PATRICK J. BRENNAN

EDUCATION

St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, Mundelein
Niles College of Loyola University, Chicago
Quigley South Preparatory Seminary, Chicago
St. Thomas More Grade School, Chicago

Doctor of Clinical Psychology (October, 2002) - Adler School of Professional Psychology
Master of Psychotherapy – Adler School of Professional Psychology - 1987
Doctor of Ministry - St. Mary of the Lake Seminary - 1980
Licentiate of Sacred Theology - St. Mary of the Lake Seminary - 1973
Master of Divinity - St. Mary of the Lake - 1973

Ordained a Roman Catholic Priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago on May 9, 1973.

PRESENT ASSIGNMENTS

Father Brennan is currently the Pastor at Holy Family Parish in Inverness, Illinois.

Father Brennan is also on the faculty of the Catholic Theological Union, Dominican University Pastoral Institute, and Loyola - New Orleans Institute of Pastoral Ministry Extension Program. He has also served on the faculties of Loyola - Chicago Institute of Pastoral Studies, and Xavier University Pastoral Ministry Institute.

He is president of the National Center for Evangelization and Parish Renewal, which is based in Chicago and offers missions and training in various dimensions of evangelization around the country. He has done extensive training in the area of evangelization, youth ministry, RCIA, religious education, parish renewal and pastoral care both nationally and internationally.

Father Brennan currently does psychotherapy at Holy Family Parish, and also Newsome & Associates Group, Orland Park, Illinois.

PAST ASSIGNMENTS

Father Brennan served as a deacon at St. Paul of the Cross Parish in Park Ridge. His first assignment was St. Hubert Parish in Hoffman Estates where Father Brennan served as Director of Religious Education, Youth Minister, and Associate Pastor. He also served at St. Albert the Great Parish in Burbank as Associate Pastor and D.R.E. For eleven years, Father Brennan was the Associate Pastor at St. Michael’s Church in Orland Park. In 1993-94, Father Brennan was an Associate Pastor and the Coordinator of Evangelization, Stewardship and Training at Holy Family Parish in Inverness, Illinois.

For 13 years, beginning January, 1980, Father Brennan was the Director of the Office for Evangelization of the Archdiocese of Chicago. The focus of Father Brennan’s work with the Office, with the Center for Evangelization, Catechesis and Religious Education at Loyola-Chicago Institute of Pastoral Studies, and with the National Center for Evangelization and Parish Renewal has been helping parishes in renewal programs for the active and inactive Catholic as well as reaching out to the unchurched. Additional areas of ministry are: parish missions, evangelization of youth, designing family sacramental programs, Homecoming, and Remember and Return experiences for the active and inactive, the forming of R.C.I.A. teams, neighborhood ministry, and helping staffs to discern vision and strategies for the parish.

In June of 1984, Father Brennan was elected founding President of the National Council for Catholic Evangelization. His role in this organization was to network leaders in evangelization around the country.

Father Brennan served as a Visiting Professor at Loyola University at the Institute of Pastoral Studies and was the Coordinator of the Center for Evangelization, Catechesis and Religious Education of Loyola’s IPS from 1992 through August, 1994. He was on the part-time faculty of the Institute for an additional 11 years.

Father Brennan has been a consultant for the Chicago Office for Divine Worship, the Archdiocesan Catholic School Office, Office for Youth Ministry, Office of Religious Education and the Office for Parish Councils, as well as similar offices in Milwaukee, Kansas City-Missouri, West Palm Beach, Metuchen-New Jersey, Kansas City-Kansas, Dublin and Carlow-Ireland, Syracuse, Denver, Seattle, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Erie, Omaha, Fargo, LaCrosse, Houston, Dallas, Albuquerque, Savannah, Green Bay, Camden, Hamburg-Germany, Toronto, and various dioceses in Australia & Great Britain.

OTHER INFORMATION

Father Brennan’s program, Horizons, is currently heard on five local radio programs every Sunday.

Father Brennan has worked with ecumenical groups in doing ecumenical training in evangelization.

Father Patrick Brennan is the author of the following:

• The Way of Forgiveness, Servant Publications, 2000
• Contagious Faith, a tape series, Credence Cassettes, 1997
• The Peoples’ Catechism, Crossroad/Herder & Herder, 1996
• Re-Imagining Evangelization: Toward the Reign of God and the Communal Parish, Crossroads Publishing Company, 1995
• F.L.A.M.E. - Full Cycle Youth Evangelization, Tabor, 1993
• Paschal Journey: Reflections on Psycho-Spiritual Growth, Thomas More Press, 1992
• Parishes That Excel, The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1992
• Re-Imagining the Parish, The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1990
• The Reconciling Parish: A Process for Returning or Alienated Catholics, Tabor Publishing, 1990
• The Purple Rainbow: A Book About Hurt; A Book About Hope, Thomas More Press, 1989
• The Evangelizing Parish, Tabor, 1987
• He has been a contributing author to:
  1. Catholic Evangelization Today: A New Pentecost for the United States, Paulist, 1986;
  2. Ministries Magazine
  3. The New World
  4. The Catholic Evangelist
  5. Chicago Studies
  6. America magazine.
• Guidelines for Contemporary Catholics: Penance and Reconciliation, Thomas More Press, 1986
• Spirituality for an Anxious Age, Thomas More Press, 1985
• Parish Spirituality, Office for Evangelization, 1984-1987 - A series of booklets for basic Christian Communities