A Lenten Letter from Fr. Tom

Dear Friends,

            For those who were able to be at church this past weekend, I offer my thanks for your attentiveness to my invitation to help us continue to grow as a parish family.  For those not there, please allow me to invite you to take part in our Parish Lenten effort to strengthen our parish.

            The program will run for eight weeks, with weekly meetings at various times and places to allow as many as possible to participate.  The meetings are scheduled for an hour and a half.  The focus of the meetings will be reflecting on and discussing the material in Forty Days to Uncover What Matters, which is an outgrowth of the Rebuilt Faith effort that began at Nativity Parish in Maryland.

            The book explores the experience of that parish in discovering what really matters in life, and why faith is a crucial part of this work.  We chose this book because it is not a deeply theological work (though there is plenty of theology in it), but a way of approaching real life questions and possible answers to these issues.  The success of our pilot program through our own Small Groups has inspired us to continue and expand this work.

            I know eight weeks is a serious commitment.  I know that will require sacrifice.  But I also know that people are willing to make a serious effort to grow their awareness of the presence of God in their lives.  The reason for offering this during Lent is that many of you already make serious sacrifices for this season.  What better way is there to make this a truly holy season for you and all of us than to share a journey that many of your fellow parishioners will be making together?

            The material explores what makes a parish a parish.  Some of that will be challenging, making all of us ask what we think we are supposed to be.  The result of that will call us to adjust how we approach what we do as a community of faith, some of which could be difficult.  The focus on service, what it is and how it is the foundation of a thriving parish, will help us to see how it is the true path to lasting happiness, not only as individuals but also as a family of faith.

            If I have piqued your interest. I ask you to pray to hear the Lord’s voice in your heart, perhaps calling you to make the effort to rebuild our parish in a more vibrant way, maybe as you remember it from many years ago.  Every person in a parish has a place where they belong in this effort, because every person matters to our whole family, and every person has something crucial to offer to all of us.  Each of us has our unique gifts and talents, but you are needed for us to prosper.  (Yes, you!)

            The details of when and where the meetings will take place will be available as our groups form.  Begin by calling the Parish Office and letting us know you want to be a part of this effort.  You will be asked when is best for you, what days or evenings are best, along with other questions to be sure we make it possible for you to participate with the least amount of inconvenience. 

            Pray to hear the Lord calling.  Pray for those working the logistics and details, and pray for those working as facilitators (not leaders) of the groups.  Facilitators are guiding, not teaching.  The teaching comes from the material and the sharing done by the members of the group!  That’s why each of you is so important.  We have much to learn from you!

            In Christ,

            Fr. Tom