Next Steps
Following the Day of Renewal, all are invited to take the next step on their journey, as an individual and as a parish community. Spiritual renewal is built on a foundation of prayer and reliance on the Holy Spirit. Let us ask God in prayer to reveal the next steps He is calling us to take. On this page are some suggestions to bring to prayer and conversation. This page will be updated as resources from the day are available to share.
PASTORAL ACCOMPANIMENT SKILLS TRAINING
Please join us for Pastoral Accompaniment Skills Training (P.A.S.T.) on Zoom. Learn how to listen more deeply and discover – or relearn – ways to accompany each other through challenging times. The following topics will be covered:
- Understanding the five stages of loss/grief
- Spirituality of pastoral accompaniment
- Listening with empathy
Participants will include parishioners, parish staff, pastors and associate pastors. The training is free.
Click here to register for an upcoming session in English or Spanish.
For more information, please reach out to Cathy Walz at [email protected].
THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL
Read and discuss The Joy of the Gospel with parish staff, parish leaders and leadership groups. The accompanying reflection guide can help with your prayer and discussion.
PRAY
- Where am I today on my discipleship journey?
- How can I let the spark for the person of Jesus be (re)kindled in me?
- How am I being called to grow as a disciple?
- How am I being called to go forth as a missionary disciple in my daily life?
- How am I being called to go to the margins at this time in my life?
- Are there any relationships Christ is calling me to reconcile at this time?
- Are there any family or friends in need of Christ’s healing I am being called to support?
- Are there any people in my life in early stages of exploring faith? How could I accompany them?
- How are we grounding our ministry in prayer and reliance on the Holy Spirit?
- How are we working as a team?
- How are we living out accompaniment and hospitality as a parish? How are we working to meet people’s need for deep belonging?
- How are we supporting parishioners to experience and appreciate a fresh encounter with Christ?
- How are we supporting parishioners to grow in their discipleship?
- How are we equipping and encouraging parishioners to go forth from Mass to share their faith in word and action?
- How are we attentive to those in our local community at the earliest stages of exploring faith?
PRACTICE
We are all at different stages of our own discipleship journey. Prayerfully discern which of these ideas is most appropriate for you based on where you are in your journey.
- Make a renewed commitment to encountering Christ in your parish community, in the Word, and in the celebration of the Eucharist by:
- Intentionally participating in communal gatherings in your parish during the week.
- Praying with Sacred Scripture.
- Learning about the Mass and/or helping others learn about the Mass.
- Dedicating time to serving our sisters and brothers on the margins.
- Grow through upcoming skill-building workshops (Visit the Renew My Church web page for more information)
- Learn skills for accompanying others as a disciple through Pastoral Accompaniment Skills Training.
- Learn practical ways to share your faith with others through Faith Sharing workshops.
- Share your faith by:
- Sharing part of your faith story when the opportunity arises in conversation.
- Pointing out a God moment you recognize in someone else’s life.
- Posting a Bible verse or an inspirational message from the Sunday Scripture or homily on your social media
Parishes are at different stages of the journey. Prayerfully discern as parish leadership which of these ideas is most appropriate for you based on where you are as a parish.
- Pray
- Commit to reflective prayer and faith sharing as a regular part of parish staff and leadership group meetings.
- Activate existing parish-based prayer groups to intentionally pray for renewal and include prayers for renewal in liturgical celebrations.
- Reflect on the vision of renewal and the lens of the Discipleship Pathway with parish staff and leadership
- Use this Guidebook to share key takeaways from the video presentations with full parish staff, parish leaders and leadership groups.
- Read and discuss The Joy of the Gospel with parish staff leaders and leadership groups.
ENGAGE
- Engage in the parish year of the Eucharistic Revival to reflect upon our identity as missionary disciples who are transformed through our encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist and through this transformation are sent to bring Christ’s love to a hurting and hungry world.
- Explore the archdiocesan Eucharistic Revival page for upcoming events and resources, including Remain in Me, a series of interactive spiritual reflections on the call to encounter and respond to Christ’s abiding presence in the Eucharist.