When it comes to parish life, women’s fertility and health is a topic often relegated to a brief discussion during marriage prep, and then it’s either ignored or rarely touched upon again by anyone in the parish because of its sensitive nature. But this is a topic that everyone in Catholic ministry should be able to discuss to some degree, because at least half of the people we’re serving are women, and this is an area where our faith gives us a wealth of guidance! In a world where young women are often told that their fertility is a problem that must be fixed with birth control, we have the opportunity to share with them the beauty of God’s design behind their sexuality. Alex DeRose joins us again to give practical advice on how this topic might be addressed within different areas of ministry, and she also explains how it is an incredible opportunity to evangelize women.

We’d Love to Hear from You
Do you have comments, questions, or topic suggestions for the Ascension Roundtable hosts? Use the comment box below or email us at ascensionroundtable@ascensionpress.com. You may hear your question or comment in an upcoming podcast episode!

The Ascension Roundtable Podcast

How to Talk About Fertility Within Your Ministry

Dr. Kerry Cronin doesn’t just give her students essays; she gives them an assignment that requires them to ask someone out on a good, old-fashioned first date. It’s something she’s been doing for a while, and her experiment is featured in a new feature-length documentary recently released called The Dating Project. If you work with teens, college students, or young adults, you won’t want to miss what Dr. Cronin has discovered about hook-up culture and dating in today’s day and age.

How One College Professor is Challenging Today's Hook-Up Culture

If you’re not praying, you’re not going to get very far in understanding your faith or being able to help others grow in theirs. Historical theologian Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio explains three prayers of the Church to help you deepen your own prayer life and help others deepen their prayer lives as well. Listen and come away with a better grasp of the Church’s teaching on prayer, as well as several very practical ways to incorporate these three specific prayers into your own life and ministry.

3 Prayers You Might Not Be Praying … and Why You Should Start Praying Them

Whether we like it or not, people leave parishes because of bad music. While music is not essential to the Mass, it has the potential to move people’s hearts and draw them closer to Christ. Today Steven Joubert  (a writer, musician, and youth minister) explains why it is so important for every parish to invest time and effort in music. You may be surprised at how doing just this actually builds up parishes in other ways as well. 

To find out more about Steven or to listen to his music, visit StevenJoubert.com.

Parishes, Please Invest in Better Music

One parish in Louisiana transformed their confirmation prep ministry by making three simple, yet powerful changes. Their teens went from begrudgingly memorizing answers about Catholicism, being confirmed, and then disappearing from church, to becoming active participants in their parish - truly on fire for the Catholic faith. Listen as Colin MacIver, a contributor for Chosen: Your Journey Towards Confirmation, shares this story of incredible transformation and the formula that made it possible.

A Winning Formula for Confirmation Prep

Ascension Roundtable

Happy 4th of July & An Important Announcement!

Do you ever find yourself torn between working on schedules, calendars, programming and spending time with your parishioners? The summertime is a special opportunity. Unlike other times during the year when there is more structured programming to run and curriculums to plan, the summer offers time for a different type of ministry. Some would argue that it’s the most important part of ministry—the ministry of accompaniment.

Ministry Minutes: Your Most Important Work Happens Outside the Office

Catholic ministry professionals share stories and brainstorm solutions to common ministry challenges.