More Pastors in Diocese Embracing Amazing Parish Program
Written by Theresa Laurence | Tennessee Register | June 14, 2019
What does an amazing parish look like? Certainly, it can look like many things, but according to the official “Amazing Parish” handbook, amazing parishes are those that have taken steps to transform “from maintenance mode to mission communities.”
…Created to revitalize the Church in concrete ways, Amazing Parish is centered around three common “building blocks”: a reliance on prayer and the sacraments, a commitment to a healthy organization, and a passion for evangelization and discipleship.
Amazing Parish has already made a difference at St. Edward Parish in Nashville, where Father Dan Reehil was the first pastor in the diocese to implement the program more than a year ago.
At the core of Amazing Parish is a small leadership team chosen by the pastor to meet with him on a weekly basis to address parish concerns. Amazing Parish provided practical resources for conducting engaging and effective meetings, so “you focus on the things that need attention,” Father Reehil said, “and if your department is fine then we don’t have to talk about it.”