Current Spiritual Opportunities

Please see the weekly bulletin for dates and times of program offerings or contact Kathy Isherwood at 856-429-3334 x111 in the parish office

VOLUNTEERS

What a grace filling moment when you minister to the sick! Indeed, it is fulfilling to pray with the sick or even talking with them. There are some of them who do not have even someone to pay them a visit. Whenever I go to the hospital, I am always touched and recall the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ:

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and cared for me, in prison and you visited me…Mt 25:31-46."

Yes, when we minister to our brothers and sisters, we minister to Jesus. When we care for the sick, we are caring for Jesus. How nice it is to touch Jesus! In this respect therefore, I wish to call upon those Extra Ordinary Ministers interested to volunteer in taking the Holy Eucharist to the sick at Kennedy hospital in Cherry Hill. Call at the Rectory to register.

May God richly bless you.
Father Bruno

RCIA

Are you….

• unbaptized?

• a baptized non-catholic with little or no involvement in any church?

• someone who wants to share in the Eucharist feast at mass?

• looking for a faith community to call home?

 If you answer yes to any of these questions, then maybe RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) is for you.  RCIA is a process through which adult men and women are welcomed into the Catholic Church.  It includes several stages marked by study, prayer and rites celebrated during the Sunday Liturgy.  

Unbaptized participants in RCIA are known as catechumens. They undergo a process of conversion, led by the grace of the Holy Spirit, as they study the Gospel, profess faith in Jesus and the Catholic Church, and receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. The RCIA process follows the ancient practice of the Church and was restored by the Second Vatican Council as the normal way adults prepare for baptism.

Baptized participants that wish to join the Catholic faith are called candidates and they also undergo a process of conversion as they prepare to make a profession of faith and celebrate Confirmation and Eucharist.

RCIA is a process of conversion for people on a journey of faith and it is truly a community event.  

If you are interested in learning more about this process, or would like to be a sponsor or team member, please contact Kathy Isherwood in the parish office.

ADULT FAITH FORMATION
"Were not our hearts burning within us when he spoke to us on the way
and opened the scriptures to us." Luke 24:32

         As baptized Catholic Christians, we share in the mission of Jesus to proclaim the Good News to the world. In order to do this, we must have a mature faith and a deep relationship with God that will enable us to promote the Gospel in every aspect our lives. This happens through strong catechesis. This catechesis "nurtures a profound, lifelong conversion of the whole person" and helps us to "experience the transforming power of grace" in our lives.* This is the goal of Adult Faith Formation.

Lifetime adult faith formation includes:

• the study of Scripture to learn more about God and bow to respond to his Word

• the study of the social teachings of the church and how to build a just society in which all God's creatures can thrive

• preparation for church liturgy and sacraments to better experience the growing fullness of a personal and community relationship with God

• opportunities to relate faith to the personal. family, church, or social situations of our lives

• spiritual formation experiences, such as different types of prayer and discernment

         In the gospel story quoted above, the disciples encountered Jesus on the road to Emmaus after his resurrection. Why were their hearts burning? "They were burning because in Jesus the disciples caught a glimpse into the heart of God and found their world made new."* Adult Faith Formation seeks to set our hearts on fire with the Good News in such a way that we are transformed again and again into the person our baptism calls us to be: people of faith who, "nourished by Word, sacrament and Communal life, will witness and share the Gospel in their homes, neighborhoods, places of work, and centers of culture."*

"Quotes taken from "Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us", A pastoral plan for Adult Faith Formation in the US., a statement of the U.S. Catholic Bishops.