By Rosina Hendrickson
For The Catholic Messenger
In his Advent message, Bishop Thomas Zinkula challenged the people of the diocese to “move from maintenance to mission, from just resting on what has been to rejoicing in what might be.” This challenge came after reminding us that sometimes “as individuals, parishes and even a diocesan church, we can get stuck in maintenance mode, in just keeping things running as they are, in complacency and comfort.” The Office of Faith Formation has embraced this challenge offered by our shepherd.
Clergy and parish faith formation leaders participate in a discussion at a faith formation workshop at St. Patrick Parish in Iowa City earlier this year.
On Jan. 12 and Jan. 13, all clergy, ministry leaders, catechists, ministry team members, parents/grandparents and interested parishioners from across the diocese are invited to participate in “Shredding the Doubts: A Faith Formation Roundtable.” These roundtables are centered on the concepts of facilitating encounters with Christ, sharing our stories, and fostering faith. This is an opportunity for everyone to gather to explore and dream about moving our lives and ministries from “maintenance to mission.”
A roundtable engages all who are gathered for the day to discern answers and solutions to the questions of how to be a people in mission and share the Gospel message, which is part of our baptismal call. We will discuss the call to encounter Christ in our daily life, witness the faith to others and how to hand on the faith and share it with our non-Catholic friends and family. Guided in part by facilitators from the Office of Faith Formation, the people gathered will shape the conversation and the outcomes of the day. All who are gathered will have an opportunity to “shred the doubts” of their individual journey of faith, discuss the way in which they share the Gospel with their peers, and talk about overcoming the challenges of moving towards mission in our parish community.
The discussions are being held at St. Mary-Oskaloosa and Ss. Mary & Mathias-Muscatine from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day, with lunch to follow at 1 p.m. Participants are invited to select their day (Friday or Saturday) and their location (Oskaloosa or Muscatine) at the time of registration.
There is no cost for the event, but a free will offering will be taken to cover morning hospitality and lunch. For more information, contact Rosina Hendrickson by email at hendrickson@davenportdiocese.org, by phone at (563) 888-4244 or by visiting the website http://www.
davenportdiocese.org/shred. Registrations are accepted online at http://www.davenportdiocese.org/shred-registration through Jan. 8.
