January 2026
As I come to the first anniversary of my appointment as the Archbishop of Washington, I want to share with all of you the steps which have been undertaken to establish a set of pastoral priorities for the coming years that can enrich both parish and archdiocesan life.
Shortly after my installation as Archbishop in March of 2025, I asked the pastors of the Archdiocese to appoint three leaders from each parish community to participate in a session of prayer and reflection on the most important strengths and challenges of their parish and the Archdiocese. Over a period of seven months, I met with more than 400 parish leaders in groups of 15 and they conveyed to me with honesty, depth, faith and insight their understanding of how our local church in the District, Saint Mary’s County, Calvert County, Charles County, Prince George’s County and Montgomery County could grow in faith and witness to the Lord Jesus Christ. These sessions were a mixture of exhilaration, joy, anguish, probing and compassion. They were always grace-filled. I composed a summary of these reflections, which is included with this issue of the Catholic Standard and El Pregonero.
When the priests of the Archdiocese gathered for our convocation this past November, I read this summary and distributed it to them. Then I asked them to reflect in small groups on the themes raised in the lay consultations and to bring their own experience and pastoral insights to design a set of overarching goals for the work of our parishes, schools, social service agencies and the Archdiocese during the next five years. In a series of steps, the priests identified, delineated and prioritized six goals for pastoral action:
1. Foster a Parish Culture which Piercingly Invites People to a Personal Encounter
with Jesus Christ.
2. Provide Formation which Deepens the Sacramental Life of the Church.
3. Celebrate and Evangelize Marriage and Family Life.
4. Formation of the Laity as Missionary Disciples.
5. Care for the Vulnerable: Migrants, the Unborn and the Marginalized.
6. Reverse the Avalanche of Young People Leaving the Church.
At our last Presbyteral Council meeting in December, we began the process of establishing how these goals will be implemented in the Archdiocese with the belief that every parish should address each goal over the next five years, but always within the context of the particular pastoral realities of that parish.
I give thanks to all of the priests, lay leaders and bishops who participated in this process. I think that these six goals are excellent guideposts for action and pastoral development at this moment in the life of the Church, and I enthusiastically look forward to working with all of you to attain them.
Robert Cardinal McElroy
Archbishop of Washington
Link to summary report of Cardinal McElroy's Consultation with the Lay Leaders of the Parishes of the Archdiocese of Washington:
