Tag: faith sharing

We need one another in our faith journeys

December 23, 2024

None of us “has it all figured out.” In the words of Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, “We are all radically incomplete. And, we need each other.”

For those of us who attend church, we do experience growth in faith by attending church services. However, church services – in and of themselves – are an “entry way” or vestibule that “get us in the door” toward growing in faith. At some point, we need more to grow in faith. “We need each other.” Faith sharing groups, reading books, one-on-one support from faith mentors, retreats, community service projects with one’s faith community – there are a myriad of ways to connect with people who nurture our faith.

As we approach a new calendar year, you are invited to join our Zoom faith-sharing sessions in January to help grow in your adult-level faith journey. There will be three topic-sessions: The Nicene Creed, Christian Liturgy, and Approaches to Prayer. Saturday morning and Tuesday evening sessions (Pacific Time) are both offered (the Tuesday evening sessions are a repeat of the Saturday morning sessions). You are welcome to attend!

Check out the flyer below and sign up (register) here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084CA4A629A3F4C43-54130811-faith#/

Register: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084CA4A629A3F4C43-54130811-faith#/

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Kim Burkhardt blogs at A Parish Catechist (and is a member of the Association of Catholic Publishers). Blogging is sustainable via blog readership (i.e. readers/subscribers). If you are a new visitor, it would be great to have you subscribe to follow this blog (thank you!). If you know someone who would like this blog, please share it with them and invite them to subscribe (thank you!).

You are invited: join our faith-sharing groups!

June 23, 2024

You can be part of an active community in your faith journey!

Spiritual exploration and growing in faith are personal and at the same time communal.   Any number of people and groups contribute to our faith development – parish communities, pastors, prayer groups, faith formation staff, faith circles, community service groups….. Within that context, some individuals emerge who provide spiritual accompaniment: accompanists, faith mentors, spiritual directors, soul friends, and the like. 

A Parish Catechist is starting online faith sharing groups in in mid-July for group-based faith accompaniment (see below). These groups are open to the public – drop in! If you are feeling dry in your faith or looking for more community, please join us! These groups will be led by the founder of A Parish Catechist, Kim Burkhardt. Ms. Burkhardt has three years experience leading in-person faith development groups at parishes. She has a Certificate in Pastoral Accompaniment from Catechetical Institute of Franciscan University (Steubenville) and a Catechetical Certificate from the Archdiocese of Seattle. Invite your friends!

You are welcome to attend!

Kim Burkhardt blogs at A Parish Catechist and The Books of the Ages (and a member of the Association of Catholic Publishers). If you are a new visitor, it would be great to have you follow this blog (thank you!). If you know someone who would like this blog, please share it with them (thank you!). Also, your support ($$) to help sustain this blog is welcome.

We need each other: small group faith sharing

June 4, 2024
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As we seek to grow in faith, we need each other.

This idea that we need each other in faith is observed and communicated time and again:

  • “No man is an island.”
  • “We are all radically incomplete. And we need each other.” Timothy Radcliffe at the October, 2023 Synod in Rome.
  • A person of faith who I admire wrote: “we all need to have encouragement and some checks & balances from other seekers in regard to our experiences, otherwise we can fall into despair, or begin to believe that our own experience is the fullest measure of truth, which is dangerous.”
  • Etc.

We learn in faith from faith leaders – pastors, book authors, etc. We also learn from one another.

Sometimes, there is a desire to go it alone in our faith:

  • “I am independent. I am capable of learning. I know my conscience – I will find a faith path that suits my conscience and my lifestyle. I will grow in faith by sitting home alone reading books on spirituality.”
  • Sometimes, people variously add….. “I don’t like our current pastor at church…” Or, “I don’t care for organized religion…”
  • Perhaps: “I will supplement faith reading by going on nature walks or going to occasional conferences or retreats.”
  • “I have an active prayer life. I will allow God to direct my life. It’s ‘me and God.'”
  • “Of course, I will work continually be a better person.”

In fact, we need each other. The email I quoted above goes on to say, “we need each other, and I believe that God designed us that way.” Even hermits at monasteries have occasional contact with the other members of their monastic communities!

Christ was asked, “Which of the commandments is greatest?” He responded, ““Love God and love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:34-40). Loving your neighbor, of course, involves generosity of spirit to the people in our lives and supporting people who need support – it involves us interacting with one another, being in community.

Faith communities provide just that – communities where our faith is nurtured, where we hold ourselves to account, where we support the faith growth of our fellow faith travelers, and where we learn to more fully love our neighbor. Within such a context, small group faith sharing provides distinct and useful opportunities to learn and grow in faith, to support our fellow faith travelers. Local faith communities – churches, topic-specific communities such as prayer-based organizations, etc. – often provide small group settings ranging from Bible studies to prayer groups, life-stage groups (young adults, moms, retirees, etc.), topic-specific learning communities, and service activities (cleaning the parish, feeding the homeless, etc.). Please feel welcome to look up and join a faith sharing small group in your community.

Kim Burkhardt blogs at A Parish Catechist and The Books of the Ages (and a member of the Association of Catholic Publishers). If you are a new visitor, it would be great to have you follow this blog (thank you!). If you know someone who would like this blog, please share it with them (thank you!).