From our founding, Parish Catalyst has been committed to research in order to better support the health and development of Catholic parishes. In 2012 and 2013 the Parish Catalyst team studied 244 vibrant Catholic parishes to determine what made them exceptional. Those findings were first published in Bill Simon’s book, “Great Catholic Parishes : How Four Essential Practices Make Them Thrive”. We continue our commitment to that research today.
JUST RELEASED!
PARISH CATALYST - 5 YEAR IMPACT REPORT
At Parish Catalyst, we believe in measuring things that matter. Our goal is to help parishes experience significant breakthroughs that impact their communities and other parishes around the world.
In this report we describe the Parish Catalyst process, as well as
the research protocols used and, most importantly, the resulting outcomes, which are signs of hope and renewal for the Church.
What's Next: Multicultural/Intercultural Parishes
Similar to the topic of the Next Generation, Multicultural Discipleship is at the heart of church innovation today and we want to be part it. In all of our Learning Communities, Parish Catalyst has worked with pastors and leaders who serve parishes with great cultural diversity. We have observed first hand the opportunities and challenges that building Catholic unity in the midst of such rich Catholic diversity can bring. We are currently focusing our research on this topic and will soon offer Learning Communities specifically designed to support multicultural parishes. If you have insights or suggestions you can share with us we would love to hear from you.
We Need Your Help!
If you are a part of a multicultural parish, or if you have resources that you would like to suggest, we want to hear from you! Click the button to the right to connect with our co-founder, Claire Henning, regarding our research.
Next Generation Discipleship
After launching Dynamic Discipleship we saw a need for Next Generation Discipleship Learning Communities. The participating parishes are experiencing significant breakthroughs as they seek to better understand, engage and make disciples of the emerging generations. As a part of their strategic plan, St. Brigid Parish in San Diego implemented a comprehensive two phase survey. The results were fascinating and have driven their future planning.
Learning Community Results
Following our first two 18 month Learning Communities, we surveyed the Parishes to identify progress in 4 key areas: Discovery, Design, Development and Deployment. Those findings, along with overall observations, are now available for download in a one page document.
