Fr. James Mallon - Divine Renovation Beyond the Parish

Praise for Divine Renovation Beyond the Parish

Fr. Mallon provides his usual unsparing and brilliantly honest analysis of the very grave situation we are facing as the Church in the West declines in virtually every measurable area. At the same time, he vigorously presents the case for hope and our ability to do something about our current crisis if we utilize the wisdom that is available, of which this book is abundantly supplied.

Ralph Martin, S.T.D., president of Renewal Ministries and director of graduate theology programs in the New Evangelization at Sacred Heart Major Seminary

In this book, Fr. James not only bolsters his reputation as a genuinely visionary leader in global Catholicism, but he bequeaths to us a genuinely viable model for the renewal of the church as transformative mission agency, as well as some really practical tools that will enable leaders to implement real and lasting change.

Alan Hirsch, author of award-winning books, including 5Q, and founder of the Forge Missional Training Network, 100 Movements, and The 5Q Collective

Fr. James Mallons new book, while filled with passion and zeal for the mission of the Church, is also incredibly practical and helpful for laypeople, priests, and bishops seeking new and better ways of bringing Jesus Christ to others. I have seen for myself the transformation of priests and parishes on the Divine Renovation Network and am confident that this book will lead to even more abundant fruit in the lives and ministry of all who read it.

+Wilfrid Cardinal Napier O.F.M., archbishop of Durban, South Africa

Theory is one thing, and making fresh approaches work in the real world is quite another. I am so excited for this latest book by Fr. James Mallon because he takes parish renewal further than he ever has before, showing you exactly how to make renovation work in the parish and diocese. Perhaps the only danger in reading this book is that it will remove all your excuses for change and renewal in the name of Jesus, which is exactly what the Church and the world need.

Carey Nieuwhof, founding pastor of Connexus Church and bestselling author

Fr. Mallons new book raises challenging questions that, if taken seriously, will explode complacent attitudes, outdated paradigms, and dysfunctional structures. It is the strong medicine we need to follow the Churchs call for a missionary conversiona radical evangelical turn outward, in fidelity to Jesus Christ. This book is not for the faint of heart. It is for those who long to see parishes and dioceses flourish as places of vibrant spiritual life and missionary dynamism.

Dr. Mary Healy, professor of Scripture at Sacred Heart Major Seminary

Perhaps no one has a better perspective on the structural and systematic obstacles that prevent the Church from fulfilling its mission of making disciples as Fr. James Mallon. Read this book for a better understanding of those problems and to discover practical ways to solve them no matter where and how you serve the Church.

Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran, coauthors of Rebuilt and Churchmoney

Strategies and structures which served the Church well in the past are no longer working. Beyond the Parish provides a combination of vision and tactics which can change culture. Any parish or diocese would benefit from what Fr. James Mallon offers herehis diagnosis of the problem and his proposal of a way forward. It is a timely word also to the universal Church.

+Mark Coleridge, archbishop of Brisbane and president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference

In Beyond the Parish, Fr. James Mallon weaves biblical theology, Church teaching, leadership principles, and reflections from his own pastoral experience into a challenging narrative that offers hope for the renewal of the Church. Priests, bishops, and laity eager on becoming and forming missionary disciples will find in it material that is richly rewarding. Highly recommended!

+Terrence Prendergast, SJ, archbishop of Ottawa

This exciting book is the fruit of relentless hard work and scientific research based on extensive factual data and grounded on Scripture and theology. I am very happy to recommend it to all my brother bishops.

Oswald Cardinal Gracias, archbishop of Bombay and president of the Catholic Bishops Conference in India

Fr. James knows how to portray the present situation of the Church not only as a storm at sea, but he also shows, with great sensitivity, how this divine why can also motivate us today to bring hope into this storm. For all those who dream of a living community of faith, this book will help to make that dream a reality.

Urban Federer, abbot of the Territorial Abbey of Einsiedeln and member of the Swiss Bishops Conference

Fr. Mallon understands what it takes to transform a mediocre parish into a dynamic, missionary one, and he understands that parishes need diocesan leadership to transform the Church as a whole.

Patrick Lencioni, cofounder of The Amazing Parish and author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

DIVINE
RENOVATION

Fr. James Mallon

Copyright 2020 Divine Renovation

All rights reserved.

Published by The Word Among Us Press

7115 Guilford Drive, Suite 100

Frederick, Maryland 21704

wau.org

24 23 22 21 201 2 3 4 5

ISBN: 978-1-59325-143-7

eISBN: 978-1-59325-162-8

Nihil obstat: +Brian Joseph Dunn

Coadjutor Archbishop of Halifax-Yarmouth

March 4, 2020

Imprimatur: +Brian Joseph Dunn

Coadjutor Archbishop of Halifax-Yarmouth

March 4, 2020

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations marked NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright 1989, 1993 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America, Second Edition, copyright 1997, by the United States Catholic ConferenceLibreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission

Cover design by Suzanne Earl

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the author and publisher.

Made and printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020905014

What impairs our sight are habits of seeing as well as the mental concomitants of seeing. Our sight is suffused with knowing, instead of feeling painfully the lack of knowing what we see. The principle to be kept in mind is to know what we see rather than to see what we know.

Abraham Heschel, The Prophets

To my father, Ronnie Mallon (19462019),
who never settled for the status quo.

Table of Contents

Preface

Why?

That word rang out in the small room in the center of Paris, amplified by just a tinge of frustration. My companion, a fellow priest from the south of France, had been telling me about the state of his parish. Clearly, he loved his people, and they loved him. More importantly, however, he was