Encountering Christ, Walking Together

My name is Laurie Archbold, and I am excited to begin a new chapter serving at the Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist as part of the faith formation team, supporting evangelization, prayer, and hospitality. I look forward to working alongside the many ministries and parishioners who make St. Johns such a vibrant Catholic community in the heart of Rochester. 

I believe belonging is one of the great needs of our time. Many people are lonely, searching, overwhelmed, or unsure where they fit. Others may be lifelong Catholics who are ready to go deeper but need encouragement, formation, or a renewed invitation. Still others may be visitors, seekers, returning Catholics, young families, or people carrying burdens that are not visible. That is one of the reasons this new role feels so meaningful to me. The mission of this position is closely connected to hospitality, prayer, evangelization, lifelong faith formation, and helping people encounter Jesus Christ more fully through the life of the parish. 

I was born and raised Catholic, and throughout my life I have been drawn to the beauty, mystery, and depth of the Catholic faith. Even when I did not fully understand all that God was doing in my life, there was a quiet sense that faith was meant to be more than something private or occasional. It was meant to shape how I lived, loved, served, worked, and listened for God’s will. 

Laurie on a pilgrimage to Fatima

My husband, John, and I have been married for 26 years, and we have two young adult children, Emma and Jack. Like many families, we have experienced faith through the ordinary rhythms of life: prayer, parish life, the sacraments, parenting, work, joys, questions, and the many ways God gently invites us to trust Him more deeply. Family life has taught me that belonging begins in small acts of love, patience, welcome, forgiveness, and presence. 

Professionally, my background is in communications, media, and storytelling. For many years, I have worked alongside mission-driven organizations, especially nonprofits, helping them share stories that inspire generosity, build relationships, and raise support for important work. That work has been meaningful, and over time I noticed something deeper. What was truly shining in these stories was not simply the organization’s mission or the need being served. What was shining was the heart of the people being served and those who were serving. Very often, that heart was rooted in the Gospel. 

What first began as a quiet interior awareness has grown into a clear and unmistakable invitation: to draw closer to Christ and to see how God is at work in my own life and in His Church. I have been moved by the faith, generosity, perseverance, suffering, and hope of people living the Gospel in ordinary and beautiful ways. 

I have also been deeply moved to see the gifts and charisms at work in the lives of others, knowing that each of us has been given special gifts by the Holy Spirit to help build up the Body of Christ and lead others to the love and mercy of the Father. When people share how God is moving in their lives, it gives others courage to notice His presence in their own. 

The Lord has continued to deepen my faith through prayer, formation, ministry, and service. I first learned about the Diocese of Winona-Rochester Institute of Lay Formation from a parishioner at the Co-Cathedral and grew in faith and formation with others across the diocese, graduating in 2022. This experience sparked an even deeper desire to continue to grow in Catholic teaching, prayer, community, discipleship, and service. 

I have experienced God’s grace at work through nonprofits and ministries that uphold human dignity, serve the poor and vulnerable, and seek the common good in a spirit of justice and charity. Through various prayer ministries, including Seven Sisters Apostolate, St. Paul Street Evangelization, and Unbound Heart of the Father ministry, I have seen in a deeply personal way how much we all long to be seen, heard, prayed for, welcomed, and reminded that we belong to Christ. 

Our parish can be a place where people encounter not only kindness and compassion, but Christ Himself. For me, evangelization begins with a personal and living relationship with Jesus Christ. It flows from the love I have received from Him and the desire to invite others to know and receive that love for themselves. It begins deep in the heart, through prayerful listening, trust, and openness to the Holy Spirit. 

It grows when we help one another see that the Gospel is not an abstract idea, but a living and ongoing invitation to draw closer to the immeasurable depth of God’s love. He meets us in the Eucharist, in Scripture, in the sacraments, in prayer, in the poor and suffering, and in one another through community and communion with the Church. Evangelization is also the witness of all who say yes to Him in daily life. 

I look forward to hearing the stories of those who find their way to St. Johns, learning about the hopes of our community, and supporting the good work already underway. Please feel free to reach out to me and share your ideas. I would especially welcome the opportunity to visit around the topics of evangelization, prayer, hospitality, faith formation, and ways to become more engaged in the life of the parish. Together, may we continue discerning how Christ is calling each of us to belong, to witness, and to share His love with the world.