Brad Bursa

The following is an excerpt from my new book Surviving Catholic Ministry, pgs. 64–65. Though they are to be places of prayer, parishes are noisy things. There is a lot of chatter. It’s easy to participate in it and for this noise to sweep us away. The world is noisy enough as it is. The…

Quick takes from Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI Recently, a few passages from Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI have been floating through my head. They all have to do with the triple-theme of humility, resiliency, and courage.1 Regarding humility, he says that we need humiliations. This appears in his Last Testament, as he recounts a certain academic…

On Recovering a Sacramental Worldview I am speaking at a high school youth ministry event in the near future. In this post, I’m attempting to convert my talk notes into an essay. In the talk itself, I will likely say what follows or something similar. I never really know until it’s happening. I once heard…

On the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows — September 15 Love righteousness, you rulers of the earth,think of the Lord with uprightness,and seek him with sincerity of heart;because he is found by those who do not put him to the test,and manifests himself to those who do not distrust him.For perverse thoughts separate men…

A lesson from a Russian farm Yesterday, I attended a Beacons of Light event with Archbishop Robert Casey. He shared his vocation story and then spent the rest of the time fielding questions. His answers resonated with my experience. The archbishop emphasized the cultural shift from a Christendom culture to a new apostolic age (à…

A reflection on Rev 21:1–5 At Stella Maris, we are implementing a theme for the ministry year (2025–2026). The theme will help bring to life our Little Commission and serve as a thematic thread running through our programming this year. It aims to be memorable and inspiring, and a source of a kind of enduring…

A roundabout reflection on the 4th commandment Sitting with my dad watching my son play ball, I can see my dad looks more like his dad every day. I’m not with my dad that often — every few months or so. But when I am, I can see he’s becoming my grandpa who has been…

Practical Wisdom (Part V) Back when we were expecting our first child, I was afraid. I was twenty-three and stressed — unprepared and uncertain about the reality of a baby girl being born in about a month. I relayed my anxiety to a priest. He said something along this line: No amount of parenting books…

How a shift in mindset gave me new life in ministry. Sitting over a cup of coffee several years back, a ministry colleague paid me a confusing complement. After peppering me with questions about my parish work, he blurted out: “You’re a craftsman.” This struck me as odd. I didn’t feel like a craftsman. I…

A Contemporary ‘Soul of the Apostolate’ for the Lay Minister My new book is out. It’s title: Surviving Catholic Ministry: A Contemporary ‘Soul of the Apostolate’ for the Lay Minister. Ironically, the earliest manuscript of this work emerged during a season of life when it seemed I didn’t survive ministry. I thought I’d share a…