For decades now, many Catholics have left the Church or have reduced their faith life to one hour on Sunday morning. This isn’t enough to sustain vibrant parishes and communities. Continuing down this path will only get us more of the same. Even as our population in Eastern South Dakota grows (up 12 percent), Catholics registered in parishes are down 6 percent and enrolled in schools are down 7.4 percent. As baptized Catholics, we have a responsibility to disrupt these trends through our own efforts to share our faith.

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We break those trends by recommitting ourselves to our Catholic faith, realigning our priorities by placing God back at the center of our lives, and bringing the vision of missionary discipleship to life in our diocese. Only by revitalizing our parishes and families can we become the missionary disciples God wants us to be. This vision needs committed Catholics spread throughout the diocese helping others come to know Jesus.