Pastor’s Corner — February 25th, 2024
“How to Hear God’s Voice” Lenten Mission Starts THIS Weekend (Feb 25-27)
Most Catholics who pray hear God speak to them but many aren’t confident they hear him well. In this mission (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday at 7pm in the Church) that I’m preaching, I will unpack the key framework of faith to hear his voice, what his voice sounds like, and how to respond in ways that deepen our trust and open us to all God has for us. This will be recorded, but as you know, watching things that are recorded aren’t as good as you being there. I hope to see you there!
Diocesan Services Appeal 2024
This weekend we’re announcing DSA 2024. This appeal is critically important for the operation of our Diocese and all of services it provides. Please go here for more information and to donate. Hopefully we can reach our goal in the next few weeks so I don’t have to keep reminding us to give. :)
You Don’t Have to Do It All Yourself: Who Will You Invite?
Alpha at St Pat’s has been quite fruitful in bringing people who are non-Catholic into the Catholic Church and reengaging parishioners in their own faith. As a basic course in Christianity, Alpha is a place where people can come and experience love of a community and hear the good news of Jesus Christ. It’s a place where people encounter God anew or for the first time. Many parishioners outside of Alpha don’t get to hear about the good testimonies of what God is doing, so I’m publishing here one from the St Pat’s Alpha this fall:
Alpha presented itself in the Church bulletin last fall during one of the lowest points in my life. Due to extenuating circumstances, I was overwhelmed with anxiety and life in general. A voice that I now know to be God, led me to instantly sign up for Alpha, not knowing anything about it or what it was. Due to anxiety, I was barely able to leave my house, but I showed up with my husband every week to the Alpha courses, and they ended up being the highlight of my week.
About half way through Alpha, we had a prayer retreat at the PLC. I’ve never experienced anything like it, and that was a pivotal turning point, not only for my mental health but my relationship with God and Jesus. After that evening, everything changed. I began prioritizing my relationship with Jesus and came to realize he was what I was missing.
Since finishing Alpha, I’m now involved in a CCO group through the church and have made many new friends. I will always look back and remember Alpha as a beautiful turning point in my life, and I will continue to share this gift with as many people as I can.
God bless,
E.T.
Having a parish committed to evangelization means you don’t have to evangelize (share the good news of Jesus) by yourself. We do this as a parish. We all have people who don’t believe in Jesus or who don’t practice their faith. Such people are the perfect people to invite for free food and conversation. Offering to go with someone is a great way of walking with them in their journey. Who will you invite?
This spring our Alpha starts Sunday afternoons on March 10th at the restaurant Lynn’s on Main in Brighton. Please go here to register.
A note on the location. Kind of like Catholic ministry Theology on Tap, which is hosted at public pubs and bars, parishes that run Alphas sometimes host them off parish grounds as a way of bringing the gospel to where people are. It’s helpful to remember that the ultimate goal of Alpha is to reach people who are not practicing their faith or are unbelievers.
Therefore, hosting Alpha at an outside venue on occasion (like we did at Aubrees last year) doesn’t mean that we are assuming that everyone at the restaurant agrees with all aspects of the Catholic faith. Rather, it means at St Pat’s we’re confident in our faith as missionaries that we’re going out proactively bringing Jesus to places where those uncomfortable in a church setting would feel comfortable attending. At St Pat’s we know that evangelization isn’t simply inviting people to come to the parish, but for the parish (us) to go out to where they are and get them. Done well, our approach at St Pat’s avoids both the conservative and liberal extremes I preached about a few weekends ago while allowing us to preach the truth of the gospel with love and conviction.
Your servant in the Lord,
Fr. Mathias