Holy Spirit Parish

Dear Holy Spirit Parish:                                                  August 1, 2021

“Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”
                                                                          (John 6:27)

As you read this, Lee Olsen, Jessica Enstad, and I will all be in various stages of vacation adventures. Thank goodness for Julie Meadows and Becky Jirous, the two full time staff that have been holding down the office this last week. Lee returns Monday, and Jessica and I will be back Thursday. Whether we’ve gotten away or have been on the job, the question we know we have to face this month of August is: Are we working for food that perishes or for food that endures for eternal life.

Fr. Mallon, author of the book all our committees and councils are reading entitled Divine Renovation, shreds the old adage that “a busy parish is a thriving parish” already in the introduction. He tells the story of arriving at his parish in Halifax Nova Scotia as its new pastor and discovering parish life revolved around card socials. When he wanted to use the hall for Alpha instead, he had an insurrection on his hands. Fr. Mallon concludes, people in the parish were very busy, but not with the mission of the church. They were working for food that perishes not for food that endures for eternal life. Fr. Mallon shares in the book that he lost about 40% of his members because they did not like where he was taking the parish. But in time far more joined the parish because it was truly about Christ’s work in the world.

These summer months have been all about scheduling and planning for this fall. The coming year calendar is packed with Breakfast Cafes, Spirit Lunches, student suppers, retreats, Faith Formation programs, Youth Ministry activities, Confirmation Classes, RCIA classes, Stephen Ministry Classes, Alpha Meetings, Spirit Nights, Small Groups, committee meetings, council meetings, liturgical seasons, Holy Days, weddings, not to mention all the things that come at their own time like baptisms and funerals. You see why we are wondering if we have fallen into believing the old adage: a busy parish is a thriving parish.” Are we setting ourselves up for exhaustion by seeking food that perishes?

This Saturday our parish Pastoral Council is going on retreat. Fr. Mallon’s book stirred up impassioned conversation at our June meeting and so we agreed to spend a day together giving our full attention to Fr. Mallon’s challenge to become a mission church of intentional disciples.

In Chapter five of his book, Fr. Mallon describes the practical steps they took to transform their parish; how they changed liturgy, hospitality, parish registration, etc. We will be considering those practical suggestions at the Council retreat as well in all of our committee and staff meetings these coming months. But already there is one significant change happening throughout our programing. That is the move to personal experience through the use of small groups. Faith Formation, Confirmation, RCIA, Alpha, as well as those gatherings identified as Small Groups, are no longer large numbers of people sitting in chairs listening to a teacher who is trying to fill them with information. Instead, the format is a group of seven or eight people listening to piece of scripture, a teaching, or a testimony and sharing what they hear God saying. And in this heart-to-heart conversation food that endures is shared.

I hope the direction we are heading is as exciting to you as it is to me. If worry about Covid is still keeping you away, then please stay away until you are confident it is safe for you and your family to come. But if you aren’t back because you have simply grown accustomed to filling your time in other ways…. Please! work for food that endures for eternal life not for that which perishes.
 
Fr Steve
 

     
 

 

We need 30 people each weekend to serve in roles at Masses.  Trained ministers can sign up HERE. 
If you'd like more information, or to be trained in a ministry area please contact Lee at 344-9117 or lee@holyspiritstevenspoint.org.

Stephen Ministry seeks to bring Jesus to hurting people in our parish whoneed the support of one-to-one, confidential, Christ-centered care.  To learn more about becoming a Stephen Minister or to be connected to a Stephen Ministry volunteer click HERE

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