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E-Flame Newsletter January 2018
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We warmly welcome you and thank you for subscribing to receive the
Ignite Your Faith
E-Flame newsletter. Each month, you will find information on current and past events, articles to cultivate your faith life, and a calendar of upcoming events. We invite you to use this email as a one-stop resource center in Igniting Your Faith.
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| Recap of Generosity Phase |
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Thank You St. Bart's For
Loving Like Jesus!
"Show me your hands. Do they have scars from giving? Show me your feet. Are they wounded from service? Show me your heart. Have you left a place for divine love?"
-Archbishop Fulton Sheen-
The generosity of God is awesome... and so is the generosity of St. Bart's! Within the last four months, our parish has joyfully
accepted
the challenge to grow in a lifestyle rooted in
generosity.
Here is a sampling of responses from the generosity post-assessment parishioners completed a few weeks ago.
A.) What activity, resource, or event during the past four months did you find the most positive/motivating experience in your approach to generosity?
1. Weekly prayer at mass
2. The Generosity booklet
3. E-Flame, Reflections, and bulletin articles
4. Deacon Rick's presentation
5. Ignite Your Generosity book and speaker
B.) Can you provide an example of how Ignite Your Faith impacted your generosity?
1. It really opened up my eyes as to what generosity really
is all about and how it should be measured.
2. Brought to mind how generosity has many facets.
3. Reinforcing behavior, Knowing that I am not
alone in quest to help others.
4. Made me more aware of the need for giving
in other ways than monetary.
5. Was a great reminder every week-to make it
more of a habit rather than once in awhile.
Did you know...?
As a faith community, the average self-assessment score for Generosity increased from the initial 6.05% to 6.53%, which is a nice increase, given that Generosity was already the highest self-rated attribute of the Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic for our members.
Did you also know...?
The overwhelming benefit of IYF generosity was "awareness building" which means many of us have learned that to love like Jesus, it takes effort and an awareness of our other brothers and sisters in Christ here and afar.
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6:30 pm-8:00 pm
Speaker Series event
with Christian D. Washburn, Ph.D.
Join us for our kick off event of the Evangelization phase of
Ignite Your Faith
! Christian D. Washburn, Ph.D., a leading archdiocesan expert on evangelization and
inter-religious
affairs, will deliver an engaging talk about the Catholic call to evangelize, what Vatican II said about it, and the opportunities and challenges we face today in
inter-religious
dialogue. All are welcome. No cost.
6:30 pm-9:00 pm
Catholic Watchmen Rally
Guest speaker: Bishop Cozzens
Men, don't miss the Catholic Watchmen Rally at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Wayzata. Men from all over the archdiocese are invited to come together for prayer, confession, dinner, and talk by Bishop Cozzens on "Christ the Man: Why God the Father begot a Son and what that means for all sons of the Father."
There will be time for Adoration, Prayer & Confession. Dinner provided. Free will offering the night of the event. BRING A FRIEND!
REGISTER HERE.
Tuesday, February 6 - Tuesday, April 10
10 Sessions: Feb 6, 13, 20, 27, March 6, 13, 20, 27, April 3, 10
Tuesdays, from 10-11:30 a.m.
Women's Bible Study
St. Bart's, Room A14
Title: "The Acts of the Apostles and Evangelization"
Leader: Dr. Kristin Towle
Cost: $75
Childcare available.
More Upcoming IYF Events
February 25- An Evening on Evangelization with Father Michael Joncas
February 26-April 9- A 7-week study on Bishop Barron's New Evangelization with Andrew Allen
Month of April- A 4 week "Evangelization Challenge"- details to follow
April (date TBD)- Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic-book discussion on Evangelization chapter with Dr. Tod Worner.
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Evangelization Overview
By Shelly Dau
This month we begin the next phase of our journey to become more Dynamic Catholics with the 4th sign: Evangelization. For many of us, the term alone strikes either fear or some other negative connotation. However, evangelization is actually exciting and is imperative to our future, as a Church and as a people.
Jesus's answer to how the best way to live was: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind...and love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 26: 37-39)
God wants to "win" you with his love and wisdom; God wants to build you up spiritually so that you have the knowledge and habits to live in his love and walk in his ways; and God wants to send you out into the world to share his love with others. Matthew Kelly refers to this as Win. Build. Send.
Evangelization, like every sign, takes both time and commitment. According to the research, among highly engaged Catholics, evangelization is the weakest link in the chain. This is our challenge!
We are called to evangelize. The bad news is that we, as Catholics are not doing a very good job of evangelizing in the society we live in today. The good news is that we have never really tried. The only option we have is to improve.
Evangelization is to the church what breathing is to a person, according to Kelly. If we stop doing it for long enough, we will die. We exist to evangelize. It is necessary to keep our Church and our faith alive and moving vibrantly in to the future. Let's try to do one thing each week to share the faith with someone who crosses our path. Share a book you've read about faith. Pass along an on-line daily reflection that you receive. Invite someone to one of our events. Offer a Catholic perspective in a conversation.
If every member of our parish did one thing each week to share the faith with others, how different would St. Bart's be a year from now? Or, taking it to another level, if every Catholic in America did just one small act of evangelization each week, how could the Church grow in the next ten years? Little by little, we can have an enormous impact. The road to success is taking one small step at a time!
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Receive your complimentary copy of
Nudging Conversions
by Carrie Gress
THIS weekend at Mass.
We all know someone - a parent, sibling, aunt or uncle, coworker, grandparent, child, neighbor, or friend who has either left the Church or never discovered it. We want them to know the joy and peace we've discovered, but the last thing we want to do is to force our faith on them. So how can we bring our loved ones back to the Church?
Jesus was the first and greatest evangelizer. As his disciples, we're called to share in his mission to spread his message to others. But going outside your comfort zone to engage the disengaged in meaningful conversations about Catholicism can be overwhelming. Fortunately there are common patterns that are easy to follow once you recognize them.
In Nudging Conversions, Carrie Gress unveils those common patterns and offers a practical roadmap for reaching out to friends and family. You'll learn the art of asking questions, when to speak and when to keep quiet, basic tools for talking to others about Jesus, how to answer questions about the faith, and more.
Conversion doesn't happen overnight, sometimes all it takes is a little nudge.
Please take one and prayerfully read through it. What is exciting is our book giveaways have been a vital piece of growing into a
dynamic
Catholic since we began IYF. We hope that this book gives the "nudge" you need in order to heed the call from our Lord Jesus Christ.
In Matthew 28:16-20 it states,
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
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"I Was Once Lost,
But
Now
I Am Found."
By Victoria Siedlecki
"Those who have come into genuine contact with Christ cannot keep him for themselves, they must proclaim him."
-Pope Saint John Paul II-
In 2007 I became a part of my first and only faith community through RCIA within the Catholic Church. I never had much knowledge of God or a personal relationship with Jesus, and churches were for weddings and funerals only. But all that changed 11 years ago and instead of halfheartedly accepting the rules and traditions of the Catholic Church, I warmly embraced it all. From the anchor of the liturgical calendar to the comforting blanket of the rosary, hymns at mass, reconciliation, and the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist, I really do try to live, breathe, and be a Catholic Christian every day of my life.
Each year goes by and God keeps my heart burning bright because of my thirst for Living Water. Sadly, I see so many "lights" in this world growing smaller, barely a flicker. It truly hurts my heart to see a son or daughter of God who doesn't even know their father exists, let alone has a relationship with Him.
I share my faith for many reasons, reasons being that I was once someone who had no light inside of them. Someone who didn't know their Father. Someone who didn't know whose I belonged to. Someone who didn't know their true worth beyond what society claimed it to be.
God saved my life 11 years ago. I was the one sheep who wandered away while the other 99 sheep were safe in the field. Have you ever been the one sheep to wander away? Did Jesus the Shepard come and find you? Wouldn't you want to tell the other sheep what happened and what a miracle it was to be found again? We are all called to share our story because yes, it is a miracle that when you and I were lost, Jesus loved us enough to find us. Isn't a miracle enough of a reason to share the message of Jesus with the people you love?
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"WINE is a creative and inspired ministry to invigorate women's groups and parishes through
encouraging, supporting, and nurturing women in the Catholic faith and by equipping and mobilizing women as intentional disciples of Christ."
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| Women in the New Evangelization |
For more information on what WINE is, the conferences, retreats, and book clubs they offer,
CLICK HERE.
For more information and to register for the WINE: Catholic Women's Conference 2018 on February 10th,
CLICK HERE.
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| Fr. Robert Barron Resources |
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"Bishop Barron's Roadmap for
the New Evangelization"
With three challenges, three opportunities, and all founded on our Catholic faith, Father Barron provides a road map in navigating our fallen culture's response to the existence of God and how we can confidently and joyfully share our faith with secular culture.
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Passion and Purpose Workshop
Presented by Matthew Kelly
Sept. 29, 2018 Minneapolis, MN
Are you thriving or just surviving? Do you want more energy? A deeper sense of purpose? Join us for Living Every Day with Passion and Purpose, presented by internationally acclaimed speaker Matthew Kelly. It's not your typical church event.
Limited Time- Early Bird Special Price: $29.00
Every person receives a free event bag with the following items:
-A copy of one of Matthew Kelly's premium books
-The Seven Pillars of Catholic Spirituality (CD)
-Inspirational journal
-DECISION POINT workbook
-Mass journal
-Dynamic Catholic pen
After growing as a Dynamic Catholic for two years as part of St. Bart's Ignite Your Faith
campaign, wouldn't it be a blessing to hear Matthew Kelly LIVE!?
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