Magdalen Discipleship Center aims to feed adult faith, fellowship
Catholics are known for perceptible faith expressions such as candles, religious art, and stained glass; as well as “smells and bells” liturgies in which the congregation stands, sits, and kneels; and sacraments that involve tangible signs such as water, bread, and wine. Therefore, it seems only right that Wichita’s Church of the Magdalen has established a visible reality that Pastor Fr. David Marstall believes reflects an invisible one.
“I think the physical space is really an expression of a spiritual space in people’s hearts and souls,” said Fr. Marstall.
The aforementioned physical space is the new Magdalen Discipleship Center that the parish opened this fall. Magdalen Director of Evangelization and Discipleship Amanda Prieto describes it as a place other than a coffee shop or residence in which adult parishioners can gather, and cites it as evidence of God at work.
“A lot of people believe the Holy Spirit is moving and working in our diocese and our Church,” she said. “People are hungrier for fellowship, Catholic friendships, and opportunities to discuss our faith. This is a perfect opportunity to give them a place to meet that is everyone’s home. People want more, and this is a space to help facilitate that.”
Magdalen parishioner and Building and Design Committee member Colleen Wittler adds that the Discipleship Center is designed as a hospitable place to which adults will gravitate. “It’s a place to linger,” she said. “People don’t linger in the gathering space unless they’re in line for donuts. We need more places where it’s inviting to pause and just be with each other.”
More than leftovers
Fr. Marstall, who came to Magdalen from Wichita’s St. Anne Parish in July, acknowledges construction projects have never been his favorite part of being a pastor. Even so, he observes, the Discipleship Center was almost complete when he arrived. “When Bishop Kemme informed me I was moving, I kind of hoped to get a parish where I wouldn’t have to build anything,” he said. “I came to one in which most of the work had already been done and I get to enjoy the fruits.”
Fr. Marstall’s predecessor at Magdalen was Fr. John Jirak, who says the venue’s genesis lies in results revealed a few years ago by the Diocese of Wichita’s Catholic school student surveys. That data showed only about half of the diocese’s secondary school students regularly attended Sunday Mass.
“Showing up on Sundays is basically the first criterion to be able to play the game,” Fr. Jirak said. “It’s counterintuitive, but my epiphany was that the future depends on our adults. The Church teaches that parents are the first educators for their children, and as such, the first to lead their kids in the way of faith and discipleship.”
Fr. Jirak said he followed a thread of thought that recognized the great extent to which the stewardship way of life depended on discipleship. Except there could be no disciples without evangelization. “That required investing in adults, in evangelizing and building up adult disciples, who the Church teaches are the primary educators of their children,” he said. “If all we give adults are leftovers, that is all they will give us.”
Fr. Marstall concurs. “Sometimes we love our children to a fault,” he said. “I do not want to downplay the importance of their formation, but sometimes we may emphasize that at the expense of forming adults and even give the impression that’s how it’s supposed to be. I am excited our adult parishioners will have a giant reminder that their faith formation is important.”
As Fr. Jirak raised the idea, Wittler says parishioners recognized that smaller meeting spaces might create the desired atmosphere, while also being functional.
“Magdalen has many parish groups and ministries that meet regularly, and it has often been very difficult to find a space to reserve for meetings,” she said. “Until the addition of the Adult Discipleship Center, our meeting space options were primarily two or three large rooms. We determined that we needed a designated meeting area with smaller, more intimate rooms which would be inviting, comfortable, and available for adult faith formation and fellowship.
After all, she considers, when new adults arrive, Magdalen’s size makes it easy to feel anonymous and disconnected, especially for those without children heading into the parish school as a way to quickly plug them into the community. “It can be intimidating and hard to grab hold of anything,” Wittler said. “We wanted a welcoming space that would not be overwhelming, a place where we can invite people to participate and be a part of the parish.”
“Even parents with kids in high school sometimes say they no longer feel as connected, since the school is such a large ministry of the parish,” Prieto added. “We need to think of ways to connect people. It may include personal invitations catered to certain age groups and demographics.”
Essentially, Fr. Marstall suggests, the Discipleship Center is a landing spot for both spontaneous fellowship and planned activities.
“Groups can reserve it for Bible studies and such, but if people want to get together after Mass, stop in during the day, or have a place to talk when they’re here to pick up their kids, it works,” he said. “The church and adoration chapel are great for quiet prayer, but people who want to do something together need another place. This is one where they can drop in or reserve a space.”
Fr. Marstall cited Prieto’s assessment that the center shows God at work, and expressed enthusiasm to see what would come of it. “I have told our parishioners that we are creating a space for the Holy Spirit, and we never know exactly what he’s going to do,” he said. “We may have ideas, but he always surprises us. I am excited to watch it unfold and discern how the Holy Spirit wants to use this space to produce something good that we cannot yet foresee.”