Our Charisms

We need to remind ourselves continuously of those special gifts (charisms) that have made us a Christ-filled community – a people of God!

We are a welcoming community. This starts as we get out of our cars. As we walk to church, if we are next to someone we do not know – we introduce ourselves. Once seated, we try to know who is seated next to us. If they are visitors, we welcome them warmly. We recognize that in welcoming others, especially strangers, we are welcoming the Lord Himself.

We come on Sunday to praise and worship God. This is our most important priority as a community of faith. We do not come for only one hour, or hope to simply “get it over with quickly.” Our community places our communal prayer as our highest priority – we gather to give praise and honor to God.

We spend time after liturgy in fellowship to nurture our bonds and friendship. It is important to remain a few minutes after Mass, to share some refreshments, and meet someone. We plan to stay afterwards, knowing that extra time helps build our sense of community.

We sing. When we sing, we pray twice. Our goal -- to have everyone using a hymn book.

We do not leave early. We stay until after the last hymn is complete. We must be conscious of this and work to retain this charism. It insults God and Jesus to leave early. It clearly says, “God is not first.” To leave to take a child to a sports event is an inversion of priorities. When enrolling a child in a team sport, consider first the child’s participation at Mass, and then make team selections.

We spend some time each week preparing the Sunday Mass readings. Exploring the Sunday Readings (a resource included monthly in the bulletin) is a big help. Doing this makes Sunday worship much more vital and spiritual.