Priests become columnists in parish bulletins

Rev. Leo O'Brien doesn't expect his weekly column to compete in readership with those found in the Sunday edition of The New York Times.

In fact, the pastor of the Church of St. Vincent de Paul in Albany is delighted just to think the parish bulletin containing his weekly message makes it "from the church to the car to the home."

After 25 years of penning a weekly column for parishioners of the inner-city church, Father O'Brien is convinced the practice serves as a valuable "tool of communication and teaching." He's not the only one; several pastors in the Albany Diocese write weekly messages in their bulletins.

Supplement to homily

According to Father O'Brien, the bulletin column provides him with a forum for topics other than those dealt with in the homily.

"The column tells about times and places of meetings that are open to parishioners," he explained. "It also serves as an invitation to people -- new or those who have been around a while -- to learn about activities that might interest them at different times or stages in their lives."

That might include information about preparation for the sacraments and faith formation as well as about projects for those in the midst of a crisis. Other items, he noted, might be for those seeking to make new friends or searching for a place to share their faith at a deeper level.

Connections to season

The column also provided background information or meditations on the seasons and holidays.

"Hopefully, what I share through my writing will help to strengthen the connection between the reader's faith and daily living," explained Father O'Brien.

The bulletin containing the pastor's column is mailed on a weekly basis to the homebound and those confined to adult residences. It is also audiotaped each week for a blind member of the congregation.

"The column provides an opportunity for many things and helps to keep my parish moving," said Father O'Brien, adding that seeing things get done is "the greatest appreciation and thanks" he could hope to receive in return for his literary efforts.

Time-saver

Another pastor who strongly believes in the power of the published word is Rev. Martin Fisher of St. Mary's Church in Glens Falls.

"To some degree, I suppose you could say the column in the bulletin is a time-saver for Masses because it eliminates the need to make a lot of oral announcements when I stand up to address the congregation on Sundays," he said. "I believe that when people attend Mass, what they really want to hear is the Word of God rather than details of the running of the parish."

In addition to providing a forum for information about the administration of the parish, Father Fisher said his column also enables him to communicate with parishioners on a more personal, spiritual level.

"It gives me an opportunity to speak my vision about what I feel is important and where I think we are going in terms of such key things as evangelization, hospitality and prayer," said Father Fisher.

Varied topics

Recent columns by Father Fisher have brought parishioners up to date on a variety of conferences and seminars as well as the diocesan Coming Home program for inactive Catholics.

"I often try to bring in the conversion factor and programs that lead in that direction," noted Father Fisher, who is also chairman of the Diocesan Evangelization Committee.

Once in a while, he clears the way for a certain "guest columnist" to fill his allotted editorial space inside the bulletin. "If the Bishop has sent a letter, his correspondence goes in my spot," explained Father Fisher.

Newcomer

Rev. James Barry Lonergan is still getting his feet wet in the column-writing business. Having recently been appointed pastor of St. Mary/St. Paul's in Hudson Falls, he said, "I'm still feeling my way as to my exact editorial style, but I see the column as both an excellent teaching and informational tool."

So far, he has found that the theme of his weekly sermon finds its way into the pastoral column. "That way," he reasons, "those who can't make Mass can still get the message through the bulletin."

In addition to bulletins that are hand-delivered to the homebound and hospitalized by Eucharistic ministers, another 25 or so are mailed out to parishioners who have changed addresses due to college or retirement.

"Our bulletin serves a very wide community -- not just those who are in attendance in church on Sunday," Father Lonergan explained. "We have young people attending college in other states and retired people with homes in Florida -- situations like that. Even though they can't make it to Mass here on the weekends, they are still part of the parish community."

On-line version

Ever eager to utilize the latest technological tools, Father Lonergan expects that the bulletin containing his column and news of parish happenings will soon be accessible to parishioners and others via computer.

"A definite possibility for the future would be to create a web page for our parish. It would be a quantum leap, but I think the parish is ready for it," said Father Lonergan. "In a sense, we are selling a message, and one of the most efficient ways to do that today is via computer."

The web site he envisions for St. Mary/St. Paul's would include the weekly bulletin with links to other programs and activities of interest.

(06-19-97) [[In-content Ad]]