Publications by Mark F. Fischer starting in 1990:
“Parish Pastoral Councils: Purpose, Consultation, Leadership,” Center Paper 4 (New York: National Pastoral Life Center, 1990), 12 pp.
“Seminar on Ecclesiology,” Proceedings of the Catholic Theological Society of America 45 (1990): 106-108.
“Are Parish Councils Competent?” Today’s Parish (Nov/Dec 1990): 15-16.
“Liturgy Committees: New Tasks, Old Problems,” Liturgical Life V:5 (Sept./Oct. 1991).
“How Should Councils Spend Their Time?” Part I: Today’s Parish (September, 1991): 20-22; and Part II: Today’s Parish (October, 1991): 18-20.
“Seminar on Ecclesiology,” Proceedings of the Catholic Theological Society of America 46 (1991): 164-166.
“Parish Councils: Where Does the Pastor Fit In?” Today’s Parish (Nov./Dec. 1991): 13-15.
“Should Your Council Have Committees?” Today’s Parish (Jan., 1992): 15-17.
“When Should a Pastor Not Consult the Council?” Today’s Parish (March 1992): 18-20.
“What Gives Father the ‘Right’?” Today’s Parish (Apr./May 1992): 19-21.
“Against Representation,” Today’s Parish (September 1992): 23-26.
“Parish Councils on Mission: A Radical Proposal,” Today’s Parish (Oct. 1992): 19-22.
“Seminar on Ecclesiology,” Proceedings of the Catholic Theological Society of America 47 (1992): 140-143.
“Lessons from Small Communities,” Today’s Parish (Nov./Dec. 1992): 19-23.
“What’s More Important–Process or Product?” Today’s Parish (January 1993): 21-23. Reprinted by the Conference for Pastoral Planning and Council Development in February of 1993.
“Jesus Never Sought Consensus,” Today’s Parish (March 1993): 23-26.
“The Conciliar Passion,” Today’s Parish (April/May 1993): 23-25.
“Facilitation: You Need More than Good Technique,” Today’s Parish (September 1993): 23-26.
“How Democratic Should Your Council Be?” Today’s Parish (Oct. 1993): 23-26.
“Parish Council Members: Made or Born?” Today’s Parish (Nov./Dec. 1993): 17-19, 32.
“Parish Councils: Then and Now,” Today’s Parish (January 1994): 19-21, 29.
“Should Finance Councils Answer to Parish Councils?” Today’s Parish (March 1994): 21-23, 32.
“The First Pastoral Council.” Today’s Parish (April/May 1994): 4-5, 24-25.
“When Your Pastor Is Dysfunctional.” Today’s Parish (Sept. 1994): 11-13, 23.
“Who Really Leads the Council?” Today’s Parish (Oct. 1994): 9-11, 22.
“Pastoral Planning in Practice.” Today’s Parish (Nov./Dec. 1994): 11-13, 22-23.
Book Review of Peter Ochs (ed.), The Return to Scripture in Judaism and Christianity: Essays in Postcritical Scriptural Interpretation, The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 57 (1995): 431-433.
“What’s Wrong with the ‘Council of Ministries’?” Today’s Parish (Jan. ’95): 11-13, 22-23.
“Why Would a Pastor Want a Council?” Today’s Parish (Sept. ’95): 9-11, 28-29.
“The Right and Wrong Reasons for Joining a Council.” Today’s Parish (October 1995): 12-14, 24.
“Competing Visions of Pastoral Councils.” In Arthur X. Deegan, II, Editor. Developing a Vibrant Parish Pastoral Council. Mahwah: Paulist, 1995. Pp. 36-50.
“When the Pastor Is Ahead of the Council.” Today’s Parish (Jan., 1996):9-11, 24-25.
“Keeping Your Council on Track.” Today’s Parish (March, 1996): 31-33.
“Developing a Spanish-Language Theological Library Collection.” Domenico Di Raimondo, Patricia Fessier, and Mark Fischer. Seminary Journal 2:1 (Spring, 1996):34-40.
“Stop Staggering Council Elections.” Today’s Parish (April/May 1996):31-33.
“The Role of the Leader in Building an Effective Parish Council.” Today’s Parish (September, 1996): 32-35.
“The Future of the Parish and Its Priestly Leadership.” Today’s Parish (October 1996): 26-29.
“Can . . . and Should Our Parish Councils Be Democratic?” Today’s Parish (November/December 1996): 32-35.
“Common Sense About Councils.” Church 12:4 (Winter, 1996): 10-14.
“Breathe Fresh Spirit into Your Parish Pastoral Council.” Today’s Parish (January 1997): 29-31.
“Parish Councils: Why Good Delegators Don’t Always Make Good Leaders.” Today’s Parish 29:3 (March 1997):27-30.
“When a Pastor and a Council Disagree.” Today’s Parish (April/May 1997): 19-22.
“Select Group on Pastoral Councils.” Report for the Proceedings of the Catholic Theological Society of America, vol. 52 (forthcoming).
“Help Your Parish Council Be Better This Year,” Today’s Parish 29:5 (September 1997): 8-11.
“Three Common Council Problems . . . And What to Do About Them,” Today’s Parish 29:6 (October 1997): 11-15.
“‘Consultative Only’? The Parish Council and the Pastor,” Today’s Parish 29:7 (November/December 1997): 26-29.
“Pastoral Councils: An Empirical Portrait,” unpublished survey of pastoral councils guidelines in the U.S.A. (1995).
“When a Pastoral and a Finance Council Disagree,” Today’s Parish 30:1 (January 1998): 8-12.
“Parish Councils: Whose Interpretation of Vatican II Was Right?” Proceedings of the Catholic Theological Society of America, vol. 52, Annual Convention (Minneapolis, June 5-8, 1997): 125-126.
“Can a Parish Assembly Create a Youth Ministry?” Published as “The Pastor, the Council, and a Parish Assembly,” Today’s Parish 30:3 (March 1998): 20-23.
“Should Pastoral Councils Coordinate Volunteers?” Published as “Pitfalls for Parish Councils: Are You Getting Mired in Minutiae?” Today’s Parish 30:4 (April/May 1998): 28-30.
“Starting a Pastoral Council? Start with Your Pastor!” Published as “The Pastor and the Successful Pastoral Council,” Today’s Parish 30:6 (October 1998): 20-24.
“Whom Does the Council Represent?” Today’s Parish 30:7 (Nov./Dec. 1998): 22-25.
“The Pastor and His Domesticated Council,” Today’s Parish 31:1 (Jan. 1999): 28-30.
“The Basics of a Successful Council Meeting,” Today’s Parish 31:3 (March, 1999): 24-27.
“Inculturating the Council.” Today’s Parish (April, 1999).
“What Was Vatican II’s Intent Regarding Parish Councils?” Studia Canonica 33 (1999): 5-25.
“Parish Pastoral Councils: How Many Are There? How Do Bishops Support Them?” In Ruth T. Doyle, Robert E. Schmitz, and Mary Beth Celio, Editors. Laity, Parish, and Ministry. Monograph no. 1 in the series Research Monographs of the Catholic Research Forum of the Conference for Pastoral Planning and Council Development. New York: Office of Pastoral Research and Planning, Archdiocese of New York, 1999. Pp. 82-106.
“The Perils of Sharing Responsibility,” Today’s Parish 31:6 (October, 1999): 28-31.
“The Pastor, Staff, and Council: Ways to Avoid Tension,” Today’s Parish 32:1 (January 2000): 29-31.
“Consultation Must Be More than ‘Advice-Giving’!” Today’s Parish 32:3 (March 2000): 17-19.
“If I Were Starting a Pastoral Council . . .” Today’s Parish 32:5 (September 2000): 14-17.
“Lessons from a Navajo Pastoral Council: Reinventing a Stalled Council.” Today’s Parish 33:3 (March 2001): 12-15.
“Pastors and Councils: Who Sets the Agenda?” Today’s Parish 33:4 (April/May 2001): 20-23.
Pastoral Councils in Today’s Catholic Parish. Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications – Bayard, 2001. 300 pages. $24.95.
“Should Your Pastoral Council Coordinate Volunteers?” Today’s Parish 33:5 (September 2001): 8-11.
“Parish Problems: Should You Ask Your Council? When . . . and Why?” Today’s Parish 33:6 (October 2001): 24-27.
I Like Being in Parish Ministry: Pastoral Council. Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications – Bayard, 2001. 48 pages. $4.95.
Editor (with Mary Margaret Raley). Four Ways to Build More Effective Parish Councils: A Pastoral Approach. Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications – Bayard, 2002. 215 pages. $19.95.
“The Culturally Integrated Council.” Written with Maria Elena Uribe. In Mark Fischer and Mary Margaret Raley, Editors. Four Ways to Build More Effective Parish Councils: A Pastoral Approach. Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications – Bayard, 2002. Pp. 182-193.
“The Pastor, the Experts, and the Pastoral Council.” Today’s Parish 34:3 (March 2002): 12-15.
“The Top Three Council Models: A Comparison Guide.” Today’s Parish 34:7 (Nov/Dec. 2002): 14-17.
“‘Sounding’ Out the Parish.” Today’s Parish 35:6 (Oct. 2003): 16-19
“The Donatist Controversy and a Local Theology of Church Management,” Chapter 1 of Charles E. Zech, Editor, The Parish Management Handbook (Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications – Bayard, 2003).
“The Pastoral Council and Parish Management,” Chapter 2 of Charles E. Zech, Editor, The Parish Management Handbook (Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications – Bayard, 2003).
“Five Essential Lessons about Pastoral Planning,” Today’s Parish 36:6 (October, 2004): 9-13.
“Rahner’s Theology of Grace.” Refresh: A Journal of Contemplative Spirituality 5:1 (Winter 2005): 13-16.
“Rahner and the Avatar, or Divinization in Rahner and the Claims of Adi Da Samraj,” Chapter 11 in Paul G. Crowley, S.J., Rahner Beyond Rahner: A Great Theologian Encounters the Pacific Rim (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., (A Sheed & Ward Book), 2005): 137-146.
“Selecting Effective Pastoral Council Members.” Article written with Sr. Rosalie Murphy, SND deN. Posted in 2005 on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Secretariat for Family, Laity, Women and Youth.
The Foundations of Karl Rahner. A Paraphrase of the Foundations of Christian Faith, with an Introduction and Indices. New York: Crossroad Publishing (a Herder and Herder Book), 2005.
“Impoverished and Enriched Agendas,” Today’s Parish 37:7 (Nov./Dec. 2005), 14-15.
“In Praise of Council Secretaries,” Today’s Parish 38:1 (Jan. 2006): 16-21.
Parish Pastoral Councils: A General Orientation, in-service PowerPoint presentation for councils (first presented at “Pastoring in Today’s Church,” Workshop for Pastoral Leaders with Sharon Hueckel, Thursday, June 14, 2007, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM, La Quinta Resort, Palm Springs, CA).
“Christology,” Proceedings of the Catholic Theological Society of America, vol. 63 (summary of the Topic Area Discussion of “Jesus of Galilee for Culturally Contextualized Theologies Grounded in the Option for the Poor,” featuring Robert Lassalle-Klein (Moderator, Holy Names University), Sophia Park (Holy Names University), Michael E. Lee (Fordham University), and Jamie Phelps (Xavier University) at the Miami annual meeting, June 5-8, 2008), pp. 146-147.
“Charlotte Guideline Focuses on Council of Ministries,” Conference for Pastoral Planning and Council Development (CPPCD) Member Update (April, 2008), p. 2.
“Karl Rahner and the Immortality of the Soul,” St. Anselm Journal 6:1 (Fall 2008), Presentation at the Metaphysics Colloquium, St. Anselm College, Manchester, NH, June 11-12, 2008.
“The Parish Pastoral Council,” CHURCH magazine, vol. 24, no. 4 (December 1, 2008) pages CS1-CS3 (the lead article in a special Center Section on Pastoral Planning and Councils ).
Our Parish at Prayer: Pastoral Council (Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications – Bayard, 2010). ISBN 978-1-58595-810-8
Making Parish Councils Pastoral (New York and Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2010). ISBN 978-0-80914-676-5.
“Rahner’s ‘New Christology’ in Foundations of Christian Faith,” Philosophy/Theology, Marquette University Journal, vol. 22:1-2 (2010): 389-404.
“Preparing Seminarians for Pastoral Leadership,” Seminary Journal 16.3 (Winter 2010): 5-17.
Book Review: Dan R. Ebner, Servant Leadership Models for Your Parish (Mahwah and New York: Paulist Press, 2010).
Book Review: Charles E. Zech, Mary L. Gautier, Robert J. Miller, and Mary E. Bendyna, RSM, Best Practices of Catholic Pastoral and Finance Councils (Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, 2010).
Book Review: Sr. Brenda Hermann and Msgr. James Gaston, Build a Life-Giving Parish: The Gift of Counsel in the Modern World (Ligouri, MO: Ligouri Publications, 2010).
Book Review: Debra Snoddy, Jim Campbell, and Andrew McNally, Parish Pastoral Councils: A Formation Manual (Dublin: Veritas Publications, 2010).
Book Review: Vincentian Center for Church and Society, A Concise Guide to Catholic Church Management, in the Concise Guide Series, edited by Kevin E. McKenna (Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press, 2010).
Review: Loughlan Sofield, S.T., and Carroll Juliano, S. H.C.J., Principled Ministry: A Guidebook for Catholic Church Leaders (Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press, 2011). Seminary Journal (spring, 2012).
Book Review: Paul F. Peri, Catholic Parish Administration: A Handbook (New York and Mahwah: Paulist Press, 2012).
Book Review: John C. Sivalon, God’s Mission and Postmodern Culture: The Gift of Uncertainty (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2012).
Book Review: Michael White and Tom Corcoran, Rebuilt: The Story of a Catholic Parish: Awakening the Faithful, Reaching the Lost, Making Church Matter, Foreword by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan (Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press, 2013).
“Karl Rahner,” Chapter 17 in The Routledge Companion to Modern Christian Thought, edited by Chad Meister and James Beilby (London and New York: Routledge, 2013).
“Karl Rahner’s Transcendental Christology,” Philosophy and Theology (Marquette University Journal), 26. 2 (2014): 383–395.
“The Soteriologies of Karl Rahner and Hans Urs von Balthasar,” Philosophy and Theology (Marquette University Journal), 28.2 (2016): 1-13.
(With James A. Coriden) Parish Councils: Pastoral and Finance, vol. 1 in the series CLSA Pastoral Resources (Washington, DC: Canon Law Society of America, 2016).
Book Review: William E. Simon, Jr., Great Catholic Parishes: A Living Mosaic: How Four Essential Practices Make Them Thrive (Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press, 2016).
(With Paul Spellman) “The Pastoral Council and Consultative Leadership,” pp. 54-65 in Paul A. Holmes, Editor, A Pastor’s Toolbox 2: More Management Skills for Parish Leadership (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2017).
“Idealism, Metaphysics, Finitude: An Appreciation of Karl Rahner’s Theological Aesthetics, by Peter Joseph Fritz,” presentation to the Karl Rahner Breakfast (at the annual convention of the Catholic Theological Society of America), Albuquerque, June 10, 2017; to be published in Philosophy and Theology (Marquette University Journal), forthcoming.
