Norman Fischer, a priest from the Diocese of Lexington, KY, lead the retreat. The retreat concluded with Mass celebrated by Bishop Thomas and concelebrated by many of our diocesan priests.
The conference began with Chris Stefanick from Real Life Catholic as the keynote speaker. On Tuesday morning, Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Dennis Schnurr, Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, and concelebrated by Bishop Thomas and over one hundred priests from around the country. During the next two days, Patrick Lencioni led parishes through the three building blocks of an amazing parish, helping pastors and their teams to create a culture of prayer, healthy teamwork, and active discipleship.
Bret Huntebrinker, Coordinator of Evangelization and Pastoral Care for the Diocese of Toledo, remarked, “I am asked 'how do we reach those falling away or not going to church? What's the best program?'. I tell them we first must look within ourselves and our parish offices. Amazing Parish is not a program, but a way of life for a church. It is a culture shift within a parish, starting with the pastor, his team, staff, the parishioners in the pews and then eventually beyond the walls to those fallen away. It begins with our own relationship with Jesus Christ. Once that is formed, we can then actively engage and invest in the faith lives of those around us."
Above: Diocese of Toledo priests and Pastoral Center team members with Bishop Thomas in Cincinnati.
Wednesday morning began with Mass celebrated by Bishop Daniel Thomas, concelebrated by Archbishop Dennis Schnurr and over a hundred priests from around the country. During Wednesday's sessions, the parishes talked about team commitments, weekly meetings and learn some best practices from other amazing parishes from around the country.
Posted May 20, 2019 at 5:07 pm