A Message from the PastorWhat makes a Dynamic Parish? The answer is very simple—Dynamic Parishioners! Our parish is very active and social. We have the reputation of being a parish of strong athletics, serious stewardship, youth ministry, all levels of educational opportunities and dedicated liturgical ministers. In the year ahead we would like to make our parish even more vibrant and welcoming. I would like to invite everyone to be part of the Dynamic Catholic Initiative. Many of you have already been part of this effort by taking and reading Rediscover Catholicism, Rediscovering Jesus and the Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic. Now we are making an all-out effort to put the message behind those books into effect throughout our whole parish. Matthew Kelly and his team at Dynamic Catholic conducted an extensive research study to determine what habits were found in highly engaged Catholics. The results found four life-giving spiritual habits that set engaged Catholics apart from the rest – the Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic. Over the next year, St. Alban Roe will focus on these four signs as a model for spiritual renewal. Join me, as we become Highly Engaged Catholics. The four signs of a Dynamic Catholic are: Prayer—Dynamic Catholics have a daily prayer life Study—Dynamic Catholics are continuous learners—hence the free books Generosity—Dynamic Catholics are generous—Good Stewards (Time, Talent, Treasure) Evangelization—Dynamic Catholics invite others to grow spiritually by sharing the love of God with them. Mary Hall and her Committee have been working very hard to establish the Dynamic Catholic Initiative in our parish. Please take this invitation to be part of it. Enjoy all the books and CD's and get involved because… God loves a cheerful giver and a dynamic parish!
Cheerfully, Fr. Richard Stoltz
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The Prayer Process & Prayers
- Gratitude: Begin by thanking God in a personal dialogue for whatever you are most grateful for today.
- Awareness: Revisit the times in the past twenty-four hours when you were and were not the-best-version-of-your-self. Talk to God about these situations and what you learned from them.
- Significant Moments: Identify something you experienced in the last twenty-four hours and explore what God might be trying to say to you through that event(or person).
- Peace: Ask God to forgive you for any wrong you have committed (against yourself, another person, or Him) and to fill you with a deep and abiding peace.
- Freedom: Speak with God about how He is inviting you to change your life, so that you can experience the freedom to be the-best-version-of-yourself.
- Others: Lift up to God anyone you feel called to pray for today, asking God to bless and guide them.
- Pray the Our Father
Prayer of Transformation
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Dynamic Catholic Prayer
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Loving Father,
I come to you today to make myself 100 percent available to you. I lay everything I have and everything I am at your feet. Take what you want to take, and give what you want to give. Command me in all things. I will do whatever you ask me to do. Transform me and transform my life, so that I may become the-very-best-version-of-myself and lead others to you with my life and my love! Amen Taken From Resisting HappinessThe daily habit of prayer leads us to spiritual health. The more ingrained this habit becomes in our lives, the clearer we hear the voice of God. The clearer we hear the voice of God in our lives, the more likely we are to walk in his ways, honor his will, and experience the peace and happiness he yearns to fill us with. Are you spiritually healthy?
Once you understand that God has an incredible dream for you, once you grasp that he wants you to become the-best-version-of-yourself and help others to do the same, and once you start to listen to the prayers of the Mass with all this in mind, you very quickly discover that there is genius in Catholicism. |
Loving Father,
I invite You into my life today and make myself available to You. Help me to become the-best-version-of-myself by seeking Your will and becoming a living example of Your love in the world. Open my heart to the areas of my life that need to change in order for me to carry out the mission and experience the joy You have imagined for my life. Inspire me to live the Catholic faith in ways that are dynamic and engaging. Show me how to best get involved in the life of my parish. Make our community hungry for best practices and continuous learning. Give me courage when I am afraid, hope when I am discouraged and clarity in times of decision. Teach me to enjoy uncertainty and do my part to enable Your Church to become all You imagined it would be for the people of our times. Amen Taken From Rediscover Jesus; an InvitationPrayer Changes Everything.
It is impossible to get close to Jesus and stay close to him without developing an intimate daily conversation with him. The habit of daily prayer will transform you in unimaginable ways and you will wonder how you ever lived without it. We can survive without prayer, but we cannot thrive without it. Are you thriving or just surviving? |