Customer Reviews

Transforming The Parish

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Sister Forster and Father Sweetser provide their readers with a rare gift between the covers of this little book. While maintaining the idealism of those who still believe that the individual parish embodies the living presence of Christ, in a particular community, at a particular time, they manage to dispense 233 pages of thoroughly utilitarian advice.

The theme statement of this book could well be, "Parishes do not exist for themselves. They are vehicles. The buildings, the staffs, the leaders, the liturgies, programs and ministries all exist for a purpose outside themselves. (page 29)" Yet, despite their utopian statement, which flies in the face of most congregations' self-serving budgets and programs, they still manage to keep their book practical: full of easily accomplished suggestions.

This book might be an handy tool for clergy and laity attempting to revive moribund congregations, IF (and only if) they have the commitment and will to execute the ideas that Sister Forster and Father Sweetser present.