SPIRITUS

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!"