Category: Ministry

A book excerpt by Evangelical writer David Murrow.

Tough, earthy, working guys rarely come to church. High achievers, alpha males, risk takers, and visionaries are in short supply. Fun-lovers and adventurers are also underrepresented in church. These rough-and-tumble men don’t fit in with the quiet, introspective gentlemen who populate the church today. The truth is, most men in the pews grew up in church. Many of these lifers come not because they desire to be transformed by Christ but because they enjoy participating in comforting rituals that have changed little since their childhood. There are also millions of men who attend services under duress, dragged by a mother, wife, or girlfriend. Today’s churchgoing man is humble, tidy, dutiful, and above all, nice.
What a contrast to the men of the Bible! Think of Moses and Elijah, David and Daniel, Peter and Paul. They were lions, not lambs—takecharge men who risked everything in service to God. They fought valiantly and spilled blood. They spoke their minds and stepped on the toes of religious people. They were true leaders, tough guys who were feared and respected by the community. All of these men had two things in common: they had an intense commitment to God, and they weren’t what you’d call saintly.
Such men seldom go to church today.

Every ten years or so, an organization of sociologists of religion prepares a study on religious denominations and their membership. Catholic data was gathered by the Glenmary Research Center, and their web site includes an overview of the findings.
The good folks at the Church of the Nazarene took part in the project too, and organized the data into a handy web site where you can find the figures on your city. For a data junkie such as myself, it’ll be hours of fun.
And it contains some surprises: little Massachusetts would seem to be a relatively religious place, with 64% of the population having some (at least nominal) religious affiliation.
Here are data on the Boston metro. They confirm some things that are obvious: this isn’t a hot town for Evangelicals: sorry, brethren; but still they’re growing while the “oldline” communities are shrinking, with strong declines among the denominations most identified with moral and doctrinal liberalism. Cynically, it’s more or less good news for the future of the culture and the politics here. It doesn’t look like it would be in a public official’s interest to hitch his star to the agenda of — well, I won’t name names.
I’ll leave it to others to comment on greater Washington.

This year’s World Youth Days are going to be a blast!
By the way, the Vatican website has been updated: “refresh” if you don’t see the announcement.

My Capuchin buddy Fr. Matthew’s ordination on Saturday was a beautiful ceremony, and he even had the unexpected honor of being ordained by two, count ’em, two prelates. In addition to Bp. Donald Wuerl, the diocesan ordinary of Pittsburgh, a retired Malagasy bishop Ferdinand, also a Capuchin, participated in the rite. He’s been visiting the Order in the US, while he’s here learning English.
The Capuchin province’s website has photos of the ordination, and I’ve got a few photos of the fine German-American church where it took place: it’s the home base for that particular province of the Cappies.
Since Fr. Matthew’s had the conviction of wanting to be a priest since he was a toddler forty years ago, his vocation has been “incubating” for a long time!
Christ Jesus calls us all to holiness; He, living in us, is the holiness we seek; He is the food for the journey; He is the destination and He is the way. The priest speaks His word; the priest gives us Jesus; the priest makes Him into our food; the priest guides us to our goal; the priest points the way. As Fr. Matthew continues to follow the Lord Jesus, may He unite him ever more closely to Himself.

(thanks Rich)
Fr. Halloran was a legend in the Diocese of Scranton where I lived and worked for over a year. Please pray for the repose of his soul.
“You’ve probably heard of “The Exorcist.” Father Halloran, who died Tuesday (March 1, 2005) at 83, was the last living Jesuit to be involved in an exorcism that took place in 1949 at a psychiatric unit in St. Louis. The incident provided the inspiration for William Peter Blatty’s 1971 runaway bestseller by that name, which led to the hit movie, and a few more of lesser box office appeal, including a recent prequel.”
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