Dear Parishioners:

You have heard me mention over the last few weeks about our “going out into the deep,” to quote Pope John Paul II, with regard to our spiritual journey as a parish and as individual modern Catholics. What does this mean?

We are talking about how we relate to God in prayer and worship as well as in the actions of our everyday life. What we say, what we do—is formed by what we know and how we utilize that knowledge.

In the Gospel of Matthew (28:19) Jesus tells His disciples, “Go therefore, and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” This command to bring our faith to all whom we meet cannot be accomplished if we ourselves do not know what our Catholic faith teaches as well as the “how” of putting our faith into daily practice. It is a mixture of the brain—knowledge of what Christ said and know-how to use that knowledge to dialogue with God: prayer.

As a priest, I would say that the main “opposition” or “obstacle” to spiritual growth that I come across in talking with folks—especially those in the 40 to 50 year old range—is that they do not know how to pray and to listen to God, nor do they know what the Church teaches on particular issues. What they do know is what the world or the media or the latest, uninformed politician says about Church teachings, but are unsure of what The Church believes. Part of this problem might just be the language of the Church, which is so very different from the modern day vernacular.

In today’s world we are inundated with every-one’s opinion. The 24/7 news media, with all its talking heads and sound-bite journalism makes everybody an “expert” today—educated or not in a given discipline. It is our goal as a parish to bring the Truths of Christ and the teachings of His Church to our everyday understanding and to our everyday prayer.

We can start in our parish with a discussion on “What Is Prayer” and “How Can I Pray”? The Catholic Church has a myriad of forms of prayers as well as a treasury of prayers for all occasions—prayers for the family, for married couples, for the sick, for the student, the worker, and everything in between. Prayer can be rote, it can be sung, it can be meditative, it can be reflective, it can be contemplative; prayer is dialogue with God—speaking and listening—so that what prayer is comprised of are endless opportunities to be One with God. And the Catholic Church has more than two centuries of hands-on practice in living out daily prayer.

Perhaps the best place to begin the discussion of God, prayer and the Church is to begin with your questions. What is it that you wish to know more about God, prayer, and the Catholic Church? Over the next two weeks there will be an insert in the bulletin that has topical listings for you to use in formulating questions or subject matter-areas about God, prayer and the Church. From that starting point, we will respond—some in writing and some in open discussions held in the church over the next months and beyond. This will be used to set-up a timetable to educate all of us on the common questions we have about our faith, our God, and our Church. I hope you will join me in this endeavor—helping ourselves to answer the questions that most assuredly will open our hearts and minds to a deeper relationship with God—the reason for our existence and the path that leads us to the greatest gift of all: Eternal Life.


In Him,
-Fr. Michael