CHRISTMAS SEASON: During the Christmas Season (Dec. 25 until Jan 6th.) St Clare Church is beautifully decorated with several Christmas trees and red Poinsettias. Further joy is added to the atmosphere from the many people that attended the Christmas Services. All this created a beautiful environment to celebrate the birth of our Savior. For New Years Eve, I led a midnight prayer service for about 50 people. It was a unique way to celebrate the new year. It provided some quiet reflection time and the year to come.
SPIRTUAL DIRECTION GRAD: In Deacon Formation, I found Spiritual Direction to be so helpful that I decided to become certified. In Nov. 2023, I completed a Spiritual Direction Course through the Archdiocese of Saint Louis. Overall, the 10-month course deepened my own spirituality and I feel better prepared to assist others.
SPIRITUAL DIRECTION GOAL: Simply put, the goal of Spiritual Direction is to help people see the Holy Spirit moving in their life and follow those movements into deeper relationship with God. A personal goal of mine will be to continue building on what I learned in Spiritual Direction. For this year, I plan to continue to dive deeper into books about one of the great Spiritual Masters, St Ignatius of Loyola. A future dream goal would be to lead a Religious Pilgrimage as a Spiritual Director.
PREPARING TO PREACH: On Dec 8th, I delivered a Homily for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. I found it really helpful to ask others for their feedback as I create rough drafts of my Homily. But I also find the quiet times in Prayer helps my thoughts marinate on scripture. Overall, I find that preparing for a Homily is a little Spiritual journey of discovery and surprise! Click this LINK to listen to the Homily.
NEXT BLOG POST: I look forward to sharing more of my experience in this ministry throughout 2024. Thanks for checking out my Blog!!! “All things pass…Patience achieves all that it strives for” –Saint Teresa of Avila