Renew My Church Team Retreat

Thank you for your prayers as our Renew My Church Grouping Feedback & Discernment Team attended a full-day retreat at the Cardinal Meyer Center last Saturday. The day was filled with prayer, reflection and opportunities to share with one another our hopes, concerns and ideas as we work together to help shape the future of our faith communities. Cardinal Cupich was able to join us for an hour and share his own thoughts about the renewal underway in our Archdiocese, as well as to answer candid questions about the sexual abuse crisis, women in leadership, and other issues facing the church. Spending time together in prayer and hearing from the Cardinal was so important because on the surface all of our Renew My Church efforts can seem solely focused on the structural changes of our parishes. The perception that what we’re doing is all about buildings and finances is a view point held by many, but it is not the reality – it is not the core of what Jesus Christ is calling us to do. Spiritual renewal of our parishes and our Archdiocese is at the heart of Renew My Church. When you consider the facts, it is easier to understand the sense of urgency and why the structural and spiritual renewal must go hand-in-hand. How, where and when we spend our energies, resources, dollars and time has a very real impact on our abilities to develop the creative evangelizing plans that will bring more people into an encounter with the Risen Lord, with His Word and Sacraments proclaimed in our parishes and through our ministries. To see some of the demographic challenges that we face, please click on the title link or picture.