Bits & Pieces
Welcome
A number of people have subscribed in the last month. I have no idea why? Any of you that want to share may do so in the comments. So, welcome to all of you.
This is going to be bits & pieces or maybe it's odds & ends.
How to make best use of “A Wonderful and Sacred Mystery”
Looking at the articles on the Substack website is probably the most enjoyable way. It’s also the place where errors that appear in the email version get corrected and sometimes additions made. An easy way to get to the website is to click on the title of the emailed article. There’s also an app available for your phone.
About A Wonderful and Sacred Mystery
We offer our reflections on parish development, social ethics, and Episcopal Church matters. Your writers are Brother Robert Gallagher, OA & Sister Michelle Heyne, OA, Members of the Order of the Ascension. These are their views and not necessarily those of the Order
Our books
The two of us have written a number of books on parish development. They are available on Amazon in the Shaping the Parish Series. If you look at each book you can read the table of contents and a short segment.
Shaping the Parish Resources
On the Order of the Ascension website there is a section - Shaping the Parish Resources - that offers you hundreds of resources for parish development: core models and theories, group development, assessment forms, PDFs of several Ascension Press books, and processes and methods you can use in your parish,
The History of Parish Development
Understanding from Within: Working with Religious Systems
The History of Parish Development in the Episcopal Church (as of March 2023)
Myths and Norms in Parish Life: A Guide to Parish pathology - written in the 1979s by Loren Mean, then director of Project Test Pattern. A mix of humor and wisdom.
Free and Paid
A Wonderful & Sacred Mystery is set up to be free for everyone. Our intention is to keep things that way. We have noticed that a number of you have committed yourselves to pay for your subscription. We love seeing that. Very affirming. You really don’t have to do that. Really! But it’s possible that at some point we’ll turn on the part of the system that allows for both free and paid subscriptions.
However, it seems fair to say how we’ll use all that cash. So, here’s the story.
For the last 18 years Sister Michelle and I have gotten together around 4:00 pm on Wednesday. We have a drink and some food, take a walk, catch up (i.e., vent, complain, and plan the reconstruction of all things), and then we go to Mass or say Evening Prayer. So, if we begin to allow you to pay for our efforts here at A Wonderful & Sacred Mystery, we’ll use the money for our Wednesday drink and food. If ever the total sum became greater than the cost of our refreshments, we’d give the additional money away. Probably to the Order of the Ascension. Now that you know your money will be used in drinking and merriment – feel free to withdraw your pledge to pay and return to a Free Subscription.
Shaping the Parish
Join us for the next cycle of Shaping the Parish, a two-year online training program making use of the best methods of parish development and applied theology, from the Episcopal Church’s own spiritual traditions. Current participants come from Canada, the US, Zambia, Haiti, and Dubai, The St Benedict Cycle begins October 10, 2025. Learn more - Shaping the Parish.
Most Popular Articles
And a couple we think should be most popular.
Bread and circuses: "They’re eating the cats"
Organizations in a World of Choices: People need to see the parish as a resource for making sense of, and navigating, their world
Amsterdam: What do you see?
Where should I begin?: Readiness & Gifts
Improving Vestry Meetings: The best meetings are like the best Eucharist
The worship of God: It carried within it an energy not its own
Troublesome Priests: He rescued me because he delighted in me
A love story: The need not to run away, the need to be open to change, the need to listen
I hope you are having a Blessed Christmas.
This abides,
Brother Robert
I took a class from ROBERT GALLAGHER when I attended Seabury-Western. I also completed the CDI program. These courses, and the books, defined my approach to parish ministry. I have used these materials for vestry retreats and orientations as well as for new members/confirmation classes. They defined my spiritual life as a priest. I was so pleased to find you all.
Gerald Sevick