When Cardinal Robert W. McElroy arrived in March 2025 as our new archbishop, he listened. The result is a set of pastoral priorities for the archdiocese that have been adopted.
I’m very excited about it. If we work hard and work together, we can better live the Gospel message and be the Church Jesus calls us to be.
Cardinal McElroy decided as soon as he got here to meet with lay leaders from as many parishes as possible. He wanted to hear people’s thoughts about the archdiocese and what we could do better. Impressively, he met with lay representatives from all 140 parishes to listen to their concerns, hopes, and dreams for the Church of Washington.
At the same time, some encouraged Cardinal McElroy to develop a set of pastoral priorities for the archdiocese. He agreed, and he felt it best to focus on more immediate goals rather than look too far into the future. The Priest Council fully supported him in this.
Cardinal McElroy shared his findings with all the priests of the archdiocese at our convocation in November. He presented us with a six-page document outlining 15 possible goals. We shared our thoughts on the goals, and through a very good process and productive discussion, we narrowed the list down to six that the cardinal agreed would become the mission of our local Church for the next few years.
The goals are:
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.
These are beautiful goals foundational to the Gospel. They are also challenging, but I know that we can move forward if we work together. All of us should start thinking about how to accomplish them – as a diocese, as parishes, as families, and as God’s children.
Cardinal McElroy’s synodal approach started it. He listened to the laity, which provided the impetus. Our priests have prayerfully synthesized the suggestions down to six priorities to work on, celebrate, and accomplish as best we can during the cardinal’s tenure.
Please join your fellow parishioners, pastors, priests, and Cardinal McElroy in striving to implement all of these goals at our parishes. Participate in discussions and consultations on how we might make these spiritual objectives come alive in our parishes. We have a fresh opportunity to refocus and be not just a church but The Church living out Jesus’s commands.
I think Jesus would agree that these are important and necessary goals in today’s world. They address our needs, concerns, and anxieties as a people of God. Let’s embrace them, roll up our sleeves, and work together to bring them to completion under the grace and power of the Holy Spirit.
(Msgr. John Enzler serves as the mission advocate of Catholic Charities of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and is a chaplain at his alma mater, St. John’s College High School in Washington. He writes the Faith in Action column for the archdiocese’s Catholic Standard and Spanish-language El Pregonero newspapers and websites.)
