Conference aims to inspire parishioners into fully engaged church participation

Scott Whitaker, secretariat director for Stewardship and Development of the Diocese of Austin, speaks at the second-annual Archdiocesan Parish Engagement Conference. The conference returns to Prince of Peace on July 19. (File photo by James Ramos/Herald)

HOUSTON — While priests and deacons are required to offer Mass and celebrate the Sacraments at the parishes, they cannot do the ministry and outreach required to fully serve the people of God without help. It takes the entire parish community offering their gifts, talents, donations and prayers to make it all possible. By drawing the faithful into a deeper participation in parish life, parishes can be more impactful and prolific in their ministries. 

To promote best practices and new ideas in using stewardship and effective communications to reach the people in the pews, the Archdiocesan Office of Communication and the Office of Development are collaborating to bring the fourth-annual Parish Engagement Conference to the Archdiocese on July 19. 

The conference, set from 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., will be hosted at Prince of Peace Catholic Church, located at 19222 Tomball Pkwy. in Houston. This one-day conference includes more than 20 in-person presentations and workshops, with offerings in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, as well as networking opportunities and access to over a dozen vendors and sponsors. 

The conference aims to offer stewardship and effective communication strategies that can be applied to all parishes around the Archdiocese, according to Sean O’Driscoll, senior communications manager for the Office of Communications.

“The conference is for clergy, parish staff, stewardship committees, pastoral councils, finance councils and anyone who wants to learn how to more effectively invite parishioners to participate more fully in the life and ministry of the Church,” he said.  

O’Driscoll said parish engagement requires an ongoing commitment to education and awareness. Workshops and presentations will cover topics such as volunteer recruitment, increasing parish offertory, welcoming new parishioners, effective messaging strategies, and more. 

“It offers opportunities to hear ideas, insights and best practices from both national ministry leaders and local parish leadership,” he said. “We will also have several workshops in Spanish and Vietnamese to address the needs of those specific communities.” 

O’Driscoll said motivating parishioners to give of their time, talent and treasure requires creating effective messages that connect with people, inspire, inform and call them to action. Whether it is moving from being a one-time volunteer to committing to a ministry, giving $10 a week instead of $5, attending Mass every Sunday instead of once or twice a month, or simply deciding to pray more and possibly attend an adult faith formation class.  

“We must recognize that everything we have and everything we are is a gift from God,” he said. “We are called to be grateful and generous with those gifts.” 

The cost is $10 per person and includes lunch. There is no charge for clergy. For more information and to register, visit www.archgh.org/engage.