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Keeping the Faith
Alive in Our Parish
We belong to St. Michael's Parish. We have a wonderful, warm, and
caring community. But during the last several years we have systematically
worked at finding new ways of building Christian community. What follows
are two things we have done which have proved to be very successful.
1. Gathering after Liturgy
2. Sunday Baptisms
Gathering after
Liturgy
I don't know about your parish, but in my parish people usually attend
the same Mass each Sunday. In order to help our parishioners get to know
each other, we have one big parish celebration to which everyone is invited
during the Christmas and Easter seasons. We usually do this on the Sunday
after the Feast. For example this year the whole parish was invited to
come to the 11 o'clock Mass on the Sunday to celebrate the Feast of the
Holy Family. We served coffee, cake, and juice and we had a sing-a-long
and played some games. We also have a group of volunteers who set up a
coffee and cake table after each Sunday Mass so that members who attend
a particular liturgy may get to know one another.
Sunday Baptisms
There was a time when our Parishioners complained if a baby was baptized
during the Sunday Mass. Everyone wants to be the first out of the parking
lot! Our Parish Baptism Committee made some posters explaining the different
symbols that are used during Baptism and hung them up in the entrance
of the Church. Many of our parishioners were surprised to learn the meaning
of the baptismal garment, the baptismal candle, and the oil of chrism.
But what I think really helped our parishioners to understand the real
meaning of Baptism was when the committee displayed the following quote
from the Catechism of the Catholic Church above the pictures of
our newly baptized parishioners!
1185.
"The gathering of the People of God begins with
Baptism…
Catechism of the Catholic Church
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