St. Maria Goretti - Disciples in Mission

Disciples in Mission is a parish base initiative. Over the course of the three years that it runs in the parishes it integrates prayer, the Sunday liturgies, faith/discussion groups, catechesis, family activities into a parish-wide experience of evangelization.

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What is it?

Contacts

Who Should
Be Involved?

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age" (Matthew 28: 19-20) Jesus' command still holds true for us today, Jesus asks us to go out and make disciples. Our lives as believers are part of the story of salvation, and we are to share our stories and our faith with others in our everyday lives.

In keeping with our Parish's initiative and goals of being a "Welcoming and Stewardship Parish", while sharing our Lord's vision and command, we embark on Disciples in Mission, as a response to this call of Jesus.

We are entering a new era in the church, a new springtime of Christian life, a time of renewed commitment to Jesus Christ. Jesus lived and taught two thousand years ago. Hundreds of people, fascinated by who he was, followed him. Some followed him literally, traveling through the distant villages, listened to him, and believed in him, and their lives, though outwardly the same were transformed. All of them were his disciples.

Through out Baptism, we too are disciples of Jesus. We listen to him in prayer, in the liturgy, in one another and the world around us. We believe in Him. Our belief shows in our actions, and we find that our lives are transformed. This is discipleship-coming to live our faith more fully and learning to share it more freely with other people. This is the goal of Disciples in Mission.

Small groups of people who meet weekly during Lent are the heart of Disciples in Mission. Why do we gather in groups? Isn't private prayer and scripture reading enough for spiritual growth? Certainly our individual spiritual practices are essential, the foundation on which everything else is built. But our spiritual lives do not happen in a vacuum. They are not separate in our family, our neighborhood, and our work place. We journey to God surrounded by other people, and we grow closer to God with companionship and support of other people-a community of faith.

You play an important part in the process. You don't need any specialized eduaction; your faith, your own relationship with God and your willingness to share or discuss it are what matters. The small groups (any where from six to nine people) will meet once a week for a total of six weeks during lent. At each meeting the Group will explore the scriptures that will be proclaimed the next Sunday at Mass. You will, so to speak get a head start on the following weeks liturgy. This study and reflection are reinforced by the Sunday homilies, since the homilist is given resource materials specifically developed for Discipes in Mission.

What happens at the meeting? Each meeting lasts for ninety minutes. We talk about how the scriptures affect us, and what they mean to us individually. We have easy to follow booklets that guide our activities at the meeting. Our opening prayer is based on the Sunday Readings and helps us to open our hearts and worship God. It offers pratical suggestions as how to live out our mission as Jesus' disciples. We focus on our faith. These meetings are not academic debates, they are opportunities for you to talk about what the scriptures mean to you as you try to follow Jesus in your daily life.

Like Mary, the mother of Jesus and Saint Paul the Apostle, you can be a powerful instrument of the Holy Spirit. These six weeks will be an occasion for learning and grace, a new springtime in Christian life for everyone, including you.

			*Who's Involved?* Every One Especially You!

			*Contacts* Mike D'Elia 215-855-5807 email: mdeliaphr@home.com