Pope Francis and the Parish begins by reviewing the influences that shaped Jorge Bergoglio’s ecclesial vision that were later implemented in The Joy of the Gospel. Based on the experience of a cathedral parish in Rochester, New York, it details the enfolding of missionary discipleship in the parish as it transitions from blue-collar bastion to a home of stark poverty, of new peripheries with dramatic new needs, including a burgeoning refugee population. Reference is made to the “Field Hospital” motif, The Joy of the Gospel’s “Four Essential Principles,” “The Three Step Program,” and Pope Francis’ guidelines for parish leadership. The work concludes with Pope Francis’ call to hope and the transformation of the parish into a “People with a Spirited Impulse.”

Kevin E. McKenna is the Rector of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Rochester, New York, former Chancellor of the Diocese of Rochester, former president of the Canon Law Society of America, and the author of many articles and several books.

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