Excellent Catholic Parishes: The Guide to Best Places and Practices [Paperback]

Paul Wilkes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2001

Hundreds of great parishes throughout the country have been uncovered by Paul Wilkes in his search to pinpoint what makes a Catholic parish successful. In his earlier book, The Seven Secrets of Successful Catholics, Wilkes looked at what made individual Catholics successful. His new book on parishes is a kind of "Michelin Guide" to the very best American Catholicism has to offer.

To begin, Wilkes takes an in-depth look at eight parishes that are not only models of excellence; they're also proof that all kinds of parishes can be successful--from inner city to suburban, homogenous to diverse, co-pastorates to churches without priests. Not every parish excelled in every area, but together they touched on all aspects of parish life: from finances to devotions, social action to renovations, adult education to outreach to the unchurched. Following is a section on those traits common to excellence that can be reproduced in parishes everywhere. And the book includes a directory of hundreds of great parishes throughout the country. Wilkes disproves the myth that a lack of priests and resources is what holds parishes back from excellence. He puts the three keys of success--vision, energy, and hope--within the reach of every parish.

This is must reading for pastors, pastoral staff members, diocesan offices, and any pastor or pastoral staff member about to relocated. It's also invaluable for the laity--for parish council members, anyone looking for a new parish home, and all active parishioners who want to improve their current parish. A website carries extra-value information not in the book.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A very readable and succinct book. -- America

An inspiration and a challenge. This book takes in the very best of what our tradition offers around the country. -- Spiritual Book News

Catholics in America remind us of what a parish can be and what many parishes really are. -- America

Excellent Catholic Parishes is an inspiration and a challenge. You will find yourself glued to this book. -- Spiritual Book News

I recommend Excellent Catholic Parishes...to all of our readers. It is provocative, sometimes irritating, but also readable and challenging. -- Rev. Don Piraro, The Priest

It is provocative, sometimes irritating, but also readable and challenging. -- --Rev. Don Piraro, The Priest

Recommend to those who think they already have excellent parishes. This book will enlighten. -- Ministry and Liturgy

The book will enlighten you and encourage you to make your spiritual home more meaningful. -- Ministry and Liturgy

About the Author

Paul Wilkes is a North Carolina-based author, educator, and lecturer. In addition to teaching at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, he has written on a wide range of subjects and worked extensively in radio, film and television. Well-known in religious circles, his work often touches on Catholic themes. His books include Beyond the Walls, The Good Enough Catholic, and The Seven Secrets of Successful Catholics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Paulist Press (March 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809139928
• ISBN-13: 978-0809139927
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #646,210 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paul Wilkes, author of the newly released Holding God In My
Hands from Liguori Publications, is one of America's most
respected writers on religious belief and personal spirituality.
He is the author of over twenty books, and the host, writer,
director or producer of seven PBS documentaries.
His book, In Due Season: A Catholic Life, was chosen by
Publishers Weekly as one of 2009's 100 outstanding books.
In a review, PW called In Due Season "an exquisite memoir
that often reads like a novel ."
Paul lectures across the country about the role of religious
belief in individual lives as well the place and impact of
religion in public life. As a commentator on religious issues,
he has appeared on all major television networks.
His book, In Mysterious Ways: The Death and Life of a Parish
Priest, was a Book of the Month Club selection, and won a
Christopher Award. In addition to MERTON, which aired
on PBS, Paul Wilkes was host, writer, and associate producer
of the acclaimed television series, SIX AMERICAN
FAMILIES, which won a DuPont-Columbia award for
documentary excellence.
He has written for numerous national magazines, such as The
New Yorker, The Atlantic and The New York Times Magazine,
and is a former reporter for the Baltimore Sun and the Boulder
(Colorado) Daily Camera.
He has been a visiting writer and guest lecturer at Clark
University, Columbia University, the University of
Pittsburgh, College of the Holy Cross, Boston University and
Brooklyn College. He was Welch Visiting Chair at Notre
Dame, and Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University
of North Carolina at Wilmington.
Paul has been honored for his body of work with a
Distinguished Alumnus Award from Columbia University's
Graduate School of Journalism, where he received his
advanced degree, and with a By-Line Award from
Marquette University, where he graduated.
A practicing Catholic, active in his parish, he lives in
Wilmington, North Carolina, with his wife Tracy, who
founded DREAMS, an arts program for at-risk children. The
Wilkes have two sons, Noah and Daniel.
In 2006, Paul founded Homes of Hope India-US to assist
orphanages and schools for street children in India. He is a
co-founder of CHIPS (Christian Help in Park Slope), a
Brooklyn center that has served the poor and homeless
young mothers and children for over thirty-five years.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Excellent parishes are flawed jewels, October 26, 2001

By 

G. Wicklin (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Excellent Catholic Parishes: The Guide to Best Places and Practices (Paperback)

Mr. Wilkes offers an inspiring overview of "excellent" Catholic parishes, but the nuts and bolts of running an "excellent" parish are ignored. This is not a "how-to" book as much as a presentation of church communities too good to be true.

In fact, I have been to three of these "excellent" parishes and can assure you that they are simply hyped parishes who at one time or another had a charismatic pastor. They are the flavor of the month, and in a few years will look as faddishly ridiculous as afros or SUVs.

St. Mary Magdalen in Florida, where I grew up, is now a parish ruled by a "lay-ocracy" of parishioners, typically wealthy, who push through their own programs at the expense of less influential members. They recently raised money to renovate their 25 year old chuch, but wealthy members convinced a weak pastor to spend the money on a gymnasium instead. A product of central Florida's explosive growth, they will be saddled with brick-and-mortar monuments in years to come.

Old St. Pat's in Chicago prides itself on a celebration of diversity and ecumenism. One Holy Week, the pastor and his parishioner confidantes decided to cancel the Holy Thursday liturgy in favor of a Seder--limited seating (100 people) at $20 a head. Most parishioners were excluded from a celebration of one of Catholicism's most solemn liturgies. Fortunately, Cardinal Bernardin had a proper liturgy in the cathedral not far from good old Pat's.

Santa Monica in California is a touchy, feel-good church with a dynamic pastor, lots of wealthy parishioners (then-Mayor Riordan donated $1 million to repair a bell tower damaged in an earthquake), and enough film stars in attendance to rival Spago's. In the country's largest diocese, it offers good liturgies and an involved community that is unrivaled by other Los Angeles parishes; the diocese has no commitment to liturgy, so anything rising a few inches above the ruck is bound to be considered "excellent."

Mr. Wilke would do better to look at the true nature of his parishes, which may not have been possible in his short stays. The diamond may shine on first look, but closer examination shows a dirty black core.

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Horizontally focused, February 5, 2007

By 

Rich Leonardi (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Excellent Catholic Parishes: The Guide to Best Places and Practices (Paperback)

That Wilkes includes both an entry for Chicago's Old St. Pat's, a veritable showcase of bizarre, 70's-style liturgical abuses, and a reflection on liturgical dance, an innovation absolutely prohibited from celebrations of the Western/Latin rite (see "Notitiae" 11 [1975] 202-205, Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship), should give you some indication of the ideological thread that runs through this book. The parishes highlighted here are precisely the sort of horizontally-focused places that prompted Pope Benedict's pending and much-needed "reform of the reform."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thought Provoking, December 12, 2010

By 

Bill Rich - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Excellent Catholic Parishes: The Guide to Best Places and Practices (Paperback)

This is a helpful and thought provoking book for those seeking to improve their Parishes to become more vibrant examples of Christ's love. The challenge our Church faces is to adapt to the coming Church (increased lay leadership with a great emphasis on welcome and acceptance) while retaining the traditional strengths of our faith tradition. This book provides examples of specific approaches that have been tried without claiming there is one right way or recommending a specific regimented program. I highly recommend it for anyone wrestling with how to improve their parish.