7 local Catholics share the multiplicity of ways they connect with their local church community.
Thank you to:
- Derek Pingel
- Teresa McGrath
- Rosemary Haydock
- Mary Davidson
- Josephine Cullen
- Betty Graver
- Mary Macuga
Transcript
Through God I feel so connected to the people in our local Church. For my entire life I have been a member of a regional parish which has, and continues to enjoy, the richness of care and support for each other.
Research has show that for young people to remain connected to their faith a key factor is relationships. Relationships with models, mentors, family members, teachers and friends who are serious about the Catholic faith are paramount.
For me, relationships grow and faith and spirituality deepen when shared with like-minded others. In parishes these can be the relationships formed through prayer and study groups, coming together for Eucharist, service groups or any other groups.
In 2011 after the devastating floods in the Lockyer Valley, God provided my wife and I the opportunity to answer a call to assist a devastated community with its needs to rebuild their lives. This mammoth task was made much easier by the connection we had within our local Church. Many of our parish community joined us in these works, and since that time I have witnessed a deeper bond and unity like never before.
My involvement in children’s faith formation started the day I heard my son say his first real word. It suddenly occurred to me that I would have to answer a whole lot of questions in the next few years. But I had no idea of how to talk about the big issues around God and faith. So I turned to my ‘village’, the faith community that is my parish. Here I found other parents and children in the same process of learning and exploring.
Music helped our parish assist another one that was struggling to get a choir and youth together. The music was alive and the congregation joined in. That morning 7 to 8 youth joined the music choir and many of the elderly parishioners were very open to the new music liturgy. We are being told to evangelise; there is no better way than through music and learning and reaching out to help and learn from other parishes.
At St Patrick’s we have so many different groups who are so active and supportive within our church. If we see someone in need, ill or dying I have a prayer chain going and we ring up one person and pass it on and on. It’s so wonderful as a parish that we try always to help others. It is truly a gift from God and I love it.
My Nana used to tell me to treat the Church like a member of your family. We’re responsible to support the Church, because she belongs to us. And, in turn, our Church is there to care for us, throughout our lifetime.