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Summary
Father Charlie Garza shares his experience of growing a welcoming parish community at St. Albert the Great in Austin, Texas. The parish is multicultural, with people from over 60 countries.
Before focusing on parish renewal, the weekly mass attendance was around 2,500. However, through intentional efforts to create a welcoming environment, the attendance has almost doubled, with Spanish-speaking attendance at 222% above pre-COVID levels and English-speaking attendance at 7% above pre-COVID levels.
Father Charlie shares his experience in building a welcoming culture at St. Albert the Great. He discusses the challenges faced, such as pushback from older generations who felt left out when the focus shifted to young adults. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the pain points of parishioners and addressing them.
Father Charlie advises other multicultural parishes to identify the big events for each culture and tailor their strategies accordingly. He also encourages parishes to learn the principles of successful growth but adapt them to their own circumstances. Father. Charlie shares his vision for St. Albert the Great, including hosting large events and providing training for hospitality teams.
Takeaways
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction and Parish Background
02:19 - Impressive Growth in Attendance
06:16 - Extending Hospitality from Parking Lot to Pews
09:43 - Engaging the Entire Parish Community in Welcoming
14:42 - Initiatives and Practices for Enhancing a Culture of Welcome
23:19 - Building a Welcoming Culture: Addressing Pain Points and Challenges
28:23 - Tailoring Strategies for Multicultural Parishes
34:05 - Adapting Principles for Successful Growth
36:15 - Embracing Failure and Learning from It
41:00 - Vision for Big Events and Planning
42:48 - Training for Welcoming Hospitality Teams
45:09 - Perseverance in Parish Growth
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