From the Pastor:
With Lent being just over two weeks away, it’s good to be thinking about our spiritual plan for that holy season of spiritual growth. I’ll share more about this next week, but for today I encourage you to consider attending a book study that I will be offering again this year. The name of the book is Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist. The reason I chose this book again this year is because of the Catholic Bishops’ request for parishes across our country to focus on a greater understanding and love of Jesus in the Eucharist.
This past summer, when I attended the National Eucharistic Revival in Indianapolis with parishioners from each of our three parishes, I was inspired by the thousands of people in attendance, both young and old, who were eager to learn more. Our deanery has been offering more opportunities in this regard in the past few months, and this seven-week book study will be a great opportunity for people throughout our deanery, Catholics and non-Catholics. One of our parishioners who attended the book study last year, said the following:
Catholics have a Faith so complex, intriguing, supernatural and deep. We can never fully understand in this lifetime all the mysteries that surround The Eucharist, but that alone can spark a fire in us to go a little deeper! This book, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist helps us on our pilgrimage.
This book study on Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist is really a scripture study of the Eucharist, which is the primary focus of every Mass. It will enable whoever attends to experience the Mass in a much greater way than before. The Mass literally comes to life, filled from beginning to end with powerful images and stories that draw us into deeper understanding and participation at the Mass. It’s worth emphasizing that greater understanding leads to greater participation in the Mass such that we are naturally drawn into the Mass.
If the idea of a “book study” is intimidating to you, please know that the book is designed to be easy to read with short chapters. The way the book study works is that attendees read the next chapter while having my study questions in hand. They help the reader to take note of the important points and make connections to what we do today. Then when we meet each Sunday (4:00-5:15pm), we look at each question together, briefly discussing how those attending answered the question, but then providing both the simple (and sometimes not so simple!) answer to the question, and even more importantly, how it’s all linked together. Understanding the big picture from the individual parts can sometimes be difficult.
Those interested in attending should mark their calendars for seven consecutive Sundays, beginning on 4pm March 2 @ St. Peter in the church basement. Be aware that we start on time (4:00pm) so that we can end on time (5:15pm), out of respect for everyone’s busy schedules. Please call any of the three parish offices for more information and the first meeting’s study guide. All are welcome to attend, including non-Catholics and teenagers. I hope to see you there!
Gratefully,
Fr. Miller
From the Catechesis & Evangelization Department:
We are currently in the final year of the three-year Eucharistic Revival in the Catholic Church here in the United States. During the past few months, various parishes in our deanery have been hosting an evening focused on learning and praying about the Eucharist. If you haven’t made it to one yet, I highly encourage you to attend one or both of the remaining sessions. Each evening begins with food and fellowship at 6:00pm (optional), followed by a presentation with Q&A on the Eucharistic topic at 6:30pm, and concluding at 7:30pm with 30 minutes of silent, guided prayer before the Lord in the Eucharist.
The next evening in the series will be Thursday, March 13 at St. Peter parish. The topic that evening will be The Eucharist and Calvary. The presentation will show how the season of Lent, especially Holy Thursday and Good Friday, is connected to the Eucharist. The final evening of the series will be hosted at Most Pure Heart of Mary parish in Shelby on Thursday, April 10. The presentation that evening will be What Does God Want from Me?
In addition to the deanery Eucharistic series, Fr. Miller will be leading a book study each Sunday during Lent, beginning March 2, the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. The book being studied is Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist. The format each week is for participants to read the next chapter while answering the study questions that have either a simple one-word answer or something more thought provoking. Those attending should plan on meeting 4:00-5:15pm each Sunday in the lower level of the church. The book, which is easy reading yet packed full of information, combined with Fr. Miller’s study sessions will allow whoever attends to understand the Eucharist in an amazing greater way.
Kayla Truax,
Department Manager