How Hospitality is the Gateway: A letter from Australia
My husband Ray and I arrived in Orange, (about 250 kms west of Sydney) in 2018. We were looking forward to retiring outside of the fast pace of Sydney city life. We hoped Orange, with a population of about 48,000, would offer country hospitality and friendliness.
At first our hopes were fulfilled, even at the local gym everyone was friendly, welcoming, and had time for a cuppa [cup of coffee/tea] after class. However, when we first attended St. Mary’s Catholic Church it was not welcoming at all. Everyone seemed in a rush to get in and then get out of Mass. This was a shock.
So, we went to the Uniting Church in Orange to see if this was just the culture of the churches in town. It could not have been more different. At the Uniting Church, we were welcomed at the door, introduced to people, offered a cup of tea/coffee after service and even a dinner invitation from the minister. I was also asked personally if I would like to attend a weekly Bible study. The hospitality was wonderful and made us feel at home.
But, despite the wonderful hospitality at the Uniting Church, we missed attending Mass.
Afterglow: A Focus on the Catholic Parish Summit
As attendees make their way home across the UK, Europe, North America and some even as far away as New Zealand, many have reached out to share their stories of what the Holy Spirit began renewing in their hearts last week.
Found: A Focus on Fathers
The subject of Fatherhood – spiritual or biological – often dredges up a convoluted catch of emotions, netted from the depths of our memories. Joy, pain, love, fear, anger or even shame. Whether from healing or hurting, those in the role of “father” in our lives cut deeply into our hearts, forming who we believe ourselves to be as children.
Some of the greatest power of fatherhood lays in its ability to create identity. Like a last name, fatherhood can wrap each individual member of the family in a moniker, identifying those who belong.
But ultimately, earthly fatherhood is a reflection. It is in the Creator that parenthood is defined and in its perfect form. It is from him that our true identity is found.
“More than you can ask or imagine”: A Story from France
Paroisse Etudiante de Toulouse Assistant Priest, Father Antoine, takes what he learned interning with Divine Renovation to minister to a student population hungry for the gospel.
Leaders of the Faith: A Focus on Mothers
Whether biological, adoptive, or spiritual mentors, the mothers of our faith guide our understanding of God. From Jochebed’s protective plans that saved baby Moses (Exodus 2), to the bravery of Mary’s “yes” to her divine motherhood (Luke 1), scripture shows examples of mothers with strength, intelligence, and boldness whose witness lead us deeper into our own faith.
This month we reach out and ask priests and parish leaders how mothers have lead them to the faith they have today.
“A Little Child Will Lead Them”: A Story from the USA
Melissa and Cody Hedquist love their parish. They almost gush as they repeatedly explain “the way they do it at St. Patrick’s is…” relating their amazement at the difference they have found there.
St. Patrick’s Parish in Yorkville, Illinois, has been committed to parish renewal since its Pastor, Father Matt, attended the DR’16 Conference in Halifax. He got into coaching with Divine Renovation, formed a Senior Leadership Team, started Alpha and the trajectory of the parish changed towards becoming missional. Another big shift happened three years ago when, as part of their focus on the primacy of evangelization, St. Patrick’s hired a Director of Children’s Ministry. The new hire, Samantha, brought in a focus on family formation to children’s faith education and the fruit has been multiplying ever since.
For the Hedquist family, this change was tangible and deeply personal.
The Rest of God: A Story from the USA
Angela is a parishioner at Mary Queen of the Apostles Parish, in Salem, Massachusetts, USA.
In her early childhood she had already started volunteering with her local parish, a life of service that continued into adulthood. For the last three decades she has offered her gifts in the choir, as a lector, as a leader of a prayer group, with the youth, and says “I was a leader for many things.”
From all signs, she was the ideal volunteer.
But secretly, she was burned out. Her spiritual life was one of duty and striving. “I thought I had to do so much: doesn’t matter that I was overwhelmed, doesn’t matter that I was losing my mental health, doesn’t matter that I was feeling burn out – this is what you needed to do…this is what God wants from you.”
But five years ago, everything changed.
“I love the local parish”: A Donor Story
Bill and his wife have seven kids and live in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where they are part of a thriving DR-accompanied parish, Christ the King Catholic Church.
Bill is also a donor.
When asked why he gives to the ministry he responds, “I don’t know how to say this…it really just comes back to the Lord…how much He loved me and gave of himself for me. And then seeing the love of God and His generosity to me repeatedly…I just think this ministry is just such a beautiful extension of that.”
Ultimately, he has a passion to support DR because, “I love the local parish… it’s where God acts in most people’s lives…It’s just a real place of grace for people.”
“I Felt Like the Lost Sheep”: A Story from the USA
In 2021, Salvador returned to his childhood home in Chicago, a broken man. His partner and the mother of his children had kicked him out of their home in Las Vegas. Addiction and a life of fast living had brought his world crashing down on him.
As a child, Sal had felt a strong connection to God. A cradle Catholic, he was involved in youth retreats at his parish and felt drawn to the Bible. But as a teen, he was afraid to be known in school as the one who chose God fully: “here in Chicago, I mean growing up, it was not easy… it was kind of rough.” At that time, the priests in the parish were Missionary Servants of the Word from Mexico. “All these teachings were with the Bible… I was in love with that.” But it caused a tension within him – it didn’t fit with the persona he wore with his friends. His Pastor challenged him: “either you’re hot or you’re cold, you cannot be in between.”
So, as a teen, in his rebellion, in his pain, in searching for his identity and worth, he decided “I’ll be cold.” By the time he was 17 he was far from the Church and moved to Sin City. “I felt like the lost sheep.”
Bringing Our Whole Selves to Worship: A Letter From the UK
Divine Renovation UK provided support for Angela, a parish worship leader from Blessed Hope Parish, Exeter, to attend the One Hope Project Academy this year. Her parish priest, Father Jonathan and their parish have been accompanied by DR for the last three years.
