Once a month on a Friday evening from June to October, cars begin pulling into the driveway of the Woodiel family’s home in rural Goshen. When Tom and Amanda Woodiel, parishioners at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Goshen, purchased their property on a county road, Amanda said: “Immediately we knew that it was meant for more than us. It was providential that we got this property that was a couple of acres, and we knew that it was meant to be for more than just our family to enjoy.” Shortly after moving there, the Woodiel family began asking how they wanted to use the property to help their community. Knowing that there aren’t many spaces for the St. John the Evangelist Parish community to gather, the Woodiels thought their property could be an additional space where people could come together outside of the context of the Mass and get to know one another and their priest. Members of St. John the Evangelist Parish community in Goshen, including Father Brian Florin, left, pose for a photo during a recent “Barn Talk” event at the home of Tom and Amanda Woodiel. One Friday night a month from June through October, the Woodiel family hosts an evening of prayer and fellowship at their rural Goshen home. “Not everyone is comfortable with inviting the priest over for dinner, so we thought this would be a space where people could get to know the priest better and in a different way – without that intimidation some might feel by inviting them over for dinner,” Amanda said. “So then we had to come up with: how do we want to use this? And we thought, well, we would have the priest here so they could talk about something. And then we thought about having the fire and praying the Rosary,” Amanda told Today’s Catholic. She said the phrase, ‘We learn together, we play together, and we pray together’ came to her. And now that is the formula and mission of what became known as Barn Talks. At the time, Amanda was not working at the parish, although now she is the Marriage and Family Support coordinator. But this was totally a Woodiel family idea, and she approached the pastor at the time, Father Royce Gregerson, with the idea, and she said he was very open to it. Parishioners from St. John the Evangelist in Goshen play a game during a recent “Barn Talk” event. They were trying to figure out what would he talk about, and during the Lenten talks that year, they discussed how Catholics should fill themselves with good and beautiful things, so Father Gregerson, who is now the pastor at Our Lady of Good Hope Parish in Fort Wayne, based the talks on beauty. One month, he spoke about poetry; another month, he based his talk on beautiful architecture; and another month, he spoke about the beauty to be found in art and music. Last year’s Barn Talks concluded with a potluck supper and square dance. “So this year, I wanted to make it about the treasures of our faith,” Amanda said. St. John’s new pastor, Father Brian Florin, and Father Oscar Duarte, who is parochial vicar at St. John the Evangelist, alternate doing the talks. Topics have included the Rosary, the Holy Land, the lives of the saints, the Shroud of Turin, and the 14 stations of the Eucharist. “A couple of priorities that we have emphasized at St. John’s over the last several years have been focused on ongoing support of marriages and family life, as well as continued growth together as disciples of Jesus,” Father Florin said. “We are so blessed to have had Barn Talks, which has helped to contribute to these vital priorities of our parish over the past two years.” “The format of ‘Learn together, play together, pray together’ provides enough of a structure for the evening while leaving space for organic conversation and fellowship,” Father Florin added. “Having it at a family’s home also creates a relaxed and inviting environment for people to interact outside of the normal Sunday routine. Ultimately, Barn Talks is a low-barrier evangelization tool that can simultaneously appeal to the family of seven, the couple married for 50 years, or the young adults simply seeking a faith-based community.” Father Florin continued: “The communal nature of the evening is so edifying to be a part of, personally speaking, but I think, more particularly, the Rosary that we pray together around the bonfire at the end of the evening has truly been something remarkable. On more than one occasion, I have simply looked around the group gathered together – sometimes close to 100 people – and I’ve had my heart swell with joy and gratitude at this parish family praying together. And the Lord has called me to be the spiritual father!” “I have heard similar sentiments from various parishioners as well regarding Barn Talks,” Father Florin said. “Some parishioners have commented that the joy of this community is so evident on those summer and fall Friday evenings when we have Barn Talks. Others have been deeply appreciative of the talks and presentations given by one of the priests, and still others have simply expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to be together as a parish family,” he said. Amanda said that between 50 to 90 people attend each Barn Talk. “At the first one, I was so stressed out,” Amanda said. “I had no idea what to expect. Would we have 12 people? Would we have 50 people? But we have had between 50 and 90 people at  every one – some regulars and some newcomers at each one, too.” Amanda said it was important to her to have it be a beautiful space, so she’s hung up curtains to hide all of the “barn things,” used pottery, and set out flowers. She pops popcorn every month and makes a dessert because she didn’t want people to have the stress of having to bring something, although they do end the season with a potluck dinner. Amanda said the whole family pitches in to help make the nights go smoothly. “The kids do a ton of work to put on Barn Talks,” Amanda said. “I couldn’t do it without them. But the kids really enjoy it.” “In recent months, more of our bilingual parishioners have started to attend the Barn Talks as well, so it is great that this is an intergenerational and intercultural activity,” Amanda said. “I wanted it to be a place where you can come whether you have kids or you don’t have kids, whether you don’t play games or you love to play games. And I’m very impressed with the courage of some people to come to a house where they’ve never been before, to do something that they’ve never done before,” she said. “It’s been fun to get to know people in a different way,” she said, citing an example of a senior female parishioner whom she said she would never have thought could hit a walnut with a golf club across the driveway better than anybody else in one of last year’s games. Amanda also shared about a brand new parishioner who came without knowing anyone. “I love seeing the teen boys praying the Rosary together,” Amanda said. “I don’t make the little ones come pray, but I do encourage the teens to come and pray the Rosary with us, and it’s just so neat to see everyone gathered together praying the Rosary,” she said. One parishioner commented that it makes her heart swell to see all of the families with the children growing up together, having Catholic friends – something her own children did not have when they were growing up in this area. Amanda responded that that was another motivation behind Barn Talks. “I wanted it to be about community, about enjoying a beautiful space, about making memories,” she said. When asked what she thought the fruits of Barn Talks have been, she told Today’s Catholic: “I do think that it’s increased community, especially after COVID; I think people forgot how to get together and the importance of getting together in person. And so I do think that it’s increased community, and it has allowed people to have an opportunity to know their priests better and in a different way.” Father Florin said: “I am deeply grateful to the Woodiel family for opening their home and facilitating this awesome parish experience. May the Lord abundantly bless this parish and raise up great saints among us.” Amanda told Today’s Catholic that if anyone wants more information from her about how to facilitate a program like Barn Talks at their parish, they can contact her at [email protected]. The post ‘Barn Talks’ Help Community Learn, Play, Pray Together appeared first on Today's Catholic.