In the Heart of the Church Series Called "An Awesome Event!"

Lay ministers, parish staff members, Sacred Heart students, and priests from across the archdiocese enjoyed a vibrant half-day retreat at Sacred Heart as they attended the first In the Heart of the Church event of the year.

Around three hundred attendees filled the seminary gymnasium on November 10 to hear Fr. Michael White and Mr. Tom Corcoran explain how to re-evangelize a parish by "awakening the faithful, reaching the lost, and making church matter." By far, it was the largest crowd yet for the seminary-sponsored speaker series that is custom-tailored to build up the faith and ignite the enthusiasm of lay ecclesial ministers.

Father White and Mr. Corcoran are from the Church of the Nativity in Timonium, Maryland. They shared with the crowd insights from the books they have co-authored on renewing the modern-day parish: Rebuilt: Awakening the Faithful, Reaching the Lost, and Making Church Matter, and Tools for Rebuilding: 75 Really, Really Practical Ways to Make Your Parish Better. The books focus on revitalizing the faith-life of parishioners by promoting traditional Catholic spirituality and the basic Gospel messagewhile utilizing modern communication techniques. The books have a combined sales total of an astounding 100,000 units to date.

"It was a great conference!" one attendee said, while another exclaimed, "Great conferencethis is always an awesome event at Sacred Heart!"

"Thank you to all of those that welcomed us, served us, and organized the event," expressed an attendee. "Excellent content, speakers, and the link to the video to share." You can view the entire conference online by visiting: shms.edu/live.