“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 āthe way they do it at St. Patrickās isā¦ā relating their amazement at the difference they have found there.
St. Patrickās Parish in Yorkville, Illinois, has been committed to parish renewal since its Pastor, Father Matt, attended the DRā16 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. Patrickās hired a Director of Childrenās Ministry. The new hire, Samantha, brought in a focus on family formation to childrenās 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 āI was a leader for many things.ā
From all signs, she was the ideal volunteer.
But secretly, she was burned out. Her spiritual life was one of duty and striving. āI thought I had to do so much: doesnāt matter that I was overwhelmed, doesnāt matter that I was losing my mental health, doesnāt matter that I was feeling burn out ā this is what you needed to doā¦this is what God wants from you.ā
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, āI donāt know how to say thisā¦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 repeatedlyā¦I just think this ministry is just such a beautiful extension of that.ā
Ultimately, he has a passion to support DR because, āI love the local parish⦠itās where God acts in most peopleās livesā¦Itās just a real place of grace for people.ā
“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: āhere in Chicago, I mean growing up, it was not easy… it was kind of rough.ā At that time, the priests in the parish were Missionary Servants of the Word from Mexico. āAll these teachings were with the Bible… I was in love with that.ā But it caused a tension within him ā it didnāt fit with the persona he wore with his friends. His Pastor challenged him: āeither you’re hot or you’re cold, you cannot be in between.ā
So, as a teen, in his rebellion, in his pain, in searching for his identity and worth, he decided āI’ll be cold.ā By the time he was 17 he was far from the Church and moved to Sin City. āI felt like the lost sheep.ā
Welcoming People Home: A Focus on Hospitality

Father Mark explains, āI am completely convinced that what people desire more than anything is to belong, and to feel welcomed and to be accepted, and to be embraced as they are… And I think the message of Jesus, the great revolutionary message of Jesus, in many ways, is that you do belong, and that you are accepted ā that you are welcome.ā
Then and Now: A Letter from the 2022 DR USA Conference

My first experience attending a Divine Renovation (DR) Conference was in the summer of 2018 in Halifax, Canada. Being blessed to participate in the most recent conference in Dallas, I can have a better appreciation of the journey we at Notre Dame have traveled these past few years and how the Holy Spirit has been moving within the Divine Renovation Ministry and other parishes in our Catholic Church.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: A Story from the USA

āI, at one time, referred to Saint Mary’s as Our Lady of the Comatose…We were the typical parish in the mushy middle,ā states longtime St.Maryās parishioner Dwain Robbins.
He continues, āPeople came, checked off, āI went to Mass.ā They tried to be the first out of the parking lot; there was was relatively little interaction.ā Ten years ago if you tried to talk about evangelization āpeopleās eyes glazed over.ā
Located in the Lower Blackstone Valley in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, St. Mary’s has not been immune to the problems facing the Church.
But if you were to walk into St.Maryās today you would not find a sleepy parish, as Dwain beams āI can’t say that anymore; we are anything but.ā
A Song to Sing: A Story of Priesthood Renewal in the USA

As a child, Father Paddy OāDonovan wanted to be either a performer, a politician⦠or a priest.
His humour, charm, and conversational agility make it clear he could have been all 3. But behind the warmth is a spiritual depth and a profound love for people. Quoting Father Hans UrsāÆVon Balthasar, he states he ultimately chose theodrama, than that of the ego. And a reflection on his years in ministry demonstrate how God is using him to tell His story.
This month he celebrates 50 years of ordination.