God has blessed each of us with a unique set of gifts, skills, talents, and resources so we can play a special role in building up the Kingdom of God here on earth. Many of us are busy people who want to assist in some way at our parish, while balancing family, work, and other responsibilities. As we strive to balance our responsibilities, we may quickly realize that it is often difficult to discern what God wants from us unless we spend some time communicating with Him. We are encouraged to spend time in prayer and to listen to hear if God is calling us to a more active, conscious participation in our parish.
In addition to prayer, to help us discern how we may place our talents at the service of God and His Church, this weekend we will have a Ministry Fair in Corbett Hall after each of our Masses. Details concerning the Fair can be found in the parish bulletin. Representatives of many of our parish ministries will be present to explain the purpose of their respective ministries and to answer questions. We encourage you to attend the Fair and then prayerfully consider how you may more actively participate in a ministry that interests you. We invite those who may not have participated in any ministries in the past to consider participating in just one ministry for one year. Your involvement, even on a limited basis, can enhance the spiritual vitality of our Saint Brigid faith community, and your own spiritual life.
The following prayer provided by the Archdiocese of Atlanta reflects the call for your involvement in our parish community:
Almighty God, my parish is composed of people like me. I help make it what it is.
It will be friendly if I am. It will be helpful if I am.
Its pews will be filled if I help fill them.
It will do great work if I work. It will be prayerful if I pray.
It will make generous gifts to many causes if I am a generous giver.
It will bring other people into worship if I invite and bring them.
It will be a parish family of loyalty and love,
of fearlessness and faith, of compassion, charity, and mercy if I
– who makes it what it is – am filled with these same qualities.
Therefore, with the help of God,
I will dedicate myself to the task of being all the things that I want my parish to be.
Bless my journey, Lord God that I might build the church through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
As we reflect on this prayer, we are invited to ask God what He may be calling us to do to enrich and strengthen our parish community as we continue our journey of faith.