Dear Friends in Christ:
The other day, I had the honor of blessing the officers of St. Monica’s Society. This is a group of women in the parish who are mothers of school-age children. They are a fantastic group. They are not to be confused with some of our other fantastic parish groups, like the St. Anne’s Society (mothers of young children), the Joyful Women, the Women’s Club, CANA, Together in Holiness, or any of the other dozens and dozens of groups, ministries and organizations in our parish. We have groups large and small for families, singles, couples, men, women, kids, young adults, seniors, and many more. We have groups that meet in homes and others here at the parish. We have groups that meet during the day and in the evenings, on weekdays, and weekends! There are spiritual groups, social groups, service groups, formation groups, sports groups, dining groups, travel groups, serious groups, and fun groups. There are groups in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and probably others that I do not even know about! One of the advantages of being a large parish is that there are so many opportunities. At the same time, being such a large parish means that most people do not know all the opportunities that are available.
This came home recently when we had an enrichment day with John Poitevent, of Great Catholic Parishes, for our parish leaders. 140 parish leaders dedicated a Saturday to come, gather, learn, discuss, and share ways in which St. John Vianney Parish can develop and embrace the next generation of parishioners and parish leaders. One of the striking things of that day was when someone suggested that we do something new – only to discover that we are already doing it! With such a large parish it is easy not to know everything that goes on, although the web page is a good place to learn a lot!
Parishes, like any organization, can become moribund. All of us can get stuck in doing the same thing in the same way because we have always done it that way. Change is painful. In any group, there can be a tendency to see what we want to see. We can develop a distorted view of reality. As Christians, we can sometimes think that everyone thinks and looks and acts like us! The world is showing us, in no uncertain terms, that is not true! Our parish, and indeed the entire Church, has been given a mission by the Lord. We are called to proclaim the Good News of Jesus to all in every place and in every time. This means, that as the world and people change, we must also adapt and change our means of proclaiming the Gospel without changing the truth of the gospel. What worked in the 1960’s, 70’s, and 80’s, doesn’t always work today with the same effectiveness. At the same time, not everything of today is necessarily better. What is and has always been true is that not every one of us has to do it all or do it all by ourselves. The method and means that Jesus established to proclaim the Kingdom of God is through His Church!
As the Church of Jesus Christ, we must always remember that first, it is HIS Church and not ours. We are the sheep and Jesus is the Good Shepherd! Secondly, Jesus calls us to community. This is HIS plan for success. The great mission given to us by Jesus is not an individualistic task to be performed singularly by ourselves. We are part of the Church. The Church’s mission is our mission. We are called to belong and live in the communion of the Church. Christianity is not a philosophy. It is a family and a way of life. We are strengthened and nourished in communion with the Lord AND each other in the Church! Jesus calls us and sends us to connect with others. “Lone Rangers” and doing things “My Way” do not work very well in families. Nor are these attributes in the core of our Christian mission. Jesus’ way is that we be joined to Him and His Church. Our truest identity and greatest belonging are when we realize we are the Lord’s and we belong to Him.
In today’s world with the many wonderful advances in technology, there is also a giant disadvantage and danger. We can easily become isolated. Digital connectivity is not the same thing as personal connection or belonging. Sitting at a computer screen or texting on our phone is not community! It cannot nurture or satisfy what our souls are hungering for. “It is not good for the man to be alone” Gen 2:18. We are created to be with others.
If you are not actively involved in any of our ministries or groups, I invite you to become part of one today.
In Pace Christi,
Fr. Troy