Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

I think many people are at least somewhat familiar with what a Parish Mission is. Maybe they have been to different Parish Missions over the years and can describe what they are like or what they try to do. But I also imagine that there are many people who have never been to a Parish Mission and many others who have an incomplete understanding of what a Parish Mission is. The concept of Parish Missions goes back to the Apostolic Age of the Church where traveling speakers would not only establish local churches, but also return periodically to preach and strengthen them in the faith. Structured Parish Missions rose to new prominence following the Protestant Revolt, and some religious orders were established often to preach to the people in rural areas. They were encouraged in this country in the 1860s following the Church Councils in Baltimore.

 

A Parish Mission can be defined as a series of presentations meant to revive the faith in Catholic communities by converting sinners, rousing the indifferent, and lifting the good to even greater piety. This is done through instruction usually focused on practical applications of living out the faith in daily life by concentrating on various themes such as family life, temperance, or social obligations. Parish Missions are generally recommended every one to three years. Typically, they would go over a period of several days and the different talks would be interconnected, so there would be an expectation that individuals attend all of the presentations to derive the greatest benefit.

 

I know how difficult it can be for individuals and families to schedule anything for a single day, let alone multiple days. Thus, for our Parish Mission we broke it down into individual days spread throughout the year. Our first day was on November 23rd with Cardinal Burke at St. Mary, Milaca on the topic of family life. Our second will be on February 1st at St. Mary, Mora with a couple of speakers on the topic of Metanoia (change of heart or conversion). Our third one will be during the Discernment Retreat at the end of July in Milaca – more details to come later. Again, I know there are many things competing for your time and attention in our world, but I want to share not just an encouragement to attend, but an expectation that each parishioner would attend these events. Schedule things around these events, cancel other plans to attend, bring your whole family and other guests as well.

 

Peace in Christ,

Father Timothy