St. Albert the Great: We are Called, We Matter, and We Belong!

While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him." ~ Luke 24:15-16

This was a passage that many parishioners, who participated in St. Albert the Great’s Parish Renewal Gathering on May 4, 2024, pondered deeply and discussed heartfully during the Lectio Divina.

​One parishioner said, “How many times do we fail to recognize Jesus in one another? Yet He is with us all the time.” Another one expressed, “we were given the beautiful gift of sight, but we often close our eyes and fail to see the beauty of Jesus present in us.”

Last Saturday’s gathering at our parish was indeed an eye-opener for many of us. While in the facade of our beautiful church we seem lively and vibrant, and indeed we are, there are areas we may be failing to recognize in our parish community. It could be families struggling in their relationships, our youth getting lost in their paths, our young adults who don’t know where to start, friendships strained and broken by past hurts, the elderly who may have been forgotten, or even one’s struggles with work in a weakening faith life. 

These are some of the “things” that are happening in the lives of parishioners. When Cleopas answered Jesus, “are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” Jesus replied, “What things?”

Well, we can talk to Jesus and tell Him, Lord these are the things! Very quickly, Jesus will probably tell us how foolish we are because it is necessary for those things to happen so “He can enter into His glory”. In another small group conversation, a parishioner reflected on the presence of sufferings in our lives as a way of God to reveal His glory. “What’s important is to know that we are not alone and that we have Jesus and the entire community to walk with us in our journey and the sufferings that come with it. It is comforting to know that I have a home and that if I experience some suffering, I have an entire community that prays for me.” That hits the note!

In an astounding response, over 150 parishioners, young and old, were present at the Renewal Gathering. The program started with a heartfelt welcome from our pastor Fr. Andrew, followed by the renewal prayer and Lectio Divina. Everyone attentively watched the renewal video and then listened to our special guest John Wasch, member of the Diocesan Renewal Leadership Team, who graciously shared his time with us. John walked us through the Pastoral Renewal journey, its beginnings and next steps.

​The small group conversations part was the highlight of the gathering as parishioners reflected on the priorities of the Renewal.  Some great questions were fielded by parishioners to the presenters who gave their best in answering them.  While all of that was happening, more than 15 children were having the time of their lives in a room full of activities. Thanks to the amazing volunteers who looked after and cared for them. The children too, have a lot to say about St. Albert the Great! Words like, “my favorite part of the mass is the homily because I learn stuff”, “I love meeting my friends”, and “my favorite is the dismissal and cookies after mass”, will just make you smile. The gathering concluded with a beautiful song, Prayer to St. Francis, played by a member of the renewal team. After that, we were all treated with a sumptuous meal prepared by the beautiful members of our parish funeral ministry. 

What a great day it was for our parish, you can strongly sense the Holy Spirit’s presence. 

“I didn’t know what to expect for attendance, but everyone’s presence here is truly a blessing to our parish. St. Albert the Great parishioners are the best!”, said Fr. Andrew who gave his full support and guidance throughout the planning of the gathering. When asked what his vision is for the Renewal, he said, “my goal is for everyone in the parish to call this home.” Sounds like we are on the right track!

The journey to Renewal is long and not easy. Bishop McGrattan said and was quoted many times throughout the gathering, “Renewal is not a sprint, but is a marathon.”
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St. Albert the Great is gearing for it! As a renewal team member said, it is not an 8-member team but an entire parish that will run the marathon. To affirm that, everyone in the gathering expressed their enthusiasm when the word You was changed to We, as they exclaimed, “WE are Called, WE Matter, and WE Belong!” Thank you Jesus!

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Submitted by Florian Bernardo, St. Albert the Great Parish Renewal Team.