Parish renewal can look very different when you're no longer talking about it from a diocesan office—but actually living it as a pastor and parish leader.
In Episode 231, Ron Huntley sits down with Fr. Peter Wojcik and Marco Oropeza talk about what they have learned through years of pastoral renewal at St. Clement Parish in Chicago—and why those lessons eventually led them to launch Magnified Ministries.
If you're a pastor or parish leader wondering how to move from ideas about renewal into the lived reality of parish transformation, this conversation is for you.
And if you're ready to take an honest look at your own parish, take the Parish Missional Health Assessment at huntleyleadership.com.
In this episode, you'll learn:
– Why renewal leaders need to experience transformation themselves, not simply teach a strategy to others.
– Why parish transformation moves much more slowly than a strategic plan might suggest, and why that slowness can be valuable.
– How listening to a parish community can become the starting point for vision, strategy, and engagement.
– How pastors and parish councils can work together without confusing their different responsibilities and authority.
– How to create meaningful connection and belonging as a parish grows larger, including the use of smaller communities and trained leaders who listen rather than simply promote programs.
– Why parish renewal requires identifying, forming, and releasing lay leaders rather than relying on the pastor to carry every ministry.
– Why pastors shouldn't assume they have to build renewal alone.
About Fr. Peter Wojcik
Fr. Peter Wojcik is pastor of Saint Clement Parish and Pastoral Strategy Leader for the Archdiocese of Chicago. He teaches negotiation and change management at the Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University and serves on the board of Alpha USA and the Vatican's Centesimus Annus pro Pontifice Foundation.
Born in Lublin, Poland, Fr. Peter came to Chicago in 2003 for graduate studies at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago in 2008 and later served with the Renew My Church initiative, helping lead parish spiritual renewal efforts.
His academic background includes human behaviour and philosophy, an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, an MA in Theology, and post-master certifications in medical ethics, spirituality, and preaching.
About Marco Oropeza
Marco is a Partner with Aberdeen Advisors where he works closely with CEOs and senior leadership teams on large scale technology enabled transformations. Before joining Aberdeen, Marco was the Chief Program Management Officer for the Archdiocese of Chicago and a Project Leader with The Boston Consulting Group.
Marco holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a BBA from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. He and his wife Christina have 3 children and reside in Chicago. He is a co-founder of Magnified Ministries.
Links
St. Clement Parish: https://www.clement.org
Fr. Peter on Instagram & Facebook: @chicagopriest
St. Clement Parish YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3DpoPMWpWT98bkaGmIoAyg
Mentioned Resource
Magnified Ministries — a ministry founded by Fr. Peter and Marco to share practical lessons, stories, and approaches for engaging the next generation and helping church leaders learn from what has worked—and what hasn't—in parish life. Visit https://www.magnified-ministries.org/
Take the Parish Missional Health Assessment:
https://huntleyleadership.com
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