SPIRITUS Team 8

SPIRITUS Team 8

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Praise the Lord!

Today I was able to spend the day with my brothers and sisters on the  SPIRITUS team at the Green Bay diocese Leadership Convocation. Inside the KI Convention Center, where the convocation was being held, we were able to attend a number of workshops focused on envangelization and catechesis, share stories and talk with many others dedicated to the Gospel message being spread in our diocese, and of course attend mass presided by Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington D.C.

There was a lot going inside the center today but amidst all the hustle and bustle of all the excited Catholics were two monks dressed all in black. One of these men, Father Maximos, was an Australian with a full grey beard and smiling face and the other, Brother Ambrose, was a younger man just brimming over with excitement and zeal for his faith. I was able to speak at length with Brother Ambrose about the Eastern Orthodox Rite for these two men were both apart of the Eastern Orthodox Rite, which is different from the Latin Rite of the Church but still within the Roman Catholic Church.

It was eye-opening, to say the least, to be able to learn about the ways in which they prayed, what life was like at an Eastern Rite monastery, how Catholic icons all were filled with beautiful symbolism, and even the way in which they prayed the liturgy(which is very beautiful by the way). Walking away from the booth that afternoon, I felt encouraged seeing how our Catholic faith was so...universal.

The faith handed to us by Jesus Christ reaches beyond all cultural barriers and customs. It stretches past nationalities and heritages, histories and peoples. From East to West Jesus has planted a Kingdom of believers. "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light"  In this passage Peter is talking about the exact same thing I saw today. We are a Church, a body, we stretch across the whole world, and we are meant to spread the Gospel to every corner of the world! "Be not afraid!"

Friday, October 25, 2013

Video Blog Time!

Hello! I decided I'd try out video blogging for my first post. Sorry if it's really choppy or if the sound gets a little weird, hopefully it comes out good enough that my point still gets across! (Also sorry for all the hand motions, it's my Italian side coming out haha) Anyways, thanks for watching & God bless!

Melissa :)


Monday, October 21, 2013

Connecting with Students

Time flies! It’s already October and as a first year SPIRITUS member it has been a great change. Firstly, it has been great to be living in this beautiful town in Wisconsin! Being from Michigan, the beauty really reminds me of home. The life of being a SPIRITUS missionary has led me to grow in my faith, gain life skills, make new friends, and receive the joy of living in a loving community. Not to mention- fun! Being here is such a gift from God! It is such a joy to witness to the students on the retreats. We really see God working on their hearts!

In order to give or receive love, one must trust because one is vulnerable or at least feels so when they love. The combination of trust and feeling vulnerable creates openness. The retreats foster the openness that is necessary for someone to receive God’s love and mercy. We try to meet the students where they are at because the students come to us at all different stages in the faith journey. This understanding makes students comfortable and open. One of my favorite things about the retreats is when the students really open up and share deep things about their life. We do small groups on the retreats for that so we can connect with students in a deeper way. With the working of the Holy Spirit we can then give them the advice and prayer they need to lead them closer to Jesus. I have already had times when I could really connect with students because they shared deep information that I could really relate to. This really helps the students not feel alone, and makes them feel loved by God. Love and connectedness (unity) have an important relation: “And above all these put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity (Colossians 3:14).”It brings such joy when we connect with the students and witness to them because it leads them closer to God.

Thanks for reading!

Sunday, October 6, 2013

God's Blessings

So here goes writing my first blog post while being a part of SPIRITUS. I hope the pressure doesn't get to me too much... :P

Well it's been under two months since I've arrived in Wisconsin (from the wild and wonderful state of West Virginia) to work in youth/retreat ministry. What is there to share except the fact that it has been an amazing experience so far- hence the title of my post "God's Blessings." I can't believe how right it feels for me to be a part of this team of young adults serving the youth in the area and bringing them closer to Christ in faith. Some of the many blessings include a wonderful community of amazing/inspirational people, getting spiritual formation, and learning so many valuable tools for a future career in whatever the future holds. It's been such an experience. These blessings I mentioned, though, are just the frosting of the cake- the real sweetness and satisfaction comes from the work we do- helping youth have an encounter with God and helping them delve deeper into the Catholic faith. Already into October, we've had quite a few retreats so far ranging from second grade to twelfth, and actually today, I was on a team that finished giving a Confirmation retreat. This past retreat, for me and many of my teammates, really was a reminder for us why we do what we do on SPIRITUS. Of course sometimes it's more difficult to engage students on some retreats we give, but this past retreat God gave us one of His breaths of fresh air. For many of the students, they shared that this retreat put things into perspective for them and allowed them to build a stronger personal relationship with Christ. We were able to discuss different aspects of the faith, but in particular, the session on forgiveness was powerful for the students. Many of them really opened up and allowed Christ into their lives at this point. It was truly an emotional experience. While the forgiveness session stood out from the retreat, overall the spirit of the retreat emulated joy, openness, and community. By the end, many of the students thanked our team and gave us a generous portion of high-fives and hugs. Even some of the adult chaperones and leaders did not hesitate to share how fruitful they thought the experience was.

Although not every retreat or youth ministry event will necessarily be as rewarding, it's these moments of real encounters with God and bonds with the students that make what we do worthwhile. It's then that we are reminded how God is really working in the students' lives but also our own as members of SPIRITUS. God's blessings are always around His children (not just SPIRITUS and the students but everyone in the world). Sometimes it just takes these special moments to be reminded of that. For me, this ministry is such a blessing- my teammates inspire me, I feel like I'm growing a lot, and the students we encounter make it all worthwhile. I look forward to what else I'll be experiencing in the next few months here in Wisconsin in youth evangelization.

So until next time...God bless! :)