In our efforts to evangelize and proclaim the Gospel, it is good to keep our focus and prayer on the goal of our work—that others will come to faith in Christ and enjoy a personal relationship with him. This intrinsic connection between faith born from evangelization begins with Jesus himself in Mark’s Gospel where his first words are:

 “The time has come and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the Good News!” (1:15).

For St. John in his Gospel, his entire life of preaching and writing about Christ has been at the service of faith in him:

 “These things have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that through your faith in him you may have life” (20:30).

So what then does this faith look like? What kind of faith do we hope to be born from our efforts to evangelize?

A Faith Born from Above.
In the fourth Gospel, Jesus reminds us that

 “no one can come to me unless the Father draws them” (John 6:44).

Faith then is a gift from God born of hearing his Word and seeing it in action (cf. Rom. 10:17). Faith is not our own opinion or achievement. We cannot come to it by our own efforts. Faith does not arrive to us through one single argument or even a series of converging signs. Even when these signs are in place, it takes the gift of the Holy Spirit for us to finally “get it” and to assent to faith with our whole being. This is because the love of God engages the entire human being with all of his or her physical, psychological, and spiritual powers. This is what happened in the case of Lee Strobel as he tells his story in The Case for Christ in the movie based on the book of the same name. He set out to debunk his wife’s faith and gathered all the evidence he could find to prove his case. But while the evidence moved him in the direction of faith, it was the love of his wife and her prayers that finally clinched his assent.

A Faith that Grows.
We often think of faith as something we have or we don’t have. I believe or I don’t believe and those are the only two possibilities. We also can think of faith as something that remains static and doesn’t grow. The truth is that faith can be born or reborn in us at any time, just like it was in the people who encountered Christ in the Gospels. For those who believe, there is an organic quality to faith that we recognize over time. Faith lives and grows. In the Gospels, Jesus often likens the gift of faith to a mustard seed (cf. Matt. 17:20). It begins small but can grow to such a degree that others benefit from it, like birds in the branches of a tree that began its life as a seed. Our faith in Christ is something alive and active. It prompts us to think in new ways, to act differently, and to understand God in bigger terms, beyond the image of him we already have. Faith also takes us beyond our comfort zones, moves us closer to those on the margins, and grounds our faith in the service of truth and charity.

This demands a necessary openness on our part to allow our faith to grow, to be affirmed and to be challenged when necessary. So when it comes to the big questions of our time, we should not be afraid to engage our faith with the confidence that the Holy Spirit gives us. The Gospel message entrusted to us bears within itself the truth that sets humanity free and sets us on course for a better life.

While this task of engaging with the big questions of the world can be difficult and even dangerous, it affords us the opportunity for our faith to be tested and to grow. It is like a muscle of our bodies that grows stronger when it is used and made to work. So far from being something static, our faith is something that progressively changes us to become more Christ-like and sends us on mission in his name. There is a dynamism in faith that invites us to a metanoia or “going beyond the mind we have.” It opens us to new horizons and to see all things with new eyes.

A Faith that Draws Us into Relationship.
Faith is often exclusively associated with religion. So we might hear someone say: “Yes, I have faith, I believe in God”; or, “No, I don’t have faith, I am an atheist.” This is inaccurate because it assumes that only religious people have faith while nonreligious people don’t. The truth is that faith is much more part of everyday life than we realize. As Bishop Barron has often pointed out, if a young man is in a relationship with a girl, he can collect all the data he wants about her, but until she speaks to him, the relationship can never get off the ground. Only when the two parties speak to one another can the trust begin to grow. And if the relationship grows to the point of them wanting to marry, then their decision is still based on faith and trust. By getting married, both put their faith in one another and nourish that trust afterwards as husband and wife.

So it is with God. God has spoken first through his creation and through the history of a people he loved. In the words of St. John:

 “God loved us first” (1 John 4:19).

As Christians we see this love offered to us through the person of Jesus Christ who came to reveal God to us. Faith then is our “Yes” that accepts the truth of what God has spoken and the love for us that he has revealed. Faith is a “Yes” to a “Yes.” It is our “Yes” to God’s “Yes” that comes first. This is the basis of a relationship that unites us to God.

 A Faith in Christ Jesus Our Lord.
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus reveals a God who desires a personal relationship with each of us. Through faith and trust we are invited to know him and be known by him, to be loved by him and to love him in return.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus invites us to faith in him:

 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still and trust in me” (John 14:1); “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will never die” (John 11:25-26).

What an extraordinary claim for anyone to make! There are only two possible responses to this invitation to faith by Jesus. One is to reject him out of hand as a narcissistic madman, and the other is to do exactly what he asks us to do and come to believe in him and who he claims to be. There is no middle ground.

The more we contemplate the life of Christ—his goodness, truth, and beauty—the easier it is to believe in him. First, his goodness —his mercy, his compassion, his patience, his understanding, and his love. He spent his whole life doing good for everyone, and his love gave birth to faith in him. His truth—before Pilate he said that he had come for this, was born for this, to bear witness to the truth, and all who are on the side of truth listen to his voice. Without truth, humanity caves in on itself in deception and fear. His beauty—the life of Jesus was beautiful and radiant with light as revealed at his Transfiguration. And all who are united with him in Spirit radiate that same light and exude the fragrance of his charity. This is why he asks us to be light to the world (Matt. 5:14) and carry the light of his presence to all we meet.

 A Faith to Be Shared.
The gift of faith is not given for ourselves. It is given to be shared. The joy of the Gospel leads us to be people of mission in all kinds of ways. We want others to know God and we desire to lead others to faith in him. We want his kingdom of peace and justice to flourish, and so pray for it and work for it. In this spirit, Pope Francis urges us to “go forth to offer everyone the life of Jesus Christ” (The Joy of the Gospel, 49). Our act of believing must allow the joy of faith to shine through in lives that are centered on the Lord and united to others in community. And it is with others in the family of the Church that our faith is nourished and strengthened to carry it forth to all in Jesus’ name.

For us dedicated to evangelization, the haunting words of Jesus are never far from our hearts:

 “When the Son of Man returns, will he find any faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8).

Evangelization is not an end in itself but is at the service of faith. This article has described five features of that faith: that it is a gift from God that grows, that draws us into relationship, that centers on Jesus Christ, and that leads us to give ourselves away in loving service and mission. May the quality of our own faith be marked by these features so that we can share it confidently and effectively with a skeptical world.

Fr. Billy Swan is a priest of the Diocese of Ferns, Ireland. He holds a degree in chemistry and worked for a number of years for a pharmaceutical company before entering seminary. Ordained in 1998, he served for four years as an associate pastor before further studies in Rome where he was awarded a Licentiate and Doctorate in Systematic Theology from the Gregorian University. He served for four years as the Director of Seminary Formation at the Pontifical Irish College, Rome. He is currently based at St Aidan’s Cathedral, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford.

Over the next few days, all registered parishioners of the Cathedral and our friends who contribute to the Cathedral will be receiving an invitation from the parish to participate as stewards! Stewardship is the invitation to orient your lifestyle, choices, and habits around God. Through spending time in prayer and service and offering generously from your treasure, you are actively orienting your life toward one in intimate relationship with Jesus and the church. We appreciate the many of you who have consistently responded to this invitation!

If you are curious how your life might change when you become actively engaged in a stewardship way of life, consider these three activities of a steward as an example:

Making time for God in prayer…
What would your morning look like if you grabbed the Bible instead of your phone first thing in the morning (unless of course you read the Bible on your phone)? Would you approach the morning differently? Individuals who start their day in prayer tend to report a better morning routine, a happier demeanor in the morning, and better relationships to family, friends and co-workers.

Helping those in need
Think about the last time you volunteered in service to another. How did you feel? Did you feel accomplishment, purpose, or belonging? Last weekend, Cathedral volunteers helped at the Habitat for Humanity project. These volunteers experienced community building (literally!) and a sense of belonging. While they were able to help another in need, many felt a sense of accomplishment and gratitude for the gifts they have in their lives. When you give, you receive! On the following page, we have a list of ministry opportunities that you are welcome to inquire about and join!

Generously and proportionately giving
What do you normally give up for Lent? Why do you give that up? Lent is a great opportunity to let bad habits die, however stewardship is our constant reminder to detach from those materialistic goods, bad habits, or distractions in our lives that are preventing us from a deeper relationship with God. What items do you find yourself purchasing that you don’t really need? What habits could you down-size or break in order to practice greater tithing to the Parish mission? It is no easy task to change habits- especially financial ones- but this act of trust and joy filled giving can quickly develop into a holier, happier, and healthier lifestyle for you and/or your family!

Stewardship is a disciple’s toolkit and an opportunity is presented to us each time we go to Mass. We have the opportunity during the Offertory to discern our stewardship of prayer, gifts, or service. Think about these three questions the next time you are at Mass:

• Who can I pray for this week?
• How can I help someone this week?
• What can I give to God and His church this week?

Those reflective questions can help guide you toward a more active stewardship way of life!

If you have any questions regarding the Season of Stewardship or your participation in stewardship at the Cathedral, please contact Katie Price in the Parish Offices at [email protected] or call the Parish Offices at 522-3342.

If you would like to fill out the form online, please go here: https://spicathedral.org/stewardship-form/

This past Tuesday we heard from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans in the readings for the Mass of the day, specifically brothers and sisters: I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us (Romans 8:18). Five minutes before Mass, I had not even looked at the first reading, focusing instead on the Gospel for the day, but I was struck when I finally looked at Paul’s words before heading out to offer the Mass.

The Scriptures are eternal and the Word of God is always pertinent for the day, just sometimes part of the Word may be more pertinent. I have talked about social media before and I will say what I’ve already said: if you are not on social media, stay off…your life will be all the better. I’ve greatly curtailed my personal presence there but I still find myself browsing around and, sadly, I’ve noticed people coming virtually undone on social media. Between the political sphere and things in the Church coming out of the recent Pan-Amazonian Synod, more people than ever appear to be loosing their minds over things in the world.

As disciples, we must engage the realities of this world and do what we can to witness to Christ and what we know to be right, good, and holy, be it in the secular or sacred realms. In engaging the world we must also be on guard against the danger of falling into despair; enter again St. Paul: the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us. This present life is marred by the reality of sin, which has also felled our human nature, but there is good news. God is in the mess with us, bestowing on us with his grace and mercy, and bringing about in us the fullness of redemption.

There is a danger that exists in getting bogged-down by the challenges and crosses of this life and losing sight of the fact that we are in this world but that we do not belong to it. God is bringing about greater things and we must always keep our eyes lifted up in the hope of what is yet to be revealed. God never wants us to lose hope, no matter how upside down things may seem to be and ultimately, our trust must be in him. Only when this world in its present form has passed away will the fullness of God’s glory be revealed.

Just having celebrated All Saints Day, I will leave you with two bits of wisdom from two members of that great cloud of witnesses. It is said that Pope St. John XXIII was known to have prayed at the end of the day “its your Church Lord; I’m going to bed.” In the end, if we have done what we are supposed to do, we have to trust that God will fill in what is lacking. Finally, St. Pio of Pietrilcina (Padre Pio) says it wonderfully and succinctly: “pray, hope, and don’t worry.”

Father Christopher House is the Rector of the Cathedral and serves in various leadership roles within the diocesan curia, namely Chancellor and Vicar Judicial.

Last week we kicked off the Season of Stewardship and we hope you have been praying and discerning your involvement. All of us are given great gifts from God. Some of us are musically talented, others are great at organizing events or service opportunities, and others are outgoing and welcoming. There is an opportunity at Cathedral for each of us to take part, and each of us is called to give back to the Parish community!

On the next page, you will see a list of opportunities and short descriptions of those ministries. If you are currently involved in any one of those ministries, thank you! If you are looking to make a change or to get involved, next week you will have the opportunity to do so when we provide the Intention Card. In the meantime, please pray about your involvement at the Parish. It is life-giving in so many ways, from fellowship with others to formative for your faith. If you are someone involved in any one of these ministries, invite someone you know to join you. Often we do not want to go alone to an event or program, so please extend a warm welcome and accompany them.

Many individuals just need the invitation. Think about the first time you volunteered for something in the parish. Many of you might remember a personal invitation, rather than a response to a bulletin ad. Personal invitation is the most effective tool to gathering new interest in your ministry or program.

If you are searching for a ministry or program that is not listed, please let us know. We have a variety of guests and newcomers to the parish from all walks of life. This diversity enables the parish to gather new ideas and perspectives, which lead to future programs and ministries. We could not do great church without you!

If you have any questions or if you would like more information, please contact Katie Price, Stewardship Coordinator, at [email protected].

 Stewardship in Scripture

 “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace”
(1 Pt 4:10).

 Discernment Question

 What gifts has God given you to share with others? Are you musically talented, welcoming, or great at hospitality? We have something for everyone!

Ministry Overview

Prayer

 Readers- Liturgical Ministry
The ministry of Reader calls those with strong faith and good communication skills to proclaim the Word of God. This responsibility is not to be accepted carelessly; as a proclaimer of the Word, a reader doesn’t just read the scriptures aloud, but becomes the vessel for the dialogue between God and His people. Prayerful preparation is essential.

 Greeters/Ushers- Liturgical Ministry
Our Ushers & Greeters fulfill an important role in the church. They welcome parishioners and visitors alike and assist those with special needs before, during and after mass. They gather the offerings; provide hospitality, and distribute the parish bulletin following mass.

 Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are called upon to distribute Holy Communion during Mass when more than the ordained, or ordinary, ministers (bishop, priest, deacon) are needed. Extraordinary Ministers may also take communion to the sick or homebound. To be a servant of God through this ministry requires that you bring a strong faith, a reverence to the sacrament, and an inclusiveness of others as the foundation of your ministry.

 Altar Servers
Altar Servers may be called upon to serve in any number of situations including Sunday Mass or weekday Mass celebrations, funeral liturgies, Eucharistic Adoration, or any other public worship service in the church. The Altar Server is an extension of the community’s need to participate actively in the celebration of the church’s public ministry.

 Cathedral Choir/Music Ministry
Cathedral Choir sings every Sunday at the 10:00 Mass and for various special services throughout the year, including Christmas, Holy Week, and various diocesan celebrations. Repertoire extends from Gregorian Chant to newly written compositions. Rehearsals are held on Wednesday evenings 7:00-9:00 pm in the Cathedral Choir Loft, and warm-ups are at 9:15 a.m. before the Sunday morning liturgy.

 Formation

 Bible Study
If you would like the opportunity to learn more about your faith through Scripture, than this ministry is for you. The particular study changes throughout the year and all are welcome to join! Homebound Ministry
Are you someone with a heart for service and hospitality? Join this ministry to help support Cathedral’s homebound community and accompany those in need.

 Bereavement Ministry
Cathedral parish will begin hosting Grief Share, a weekly grief support group. If you, or someone you know, would like help and encouragement after the death of a spouse, child, family member, or friend, please join us.

 Family of Faith Program
NEW this year is the Family of Faith program, which is an innovative and family-centric faith formative learning opportunity. Join us as a participating family or a volunteer!

 Vacation Bible School
Would you like to help lead youth through their faith next summer? Consider sharing your time for one-week during the summer and help form young minds in the faith!

 Youth Ministry
Are you a high schooler looking for a youth ministry program or interested in working with youth? Please contact us with any ideas or insights into reaching out to this audience.

 Discipleship & Stewardship Ministry
Are you interested in helping with the Ministry Thank You Dinner or with events like REBOOT? We could use your time and talents in building up disciples at Cathedral. All are welcome!

 Adult Faith Formation/Programming
Consider joining us for any of the adult faith formation programs throughout the year. A full calendar is located here: https:// spicathedral.org/adult-faith-formation-2/

 Hospitality

 Alpha Ministry
Are you looking to grow in your faith or are you willing to provide radical hospitality to those searching and seeking? Alpha begins again in the new year and we could use your help!

 Hospitality/Parish Events
Are you interested and able to help with hospitality for special events? The Cathedral is host to many special events and Liturgies throughout the year!

 Service

 Cathedral Council of Catholic Women
Join the women of the Cathedral in fellowship and fun! The CCCW hosts a variety of events during the year which supports the Mission of the Cathedral and scholarships. All women of the parish are welcome!

Knights of Columbus Father Augustine Tolton Council
Charity has been the first principle of the Knights of Columbus since its founding. Join these Catholic men of faith and charitable action. They host a variety of service opportunities and events throughout the year which help support the Cathedral

The following is an email that was recently sent out to a certain parish staff, alerting them of the latest team update:

To Whom It May Concern:
In agreement with the clearly
delineated diocesan norms for termination of employment, below
are just a handful of the reasons we were forced to fire Jesus of
Nazareth from our parish staff here at Our Lady of the Emptying
Pews:

 He was never in the office.33 He was constantly leaving work to “go and pray.”
He never turned in a single bulletin announcement.
He invited all the “wrong kinds of people” into the Parish
community.
He turned over tables at the annual Parish ministry fair.
He encouraged people without master’s degrees or PhDs to
share, preach, and teach.
He refused to utilize clip art.
He had his “team” set up for his own farewell dinner.
He gave the church keys to a fisherman instead of returning them
to the front desk.
He formed catechists and executed a parish plan without first
forming a committee to investigate a strategy that might include a
committee.
And finally—in a display that demonstrated complete lack of
pastoral discretion—he was unwilling to use his special “gifts” to
multiply fish and tartar sauce, and thereby prevent the Knights of
Columbus from looking foolish at the Lenten Fish Fry.

 As anyone can clearly see, Jesus of Nazareth was unwilling to
abide by time-honored rules and expectations as set forth by
people at the parish who are long-since dead, yet whose
memories we celebrate with every rule (“sacred cow”) we choose
to heed (feed rather than slaughter).

 Joylessly yours in Christ,

 Members of the Perish(ing) Staff’

 Structure is the Means, not the End
Whether you find the above letter insightful or idiotic, jovial or juvenile, the truth is that modern ministry can often take on an institutionalized form that Christ never intended. That’s not to say that Christ did not like structure. He did, to be sure.

He didn’t just choose the twelve apostles to mirror and relive Israel’s existence in perfect fidelity. In choosing and empowering the twelve and the seventy-two, Jesus created an infrastructure that offered his truth and healing presence to the masses and in time, through apostolic succession at all Masses. That being said, our Catholic faith is inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit. Our Church is designed to be dynamic and organic— living and active—not predictable and stale.

Getting into the Spirit of Evangelization
Is there really a “new” spirit of evangelization in our ministries or just the same tired approach with a new name and facelift? Are our meetings more about prayer or agendas? Are our classes interactive or strictly lecture-based? Do souls leave intellectually full but spiritually empty? Do we spend more time talking “about” Jesus than actually talking (and listening) to him?

The Church offers us an indispensable gift in her apostolic structure and visible head in Rome. Our Church also invites us to retreat into the desert (prompted by the Holy Spirit as Jesus, himself, was) and allow the Father to direct our next steps. If your ministries have gotten stale or predictable or institutional … love your parish enough to shut down ministries or programs for a time. Reflect. Discern. Try new things, and then reconvene to process what the Lord is doing and how the Holy Spirit is moving.

Jesus will still “make all things new” (Revelation 21:5) … if we let him!

Mark Hart is the best-selling and award-winning author of more than a dozen books and is the author and lead presenter of T3: The Teen Timeline(a teen Bible study program), Encounter (a pre-teen Bible study program), and Altaration. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, he serves as executive vice president of Life Teen International. This article was first published on The Great Adventure Blog in March 2014.

Speaking about hospitality in a homily on June 2, 2000, Pope St. John Paul II shared the following message:

“Like the disciples of Emmaus, believers, supported by the living presence of the risen Christ, become in turn the traveling companions of their brothers and sisters in trouble, offering them the word that rekindles hospitality in their hearts. With them they break the bread of friendship, brotherhood, and mutual help.”

This message speaks not just to being neighborly and hospitable to people who we might come into contact with, but also people whom we serve. For those who work in the hospitality industry (hotels, theme parks, casinos, tourism destinations, etcetera), it can be challenging to work so closely with such a wide range of people—and to account for their diverse needs and wants. You may be one of those who work in the hospitality industry, or you may not be. Either way, as Catholics it is our duty to become the companions of all of our brothers and sisters, and that includes treating everyone with hospitality and mutual respect by putting our faith into action as we serve them.

What to Do When Facing a Challenging Person
In our lives, we will continually face challenges that test our ability to be kind and loving. But as Pope John Paul II once instructed to a group of volunteer workers:

“Welcoming our brothers and sisters with care and willingness must not be limited to extraordinary occasions but must become for all believers a habit of service in their daily lives.”

When working in hospitality, it is critical to remember this teaching when focusing on good customer service. Undoubtedly, we will face a handful of people in our workplaces who are not agreeable and may make us feel frustrated or angry. Still, part of showing customers good hospitality is sharing the gospel with them, which means treating them with care. When faced with a challenging person, remember Pope John Paul II’s teaching, and try to make it a habit to be equally welcoming to every person you encounter.

Mary as a Model of Hospitality
It’s also helpful to look to Mary as an example of hospitality and loving service. In the Bible, once Mary conceives Christ, she immediately rushes to serve Elizabeth. The two provide each other with companionship, neighborly attitudes, and comfort, which is exactly the way that we should be hosts to others. This is a great model for how to treat the people served in the hospitality industry: as our holy guests who we can readily comfort.

Later on, in Bethlehem, Mary continued to be welcoming to strangers as they came to greet her new child, Jesus. Even though she herself did not have a lodging for her new family, she still received the wise men and shepherds with open arms. Time and time again, Mary shows us how welcoming people and caring about others is a holy virtue. Our homes, our churches, and our places of work should all be places where guests feel welcome.

Working in the hospitality industry is not for the faint of heart, and it is our Catholic duty to put our faith into action to show every guest the same compassion, care, and comfort in order to act as Jesus did.

Working full time as a writer and researcher, Jackie Morgan pens pieces on numerous topics close to her heart. This article can be found here: https://media.ascensionpress.com/2018/10/10/hospitalitychallenges- us-to-put-our-faith-into-action/

As we sat there in the public side of the little chapel, my family and I strained to see and here all that happened around the corner and through the metal lattice-work that divided the world and the cloister, our family and my sister Nicole. It was a fall morning in 2012 and it was the day that my sister was entering the Dominican Novitiate. Now, becoming a novice is not as profound a jump as is entering the convent outright, at least in terms of the practical detail that there wasn’t a change in who-sat-where in the minivan, but it was the day that, besides taking one more step into full membership in the community, she would also receive her new name. The ceremony was brief but beautiful, and the Mother superior spoke her new name loud and clear: Sr. Mary Thomas, of the Holy Name of Jesus.

Our attention was first grabbed by “Thomas”. Was it St. Thomas, the Apostle of India? Or Thomas Aquinas, the great Dominican scholar? Or, one of those other Saint Thomas’s Thomas à Kempis, who wrote the Imitation of Christ, or Thomas Becket, who was martyred after opposing King Henry II, or Thomas More, who died to uphold the authority of the Pope, and integrity of marriage? (It was Thomas Aquinas, who himself was named after the Apostle, so she got two for the price of one!)

But then we began to consider that second half of the name: “Of the Holy Name of Jesus”. What a tremendous title!? How magnificent to have Our Lord’s name brought into your own? The name of Jesus, which literally means “the LORD saves”, and Who, literally, is the LORD, saving His people! The name at which every knee shall bend, every person be saved, every grace given, every demon cast out… Needless to say, we were stoked at the name she had been given!

I mention all of that because, being named “Christians” ourselves, we, too, have announced to the world, and incorporated into our lives, the truth that Jesus is the One Whom we call upon. Not upon the “name” of money, power, worldly-prestige, or any other person do we rely on in our daily battles, nor our supernatural ones, but only the name of Jesus Christ.

Brothers and sisters, that has to be the case above all when we find ourselves fallen into sin! As the tax collector in our Gospel today, we too, have to acknowledge our sin, and simply and humbly repeat that prayer “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” This phrase, including Christ’s name, is a devotion as popular as the rosary in many parts of the Christian world. It’s so short, but incredibly powerful to simply repeat throughout the day the simple phrase: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” If you find yourself tempted, say these words! If you find yourself fallen into sin, pray this prayer! If you need peace in a moment of crisis, call on Christ’s name in this way! As you wake up, let these be your first words! If you have 5 minutes, stop and sit and slowly repeat this simplest of prayers! If you are lost, or burdened, or overjoyed, or in any situation whatever, simply repeat that Name above all Names: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Say that first phrase, of belief in Christ, as you breathe in, and the second half, humbly asking for His grace and mercy, as you breathe out, and the phrase of the justified tax collector begins to naturally enter into the entirety of our lives to the cadence of our respiration. With St. Paul, we learn to “pray without ceasing” and “call on the name of the Lord”.

Prayer is not just for cloistered nuns! It’s the mark of anyone who has taken the name “Christian” because it is the lifeline that connects us to Christ, the bond that keeps us members of His family. Our first reading emphasizes God’s attentiveness to the weak, oppressed, orphan, and lowly … for anyone who serves God, “the Lord will not delay”. But He can only come to our aid if we speak to Him and invite Him into our lives. God will never force His way in! Our Psalm says much the same: “When the just cry out, the LORD hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them … the LORD is close to the broken-hearted … The LORD redeems the lives of his servants.”. Paul lived this out: “I am already being poured out like a libation … But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength.”. How can we receive the Lord’s care, forgiveness, mercy, and strength? Call out to Him! Call on the name of the Lord!

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Amen!

Fr. Dominic Rankin is the Parochial Vicar for the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

We are excited to announce the official kick-off to the Cathedral Season of Stewardship! Last year was the inaugural season, and to say the least, we all were surprised and grateful. I had already found myself with newborn twins by Oct. 1st and because of the commitment and generosity of the Cathedral staff, the torch for our first Season of Stewardship carried forward. We were so touched by the generous response from so many of you! You answered your call to intentional discipleship with eagerness and enthusiasm! Over this past year, we have been able to connect parishioners to new faith formation programs, ministries and ways of giving. The generosity outpoured from the community through prayer, service, and giving has transformed the Cathedral! We are so grateful for your response.

We know many of you still are eager to become connected and find companions for this discipleship journey! We want to accompany you! Take some time with us over the next few weeks to discern:

• Where do I spend my time? Is it in worldly experiences or with Jesus through prayer, adoration, or the Sacraments?
• How do I serve others, as Jesus asked me to do?
• Have I discerned God’s gifts in my life? What has he given to me, in order to share with others?
• How does my life model an intentional disciple’s life? How can I bring Christ to others?
• Who can I invite to accompany me to a greater relationship with God through stewardship?

Over the next few weeks, you will hear a message of stewardship that hopes to invite you into a deeper conversion. Stewardship is a toolkit for disciples in action. It calls to mind our need to offer all of ourselves- our time, talent, and treasure. We are invited to respond during every Mass at the Offertory. Jesus longs for you to respond to Him and encounter His love for you. Just say “Yes, Lord!”

If you have any questions or if you would like more information, please contact Katie Price, Stewardship Coordinator, at [email protected].

Stewardship in Scripture

“To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
1 Corinthians 12

Discernment Question

Have you been searching for more meaning or explanation for the experiences of your life? How would engaging in prayer (daily Mass, Bible study, etc.) help in this effort?

According to Pope St. John Paul II, the parish is “the Church living in the midst of the homes of her sons and daughters.” It is the unit of the Church closest to the lives of the people and how they live their faith. Parish life centers around the celebration of the sacraments and the proclamation of the Word in the Liturgy. From that, the parish forms community and goes out in service.

The parish is a place where people need to be evangelized and re-evangelized, but every parish has a different culture and dynamic, its own traditions and expectations. The parish is where all the faithful of a locale come together, and many personalities come into play. These many personalities provide potential for an abundance of gifts from the Holy Spirit to build up the Body. The parish can provide for many of our needs, spiritually, socially, and otherwise. People who are highly invested in their parish feel strongly about it. Others are on the fringes.

The parish has become a home for many people, something close to their heart and the patterns of their daily life. For some, it is a home primarily because it nourishes their soul. For others, it has become a home primarily because it fills another need in their life. These factors bring a challenge to parish ministry. One cannot simply implement a preset ideal. It has to be in dialogue with the concrete situation of the parish, under the leadership of the pastor.

Having served for years in various parishes and positions and having taught on lay ministry at the college level, I was asked to share with you my ten points for effective parish ministry.

1. Be a Disciple
   St. John Vianney, patron of parish priests, went into a parish to transform it. He did so firstly by the witness of his holy life, and his ministry of reconciliation and parish renewal followed. Most importantly, it is necessary to be a disciple and undergo constant conversion. To lead Christians, we must first follow Christ. Parish ministry truly makes no sense without prayer. Prayer reorients our minds to God’s plan.

   We read in St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans:
   “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2). Even by being in the presence of God and staying aware of it, we allow our minds to be redirected and see our surroundings in a new way.

   Jesus went into seclusion to pray before his ministry. For us, the Eucharist nourishes us to go forth and the Mass unites us with the community. Meditation on the Scriptures cleanses our minds and reminds us of God’s plan. Examination of conscience and Reconciliation renew our thoughts and actions. The Rosary brings our needs before the Blessed Mother. Retreats help us refocus our lives and ministry.

2. Build Relationships and Share Your Faith
   Pope Francis writes:
   “An evangelizing community gets involved by word and deed in people’s daily lives; it bridges distances, it is willing to abase itself if necessary, and it embraces human life, touching the suffering flesh of Christ in others. Evangelizers thus take on the ‘smell of the sheep’ and the sheep are willing to hear their voice” (The Joy of the Gospel, 24).

   People are more open to hearing the gospel from people they know and trust. It’s important to build connections and relationships with parishioners, conversing and spending some time with them. We need to be perceptive to their needs, and know the needs of the community so we can effectively reach out. Having built relationships, we need to be comfortable in talking with others about living the faith. In a parish, the faith is assumed, but it’s not automatic that it gets consistently lived out. We need to be comfortable and enthusiastic in talking about it. One way we can do that is by reminding people and our coworkers that we need to pray about our difficulties.

3. Pray with and for People
   People will come forward with situations that need prayer. Sometimes they will ask us to pray, and other times we find an opportunity to ask them if we should bring the situation before the Lord. We could ask them if we could pray with them right then and there. When we pray with people, I’ve found that it’s most important to be intentional about being in God’s presence and confident in his love and mercy. We could also bring their intentions into our prayer later on, or even direct them to request their intention be listed in the petitions at Mass, for someone who is ill or who has died.

   The needs of the parish are many, and some needs we will simply observe. We in lay ministry are also intercessors, realizing that it is only through God’s grace that these situations can truly be resolved.

4. Have a Vision and a Plan
   We must always try to stay focused on what ministry is all about —bringing people to Christ for his glory. But also, we should prayerfully think of what this particular ministry should look like in the future. After the vision has been established, communicate the vision to the group and work towards it, keeping it always in prayer. Often, there is a big gap between the status quo and the vision. It can be daunting to move forward, so it’s a good idea to make a plan for how to get there, in incremental steps. Focus on implementing each step to achieve small successes first and then move forward. Perhaps God will guide the ministry in a different direction along the way, so we should be open to that as well.
5. Work as a Community
   The pastor is the one entrusted with the care of souls in the parish. He is the head of the parish community, representing Christ, and his guidance, leadership, and support is essential. Typically he needs help in caring for the many needs of a modern parish, and people have come to expect a variety of services from the parish. It is important to meet with the pastor to know his vision and to implement it, or sometimes to dialogue with the pastor towards a vision that he can support.

   The Church is a unity, so we’ll want to work together with other parish leaders. It helps to work to understand them and their organization. Allow for some give and take, while communicating your vision to them. Show them support when needed, and find ways to help each other.

   Different input and perspectives helps make for a ministry that is able to reach more people. Out of doing ministry together, friendship and community can grow in a way that is very special. It comes along the way of doing the activity of the parish. Involving others as much as possible is important, but it’s key to have the right people in leadership.

6. Focus on Adult Faith Formation
   One of the big challenges of collaboration is being on the same page in the Faith. Adult faith formation is a great way to form disciples who can then go out and serve. We have to first have faith in order to share it. It’s also important for us to continue growing in our own faith and in skills for ministry.

   Ascension offers many great studies (https:// ascensionpress.com/pages/study-programs) that help adults learn more about the Bible, the Mass, the Church, and Christian living. Done in a welcoming spirit, these workshops form community in the Lord and lasting friendships. They make for truly forming a community of missionary disciples. Many of these studies focus on areas that are often experienced in the life of the Church, but they bring them consciously into focus with depth of understanding.

   According to Pope Francis:
   “In all its activities the parish encourages and trains its members to be evangelizers” (The Joy of the Gospel, 28). The Mass, the homily, the parish’s works of service, and so forth, all form us. Yet people especially nowadays often need to come to a deeper understanding of the truth of the mysteries in which we participate. This is even more the case because of the competing voices of the world.

7. See Everything as Ministry
   The aim of ministry is building up the Body of Christ and the power of ministry is God’s grace. Everything done in that spirit is ministry, in the broad sense. St. Paul exhorted us: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

   Church meetings can start with prayer, even if they aren’t directly about the faith. A groundskeeping committee could begin with a prayer about God’s creation, for example. “God bless you,” or similar words, should be on our lips even in conversations or phone calls that aren’t specifically religious.

8. Work to Resolve Conflict
   Jesus taught:
   “If you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). Conflict often arises, but this is more often than not because people love their church. Anger is typically the response to a perceived threat.

   For some people, changing the status quo is a threat to the good they see. If conflict arises in your ministry, try to pause and stay calm. Be assertive but objective. Avoid gossip, but talk directly to the person. Talk about how the behavior affects you, but speak in terms of external behaviors—what is actually going on—never overgeneralizing a person, implying in some way that they are a bad person.

   We are all children of God and are struggling in different areas. While we stand firm on faith and morals, surely we can be willing to make compromises on practical matters of parish life such as rooms and scheduling. There needs to be a give and a take. It’s easy to focus on the past and how we were right, but we need to rise above that. Think forward to how to resolve the issue in a positive way.

9. Reach Out to the Fringes
   Pope Francis writes:
   “While certainly not the only institution which evangelizes, if the parish proves capable of self-renewal and constant adaptivity, it continues to be ‘the Church living in the midst of the homes of her sons and daughters’. This presumes that it really is in contact with the homes and the lives of its people, and does not become a useless structure out of touch with people or a self-absorbed group made up of a chosen few” (The Joy of the Gospel, 28). As Jesus reached out to those outside, we must reach out as well. We must be welcoming, and also go outside of our comfort zone to invite people who have not been embraced yet by the group. Personal invitation is still one of the most effective ways to invite. Knowing the situation helps to be creative in finding ways to include those who are not as involved as they could be. We can also be creative in rethinking how the community as a whole can reach out in new ways, meeting the needs of the people.

   Pope Francis writes of the parish:
   “Precisely because it possesses great flexibility, [the parish] can assume quite different contours depending on the openness and missionary creativity of the pastor and the community” (The Joy of the Gospel, 28).

10. Take Time for Balance
    St. Benedict’s maxim for life in the monastery was ora et labora (pray and work). Living a balanced life helps to ward off burnout, and losing our sense of purpose. In addition to prayer, we also need the support of Christian community, sometimes outside of where we do ministry to provide a safe place to talk about being real about living the Christian life. We need faithful people to encourage us in our walk and to challenge us to grow. Also, we are not meant to constantly work without relaxation. Hobbies and activities have their place too in a balanced life and ministry.

We Have Work to Do
Pope Francis challenges us:
“We must admit, though, that the call to review and renew our parishes has not yet sufficed to bring them nearer to people, to make them environments of living communion and participation, and to make them completely mission-oriented” (The Joy of the Gospel, 28).

That means we have some work to do, but it must start with ourselves and go out from there.

Michael J. Ruszala is the author of several religious books, including Lives of the Saints: Volume I and Who Created God? A Teacher’s Guidebook for Answering Children’s Tough Questions about God. He holds a master of arts degree in theology & Christian ministry from Franciscan University of Steubenville. He has served for a number of years as a parish director of religious education, parish music director in the Diocese of Buffalo, and adjunct lecturer in religious studies at Niagara University in Lewiston, NY. For more information about Michael and his books, visit michaeljruszala.com.