Listening and Praying: our Path Forward

​These last few weeks have certainly been a whirlwind!  I have been very humbled by the welcome that I have received at all three parishes and by the community.  There are certainly a lot of good things happening in our Catholic Community.
 
I have done a lot of listening and learning. I’ve been learning about the history of the parishes, the hopes and dreams of our parishioners, the concerns that many have.  I have also been listening to those who don’t necessarily attend Mass on a regular basis or don’t attend at all.  One of the central tenants of our faith is that it is shared with others.  The Church isn’t a private club. As I have been listening and learning, I have also been learning how we can all better engage one another and those not attending Mass to extend Christ’s love and invitation to them.  If our parishes are going to thrive, it will require all of us reaching out to others, welcoming them at Mass and our parishes and walking the journey of faith with them.  
 
There is no silver bullet—no miracle program.  But, we do know what needs to happen to grow—there are many parishes who have successfully turned things around.  The starting point is simple: prayer.  Everything we do must be rooted in prayer.  
 
The conversion of hearts is the work of the Lord, not ours.  We prepare those hearts for an encounter with Him.  That preparation begins with prayer.  That is why we have added daily masses to the schedule as well as Eucharistic Adoration and more times for Confession.  
 
I invite you to consider stopping in for a visit during one of the times for Eucharistic Adoration.  If you aren’t able, I invite you take some time out of your schedule to pray for our Parishes, for our Diocese and our Church.