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Join the conversation

We want to hear from parishes and schools about an idea, plan, project or pro­gram that is currently showing successful results.

Submitters should explain the purpose of the initiative and outline the steps that led to success.

Our goal is to give parishes and schools an opportunity to share ideas for doing ministry more effectively and/or more efficiently.
E-mail your story idea to:
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Or mail your idea to:
“What Works,” c/o The Catholic Spirit,
244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102.

Please include your name, parish and daytime telephone number.
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What Works
A small percentage that makes a big difference Print E-mail
By Maria Wiering   
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
hand.jpgThe weekend Mass collection at St. Victoria in Victoria looks typical: Parishioners deposit donation envelopes, crumpled bills and loose change in baskets that weave their way to the back of the church.

What is un­us­ual is where that money goes.

Read more
 
Eucharist focus makes kids' program fail proof, director says Print E-mail
By Dave Hrbacek   
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
A sea of color lit up Holy Family church in St. Louis Park June 25, as more than 300 children and adults wearing bright tie-dyed shirts gathered around the altar for eucharistic adoration.

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Laine Phillips, top, sits with 7-year-old Gianna Capello during Catholic Vacation Bible School at Holy Family in St. Louis Park. Phillips, who will be a junior at Holy Family High School in Victoria, was one of 47 teen volunteers. Photo by Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit
The assembly was the culmination of the par­ish’s five-day Catholic vacation Bible school that featured the standard games, crafts and music, but centered on meeting Christ in the Blessed Sacra­ment, which was the program’s final event.

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Prior Lake group helps families minister together Print E-mail
By Pat Norby   
Wednesday, 07 April 2010

St. Michael's Families in Action engages all ages in community service


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Julie Such packs Easter bags with her children Dennis, left, Sylvia and Sophia at St. Michael in Prior Lake as part of the Families in Action Ministry. Photo by Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit
The Families in Action ministry at St. Michael in Prior Lake was ins­pi­r­ed by an 8-year-old girl, who asked her mom, “What meeting are you going to to­night?”

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St. Odilia endowment raises $1 million for future needs Print E-mail
By Julie Carroll   
Tuesday, 09 March 2010

More than 200 benefactors help finance parish, school projects


It’s the gift that keeps on giving.

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Father Nels Gjengdahl celebrates Mass at St. Odilia in Shoreview. A new computerized projection screen, paid for with funds from the parish’s endowment, displays the words of a hymn. - Photo by Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit
In 1987, St. Odilia in Shoreview established an endowment fund to provide for the parish’s future. Now valued at approximately $1 million, the endowment has generated more than $200,000 since its inception.

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Military family support group at Mary, Mother of the Church in Burnsville Print E-mail
By Lois Finan for The Catholic Spirit   
Wednesday, 03 March 2010
“I am Captain JoAnne Finan and I am in the Air Force. My parents are Jim and Lois Finan of Mary, Mother. I am here for my two weeks of leave from Baghdad.” 

This was the introduction Capt. Finan gave at all five Masses the weekend of Nov. 28-29, 2009. She came to say thank you for all of the prayers, support and boxes she has received from Mary, Mother of the Church’s Military Family Support Group (MFSG).

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Ministry marches on in cyberspace at St. Katharine Drexel Print E-mail
By Pat Norby   
Wednesday, 10 February 2010
technology.jpgIn the midst of preparing recently to move into newly expanded office spaces, staff members at St. Katharine Drexel parish in Ramsey were inconvenienced by a pesky computer glitch.

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Community and parish pair to help older adults serve Print E-mail
By Maria Wiering   
Thursday, 31 December 2009
It was shortly after 8 a.m., but staff members were already pouring coffee and offering muffins to the senior citizens who have made mornings at The Lodge in Chaska part of their daily routine.
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What works: St. Matthew's School increases enrollment by 30 percent Print E-mail
By Julie Carroll   
Thursday, 03 December 2009
While most inner-city schools continue to struggle in a difficult economy, one school — St. Matthew’s in St. Paul — has been experiencing unprecedented growth.
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