In the winter of 2025 we launched an important initiative we called the “Wonder Campaign.” Taking its inspiration from Psalm 78, “Tell the next generation the wonders of the Lord!” the campaign aimed at renewing our commitment as a parish to the faith formation and religious education of our kids and students. Each weekend, over 1,000 young people attend our “Next Gen” programs and ministries, in which we share the good news of the Gospel and the truth and beauty of our Catholic faith.

Though brimming to capacity and beyond, the aging infrastructure of our 50-year-old facility is stretched to its limits. Additionally, our dynamic and interactive programs for kids and students are forced to function in dated and poorly designed, dimly lit classrooms intended for old-fashioned “Sunday School.” The Wonder Campaign cast a vision of providing wide open, colorful, safe spaces for our youngest parishioners evoking a sense of God’s wonder through interactive technology, adaptable furniture and design, and irresistible environments. 

Additionally, all this new space will also provide additional opportunities for our adult small groups, often challenged when it comes to meeting space, to meet here on campus. And at the center of the expansion a new chapel is proposed, dedicated to Our Lady of Bethlehem. This sacred space will double our current capacity and provide a beautiful and prayerful space for daily Mass, funerals, weddings, baptisms, and personal prayer. 

As is typical of this parish, the proposal was met with enthusiasm and over $12.5m was received in gifts and pledges in our first year. This past winter we reintroduced the Campaign, inviting still others who had not yet joined us to step forward and lend their support. An additional $3.5m was raised at that time. 

The total budget for the project stands at $18m and we will only begin construction with 50% of that amount in hand. Accordingly, we anticipate that we will reach that goal by next spring and now plan to begin construction exactly a year from now. 

Thanks to all who have supported this project with your gifts and pledges. We also gratefully acknowledge your prayerful support. And if you have not yet gotten involved, now is the perfect time. Check out our Wonder Campaign homepage. Afterall, the countdown to groundbreaking has begun! 

The post The Countdown Begins first appeared on Make Church Matter.

The post The Countdown Begins appeared first on Make Church Matter.

In any organization it’s easy to get caught in the rhythm of just “doing.” Meetings, programs, events, weekend responsibilities, and the constant pace of ministry can keep everyone moving, but not always together. That’s why an annual staff day matters. It creates space to step out of the day-to-day and be intentional about who we are as a team and where we’re going.

At Nativity, Staff Day has become one of those days we genuinely look forward to, not because it’s a break from work (although that might be the case), but because it strengthens the work.

We begin with prayer and worship. That’s intentional. Before we talk about anything we’re going to do, we take time to remember who we are and who this all is for. In a fast-paced ministry environment, it’s easy to move quickly from one thing to the next. Staff Day gives us space to slow down and be grounded again in what matters most and prayer sets the tone.

We briefly consider where we have been in the past year, what happened to us, and who we have been. From there, we turn our attention to where we’re going. We spend time walking through our strategic objectives, not just as plans, but as priorities that shape how we approach the year ahead. It’s a chance for every member of the team to see the bigger picture and understand how their role fits into it. Clarity creates momentum, and this part of the day helps move us forward together.

But Staff Day isn’t just about alignment, it’s also about connection.

We take time to laugh. Whether it’s through a game or something a little competitive, those moments have a way of breaking down walls and building real relationships. Healthy teams aren’t just aligned around a mission, they actually enjoy being with each other. That kind of culture doesn’t happen by accident, and Staff Day plays a role in strengthening it.

We close the day gathered around food and beverages. It’s simple, but it matters. Conversations continue, stories are shared, and there’s a sense that this isn’t just a team that works together, but one that genuinely cares for one another. Staff are warmly invited to include their spouse or a guest to join us, increasing the relational aspect of the gathering.

In the end, Staff Day does something simple but important: it brings us back together. In a parish as active as Nativity, it’s easy to operate in different lanes. This day reminds us that we’re part of something bigger. It realigns us, reconnects us, and sends us back into the work not just as individuals, but as one unified staff, moving in the same direction.

And that unity is what makes everything else possible.

The post Stepping Back to Move Forward first appeared on Make Church Matter.

The post Stepping Back to Move Forward appeared first on Make Church Matter.

In March of 2025 our parish launched an exciting initiative we called the Wonder Campaign. This project initially came in response to the demands of our aging facility and the growth of our children and student programs. But Wonder boldly set forth a comprehensive vision to renew and rebuild fully half our current facility, creating amazing new spaces to meet the needs of contemporary faith formation and faith filled celebration for parishioners of all ages. A facility where kids, students, and families don’t just show up…but belong, grow, and encounter God and one another in new ways.

As is typical of this community, the parish responded enthusiastically pledging over $12m in the first year of the campaign, with hundreds of parish families participating. This past winter Nativity hosted a second iteration of the Wonder Campaign with the aim of inviting still more parishioners to lend their support. I’m pleased to report that over a hundred new families stepped forward, and still others increased their commitment, raising an additional $3.5m in gifts and pledges. Today our Wonder Campaign has reached a total of $15.6m.

That means we now stand in a strong position moving forward, though admittedly with more work to do.  As we have previously  communicated, cash in hand drives our ability to break ground next spring, so fulfillment of pledges remains critical, accelerated fulfillment being especially helpful.  Fully funding the building project, of course, remains our long-term  goal.  

Meanwhile, the vision is coming to life. As design development continues, we can’t wait to share with you what these spaces will actually look like – and how your family will experience them. Because this isn’t just about a building, it’s about what God is already doing…and what he’s going to do next. Every room, every space, every detail will be designed to spark connection, deepen relationships, and grow faith.

To all our donors, many, many thanks. Your level of support overwhelms us with gratitude. To those who have not yet participated we welcome your support, check out the Wonder Campaign tile on our homepage. And to all our parishioners and friends, please keep the ongoing campaign and the eventual building project in your prayers. May the Lord abundantly bless all of you in your love of and goodness to our parish. And may our parish grow still more stronger through our joint effort.

It is truly wonderful !

The post Wonder II first appeared on Make Church Matter.

The post Wonder II appeared first on Make Church Matter.

Holy Week is the most important week in the Christian calendar. It is not simply a remembrance of events long past, but an invitation to walk with Jesus through the moments that changed the world, from suffering and sacrifice to victory and new life. 

The journey begins on Palm Sunday when Jesus enters Jerusalem to cheers and celebration. Crowds wave palm branches and shout “Hosanna,” welcoming him like a king. Yet within days those same voices will cry out for his crucifixion. Palm Sunday reminds us how quickly human hearts can change, and how faithfully Jesus continues forward, knowing exactly what lies ahead.

As the week unfolds, we begin to see the depth of God’s love revealed in powerful ways. On Holy Thursday we remember the Last Supper, when Jesus gathers with his disciples for one final meal. In an act of profound humility, he washes their feet, taking the place of a servant, and gives them a new commandment: to love one another as he has loved them. During that meal he gives the Church the gift of the Eucharist, bread that becomes his body and wine that becomes his blood, leaving us a sacrament that will nourish believers as well as serve as the source and summit of our community of faith. Later that night, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus faces the weight of what is coming. Betrayed by a friend, abandoned by his disciples, and arrested by soldiers, the path to the cross begins.

Good Friday brings us to the foot of that cross. It is a day marked by silence and reverence as we remember that the Son of God willingly endured suffering, humiliation, and death. He did not do this because he had to, but because he chose to. The cross reveals the lengths God will go to save us. Every wound, every nail, every moment of suffering speaks the same truth: we are loved more than we can imagine.

If the story ended on Good Friday, it would be a tragic one. The disciples certainly thought so. Their teacher was gone, their hopes seemed shattered, and the future felt uncertain. Many of us know what that feeling is like. Life sometimes brings moments when things appear dark and hope seems distant. Good Friday reminds us that God does not avoid suffering; he enters into it with us. But the cross is not the end of the story.

Early on the first day of the week, women go to the tomb where Jesus had been laid. They expect to find a sealed grave. Instead they discover something impossible, the stone has been rolled away and the tomb is empty. An angel announces the words that changed everything: “He is not here. He has risen.”Easter is the moment when death itself is defeated, when darkness gives way to light and hope is restored. The resurrection is not simply a happy ending; it is the beginning of a new reality.

Because Jesus rose from the dead, Easter changes everything. It reminds us that failure is not final, sin does not define us, brokenness can be healed, and death is not the end. God specializes in bringing life out of what seems impossible. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the power God wants to bring into our lives, transforming fear into courage and despair into hope.

Holy Week and Easter are more than dates on a calendar—they are an invitation. An invitation to slow down, to reflect, and to encounter Jesus in a deeper way. Walk with us through Holy Week, stand at the cross, and then celebrate the joy of Easter morning when we proclaim the greatest news the world has ever heard: Christ is risen. And because he lives, hope lives too.

The post The Week That Changed the World first appeared on Make Church Matter.

The post The Week That Changed the World appeared first on Make Church Matter.

Lent isn’t about giving up chocolate. It’s about giving up whatever keeps us from God. And if we’re honest, for many of us, the thing that distracts us most isn’t dessert, it’s distraction itself.

Our phones buzz. Notifications flash. News cycles spin. Social media scrolls endlessly. Somewhere amid that noise, it becomes harder to talk to the Lord, much less hear. Lent is an invitation to unplug. Not because technology is bad, but because constant connection can leave us spiritually disconnected.

Silence feels uncomfortable. Stillness seems unproductive. But throughout Scripture, God speaks in the quiet. Elijah didn’t encounter God in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire, but rather in a whisper. Jesus regularly withdrew to lonely places to pray. After his baptism came forty days in the desert and deserts are quiet.

What if this Lent we fasted from more than treats and sweets? What if we put our phone away for the first thirty minutes of our morning, turned off notifications that don’t matter, logged off social media one day a week, or chose silence in the car instead of noise? Not as a productivity hack, but as a spiritual discipline. When we unplug, we introduce silence and create space. And when we make space, God fills it. We may discover that what we’re reaching for in our phone was actually a deeper hunger for peace, connection, or purpose.

Here at Nativity, we’re offering a full slate of opportunities to use that silence and that space well. Prayerful attendance at the Eucharist will be the most significant way to unplug from technology and turn to the Lord. For our part we will be simplifying our use of technology at Mass and even “unplugging” some of our music. Other opportunities include daily “quiet” Mass, Confessions, and Eucharistic Adoration. Check out the full schedule for the season [click here]. Silence and space should also provide more opportunity for personal daily prayer and scripture reading. 

And then there are small groups. Lent is personal, but it’s not meant to be private. When you unplug from distraction and plug into community, something powerful happens. Small groups create space for honest conversations, accountability, shared prayer, and real friendship. In a world built on curated feeds and filtered images, small groups offer something different: authenticity. Instead of scrolling through everyone else’s highlight reel, you sit across from real people with real stories, and you see how God is working in their lives too. Click here to sign up for a small group at Nativity! 

The irony of our time is that we’ve never been more connected digitally and never more lonely relationally. Lent invites us to reconnect in the ways that matter most. This season is about creating space for God to do what only God can do. When we unplug from what distracts us, we plug into what transforms us.

The post Lent Unplugged first appeared on Make Church Matter.

The post Lent Unplugged appeared first on Make Church Matter.

One of the most beautiful things about faith is that God so often surprises us.

When we first began the Wonder Campaign, we did so with a sense of excitement and trust that God was inviting us into something meaningful for the future of Nativity. Over the past year, that trust has been rewarded in ways we never could have imagined.

In less than a year, our parish has responded with an incredible $12.5 million in gifts and pledges. That kind of response doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when people believe deeply in a mission, in a parish, and in what God is doing in and through a community.

As our plans have been refined and carefully developed, it’s become clear that fully realizing the vision of the Wonder Campaign will require more than we originally expected. That discovery came after months of thoughtful work with architects, builders, and parish leadership, and it led us to a new understanding: the scope of what God is inviting us to build is bigger than we first imagined.

But here’s the thing, this has never really been about buildings.

The Wonder Campaign is about creating space for faith to grow. Space where children encounter Jesus in joyful and meaningful ways. Space where students wrestle with big questions and discover a God who walks with them. Space where the entire parish has room to pray, to gather, and to be renewed, especially through the gift of a chapel that places worship and reverence at the center of our shared life.

When unexpected challenges arise, it can be tempting to see them as obstacles. But in the life of faith, they are often invitations, an invitation to trust more deeply, to widen our vision, and to remember that God is always at work ahead of us.

We are entering a new season of the Wonder Campaign, one that invites the whole parish once again into this shared dream. There is confidence and hope as we move forward, confidence rooted in what has already been given, and hope grounded in the belief that God will continue to provide.

Most of all, we ask you to pray. Pray that we remain faithful to God’s call. Pray that we have the courage to dream boldly. Pray that we stay united as one parish family, moving forward together.

Wonder is still the word. And with God’s grace, and your continued partnership, the story God is writing at Nativity is far from finished.

The post Wonder Is Still the Word first appeared on Make Church Matter.

The post Wonder Is Still the Word appeared first on Make Church Matter.

We prepare for weeks. We gather. We celebrate. And then, almost overnight, the decorations come down, routines return, and the world quietly moves on.

But the Church doesn’t rush Christmas—and neither should we. Because Christmas is not just a day we remember. It is a mystery we are meant to live with.

God chose to come to us quietly. Not with noise or force, but in the stillness of a night, entrusted to the care of a mother and a carpenter, welcomed first by the poor and the ordinary. That tells us something important about how God still works in our lives.

God Meets Us Where We Are

As the new year begins, many people carry more than they let on. Some are grieving losses that feel sharper during the holidays. Some are anxious about what lies ahead. Some are worn down by a year that asked more than they had to give.

If that’s you, know this: God does not wait for us to feel strong before coming near. Jesus was born into a world that was tired, divided, and uncertain. And he comes to us the same way today—not demanding, not distant, but close. Close to our questions. Close to our fears. Close to our hope.

A Quiet Invitation

The new year often brings pressure—to improve, to fix, to resolve. But Christmas offers a different invitation. To rest for a moment. To receive before we achieve. To trust that God is already at work, even in what feels unfinished.

Mary pondered these things in her heart. The shepherds returned to their fields. Life went on, but it was no longer the same. Because God had entered it.

Walking Forward Together

As we step into this new year, we do not go alone. Christ, born among us, walks with us—into our homes, our work, our relationships, our joys and our struggles.

Whatever this year holds, God is faithful. Whatever burdens we carry, God is near. Whatever comes next, we take it one day at a time, held by grace.

May the peace of Christ, born in the quiet of Bethlehem, remain with you long after the lights are packed away. And may the new year be marked not by hurry or fear, but by the steady assurance that God is with us.

Merry Christmas.
And may the Lord bless you in the year ahead.

The post Carrying Christmas into the New Year first appeared on Make Church Matter.

The post Carrying Christmas into the New Year appeared first on Make Church Matter.

Advent begins in the dark. That’s intentional. The Church starts this season when the days are shortest and the nights are longest, as if to say: this is what waiting feels like. This is what hope looks like before it has proof. Advent is a deliberate pause, a spiritual deep breath. A four-week invitation to live in expectation of something more that we can’t see.

The heart of Advent is simple: God is coming. Not was coming, but is coming. It’s about recognizing that Jesus keeps showing up: in the quiet nudge to forgive, in the courage to start again, in the ache we feel for something more, in the people we didn’t expect to need. Advent makes space for that kind of arrival. 

But making space requires honesty. Advent lets us name what is unfinished in us: the fears we carry, the habits we regret, the guilt we can’t quite get over. We don’t do this to wallow in self-pity, we do it because the Savior doesn’t come only to decorate our lives. He comes to redeem them. And the places that feel most barren or complicated are exactly where he loves to be born. 

So maybe the best Advent question isn’t “Are you ready for Christmas?” but “What are you waiting for God to do in you?” Say a prayer you’ve been avoiding, reach out to that person you’ve been ignoring, lend a hand to someone in need, go to Confession. Let the longing in your heart become a doorway instead of a dead end. 

Advent whispers what the world forgets: we’re not stuck in the dark forever. The light is already on the way. 

For a complete schedule of Advent programs and services visit us 

@churchnativity.com

The post Advent: Waiting in the Dark first appeared on Make Church Matter.

The post Advent: Waiting in the Dark appeared first on Make Church Matter.

Thanksgiving arrives each year with a kind of gentle insistence: slow down, look around, and remember what is good. In a world that trains us to notice what’s missing, this season re-teaches us how to see what’s been given to us. And that shift isn’t sentimental, it’s spiritual. Gratitude is one of the most powerful ways God heals our vision. 

St. Paul writes, “Give thanks in all circumstances” 

(1 Thessalonians 5.18). Notice he says in all circumstances, meaning that no matter what we’re going through, there is still something true and steady to thank God for: his presence, his mercy, his faithfulness, the people who love us, the grace that carries us when we feel empty. 

Thanksgiving is also a Eucharistic holiday. The word Eucharist literally means “thanksgiving.” Every Sunday, we come to the altar not because life is perfect, but because God is good. We bring our ordinary week – our joys, our regrets, our exhaustion, and we place it in Jesus’ hands. He receives it, blesses it, and gives himself back to us as nourishment for the journey. That is gratitude at its deepest level: not a polite pause before the meal, but a way of living that says, “Lord, everything belongs to you.”

So this week, maybe we can practice a gratitude that goes beyond the obvious. Thank God for the people who have shaped you, for the doors that opened and the ones that closed, for the lessons you didn’t want but needed. And if you’re carrying sorrow this year, let gratitude be small and honest: the breath in your lungs, a friend who checked in, a memory that still makes you smile. God doesn’t demand performance. He welcomes a heart that turns toward him. 

May this Thanksgiving leave us not just full, but awake, able to recognize the quiet abundance of God in our lives, and ready to share that abundance with others. 

The post Thanksgiving: The Spiritual Power of Gratitude first appeared on Make Church Matter.

The post Thanksgiving: The Spiritual Power of Gratitude appeared first on Make Church Matter.

At the end of October, as pumpkins glow on front porches and kids run from door to door in fun and fancy dress, most of us think of Halloween as a night of candy and costumes. But Halloween actually has deep Christian roots, and it’s part of a three-day journey that invites us to reflect on life, death, and eternity. 

Halloween, or All Hallows’ Eve, is the vigil before All Saints Day, which is on November 1^st , much like Christmas Eve is the vigil for the Feast of Christmas. The word “hallow” means “holy,” so All Hallows’ Eve simply means the evening before the feast of all the “hallows” – the saints. What began as a night of prayerful remembrance and fasting overtime became more of a fall festival. But at its core, it’s a reminder that this world isn’t all there is. 

The next day, All Saints Day, brings our annual celebration of all those who have reached heaven, not only the famous saints we read about, but also the countless ordinary people who quietly lived holy lives and now rest in God’s presence. They are inspiring examples of perseverance, heroes in faith, and models of charity. They remind us that heaven is possible, and that holiness isn’t reserved for a select few, but something we’re all called to. 

Then comes All Souls Day, on November 2^nd, a more sobering day when the Church prays for all the faithful departed who have not yet reached heaven – those in Purgatory. 

Purgatory is one of the most misunderstood teachings of our faith, even widely rejected by our Protestant brothers and sisters. It’s not a “mini-hell” or a punishment, but rather an expression of God’s mercy. The Catechism tells us that Purgatory is for those who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still need to be purified before entering the fullness of heaven. It’s a place, or perhaps better said, a process of perfecting love. The Church refers to scripture for this teaching in 2 Maccabees 12:42-46, Matthew 5:26 & Matthew 12:32.

Imagine standing before God, the source of all goodness, love, and beauty. Even the smallest trace of sin or selfishness would feel out of place in that light. Purgatory is where God removes those last traces of imperfection so that we can stand before him fully free. It’s not about God’s anger, but his desire to make us whole. 

When we pray for the souls in Purgatory, we participate in that work of mercy. We offer Masses, prayers, and sacrifices for them, trusting that God uses those prayers to speed their journey to heaven. In turn, the souls we pray for will one day pray for us. 

The triduum of All Hallow’s Eve, All Saints, and All Souls is not a reflection on death, but a proclamation of hope. The hope that no soul is ever forgotten, that every soul is loved, and that through God’s mercy, all are invited to be made perfect in his presence for eternity. 

The post From Here to Eternity first appeared on Make Church Matter.

The post From Here to Eternity appeared first on Make Church Matter.