Having a relationship with Jesus is the theme for this month’s Gathering the Family Around the Table. One way we nurture our relationship with God is through prayer. With this idea we challenged the students to discover different ways to pray. There’s the Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, Visio Divina, Novenas, Taizé and much more. It’s incredible how many ways there are to pray but it’s equally incredible how little people grow in prayer.

I’m an adult convert and for most of my life I did not know how to pray. Thankfully my dad taught me the Hail Mary when I was a child and that got me through a lot. Then in RCIA I learned how to pray the Our Father, the Rosary, and the Mass prayers but saying a prayer on my own was still difficult. It sounds easy, “Just have a conversation with God,” but how? How do you talk to someone you can’t see or hear and what are you supposed to say? So one day I decided to pray like Jesus. He taught us the Our Father so why not use it as a model for our own prayers? To learn how click HERE.

Another favorite prayer of mine is Lectio Divina which means “divine reading.” It’s prayer in the form of meditation using scripture. It allows us to “hear” God and gives us an opportunity to contemplate his words. I did not like meditation until I tried Lectio Divina. I’ve been given very profound and moving experiences praying this way especially in times I needed it the most. To learn more click HERE.

Sometimes I feel uninspired and praying feels like a chore. During times of staleness I use my Hallow app. Hallow offers so many ways to pray and meditate. I especially like that the prayers are guided so you don’t have to read anything. Just close your eyes, listen, and allow yourself to be with God. Using Hallow is how I learned to pray Lectio Divina. After a few guided sessions I felt very comfortable picking up my Bible and leading myself in prayer (with the help of the Holy Spirit of course).

However you want to pray, the main thing is to take the time to do it. Having a relationship with Jesus isn’t different from any other relationship. If you want to be close to someone, you spend time with them and better yet, quality time. Take this time during Lent to spend quality time with Jesus through prayer and you’ll be amazed how your relationship will grow!

-Stephanie Nguyen | Pastoral Assistant for Children’s Ministry & Liturgy

As I write this it is Ash Wednesday, and we have completed two of our four scheduled liturgies and the calls are still pouring in for reservations to attend the Masses tonight. All of our liturgies have been full since last week, and we are faced with having to turn people away from Mass when they call in, and worse, when they come to the church to attend a liturgy without “signing up”. It is another sadness experienced in the midst of the pandemic. Due to social distancing requirements, our seating capacity is severely limited – we can only fit 140 people in at each Mass. In a congregation of more than 6000 individuals, this restriction is punishing for so many who can’t get a reservation because Masses are already full when they go to reserve a spot. How can we all help each other in this time? If you make a reservation for Mass, please keep it! We know there are situations that come up and you may not be able to attend at the last minute. But there are also many instances of people reserving spots and not showing up week after week. If you know days in advance you cannot keep a reservation you have made, please send a quick email to let us know, or call the parish office and leave a message. If you usually go to the 10:30 Mass, we ask that you only sign up once a month, so other parishioners can attend. Thank you for helping to ensure all our parishioners have a chance to experience the great source and summit of our faith in the celebration of the Eucharist.

To cancel a Mass reservation, please call 253-839-2320 or email snguyen@stvincentparish.org

When: Sundays, beginning February 21st

Time: 3pm - 4pm (informal gathering begins at 2:30pm)

Where: Zoom

We are going to be doing the Formed program, “Into the Desert: A Lenten Study on Prayer.” Follow the link for more information on the study. https://watch.formed.org/into-the-desert

This study is open to all parents in our parish no matter the age of your children or if you have ever come before. If you want to learn more about prayer and how to pray then this study is for you. To sign up call the parish office or email Katie at kgoodson@stvincentparish.org.

Join with hundreds of Catholics as we put our faith in action as we advocate for economic and racial equity in a Virtual Catholic Advocacy Day in Olympia, Thursday, March 23, 2021. The day will include Mass, briefing on legislative issues, advocacy tips and appointments with legislators, social media campaigns. Register at www.ipjc.org by March 9, 2021.

PREPARES (Pregnancy and Parenting Support) is an initiative of the Catholic Bishops of Washington State, which is open to all people. It provides services to pregnant women, fathers, and their families by walking the journey from pregnancy to their child’s fifth birthday. Please consider joining us in walking the journey with families in your own parish community. To learn more about PREPARES at St. Vincent please contact Katie and she will get you in contact with Tammy or visit the Prepares website at www.preparesforlife.org. 

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