Last Saturday, St. Dominic Parish in Brookfield sponsored a retreat day with Matthew Kelly. Father David Reith and his staff hosted more than 1,000 people hungry to be fed by this popular figure. Kelly is the author of a number of works, most recently, “The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic.” Kelly has an engaging style that both entertains and informs; his Australian accent increases the interest.continue at ArchMil
I had the opportunity to speak with Kelly before his first talk. I thanked him for his witness to the Church. I believe that Matthew Kelly, Peter Kreeft, Scott Hahn, Father Robert Barron and others are among the new “apologists” (a fancy word for one who offers an apology, in defense or explanation of the Church’s teachings).
The people I just listed are not afraid to publicly defend and promote the Church. They unabashedly speak of their pride in the faith and challenge fellow Catholics to discover and live the beauty of the faith in a secular world that tries to redefine the reality that surrounds us.
I thought that many of the insights offered by Matthew Kelly were not new but were obvious and, often, that is the mark of the prophetic. A prophet speaks to us and presents the obvious, first to recognize and then to repair the breach in our relationship with God.
Nearly every pastor and church leader is aware of the 20/80 rule. It has been said that 20 percent of any parish provides for 80 percent of the funding and services performed by the congregation. Interestingly, Kelly decided to investigate that statement and found that the 20/80 rule was not the norm, but that it was actually more like 7/93. He determined that those 7 percent of Catholics in his estimation would be considered “dynamic Catholics,” which means that those 7 percent are carrying the bulk of the load when it comes to contributing and services performed in our parishes. In his book, Kelly further investigated what makes these 7 percent dynamic Catholics. In other words, what makes them tick, and what are the common factors of their commitment. He named four signs: prayer, study, generosity, and evangelization.
I missed the announcement for the event.
