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Sposi Novelli Brunch 6/24
Come join us in the OLG Dining Room after the 9:30 Sunday Mass for our third social brunch! Enjoy coffee, food, fellowship, and fun with fellow Sposi Novelli members.
Meet other young couples in the parish and parents, feel free to bring the little ones! Crayons, coloring books, and kid snacks will also be provided. All are welcome! Invite your friends!
Check out our earlier Brunches here!
Missionary Discipleship Series
We need you!
The Office of Evangelization invites you to an informational meeting about the upcoming Missionary Discipleship Series launching this October. Please join us at the Church of St. Peter (Mendota) from 7-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 6 in the Heritage Center of St. Peter’s located at 1405 Sibley Memorial Hwy. Refreshments will be provided! See more....
Please RSVP to Susanna Parent at parents@archspm.org. All are welcome, but this meeting is specifically for young adults.
Sposi Novelli: May events and announcements
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Sposi Novelli Leadership Meeting
RESCHEDULED DUE TO SNOW! No longer on Tuesday.
Sposi Novelli Leadership Meeting on April 8th after the 9:30AM Mass in the Youth Room
All are welcome! God bless and see you all soon!
Sposi Novelli Brunch 4/22
Come join us in the OLG Dining Room after the 9:30 Sunday Mass for our third social brunch! Enjoy coffee, food, fellowship, and fun with fellow Sposi Novelli members.
Meet other young couples in the parish and parents, feel free to bring the little ones! Crayons, coloring books, and kid snacks will also be provided. All are welcome! Invite your friends!
RSVP on Facebook here, or email Veronica at veronicawhelan@olgparish.org
Check out our earlier Brunches here!
Gone but not forever: perspective of a prodigal daughter
A few Sundays ago, Father Kevin brought up the article in the Star Tribune which commented on the recent study called, “Going. Going. Gone: The Dynamics of Disaffiliation in Young Catholics.” Father encouraged us to take action by reading this article, multiple times, and taking it to prayer to discern what God might be calling us to do to address this disparity of young Catholics leaving the church. So that is what I did.
While reflecting in prayer, I was brought back to the Gospel of Luke 15:11-32. This particular part stood out to me:
“While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The father said to his servants, ‘…let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.”
How many of us have been in the shoes of the prodigal son? What was the journey like before we made the decision to return home? How did it feel to return and experience the father’s unconditional love and forgiveness?
Those interviewed in the study shared their stories. In that same spirit I want to share a part of my story. I too had left the Catholic Church for a period of time. It started during a student mission trip in Denver, CO where I served with other Catholic college students from across the country. While on a pilgrimage for this trip, another student was discussing indulgences – something I had honestly never learned about in my many years of catholic schooling. His viewpoint was that “indulgences are the only way to Heaven.” Several months earlier my grandpa, “Buppa” as I called him, had passed away. Buppa was one of the most faith-filled men I had ever known. He was a part of the United Church of Christ, and my grandma was a devout Catholic. While I had no doubts that they were both united in heaven at the time, this student’s perspective really upset me, to think that the Catholic Church would believe such a black and white view of how to get to Heaven.
Rather than going to a priest or spiritual director to discuss this matter, I used this as a catalyst to leave the Catholic Church and start searching in other denominations. Looking back, there was a lot of hurt and grief I was experiencing during the loss of someone I loved dearly. More than anything, I wanted to continue to have faith that he was in “paradise” with my grandma. As I read the article in the Star Tribune this week, I could empathize with some of those who were shared their stories, knowing they must have felt hurt or lost and confused from a single experience such as I did.
Maybe the biggest call to action from this research study is not discovering why Catholics leave the church, but instead focusing on what brings them back after leaving. From my personal experience, it took time, prayer, open conversations, non-judgmental relationships, and encountering Christ in Eucharistic Adoration for this prodigal daughter to return to the Catholic Church.
The research article is titled “Going. Going. Gone.” But I think the important thing to remember is God is still at work in those who are “gone.” We must not lose hope. The father in the story of prodigal son freely gave his son his inheritance. He freely allowed his son to take it and leave. He didn’t impose on his free will, beg or bribe him to stay, even though I’m sure it brought the father a lot of heartache to see his child walk away. Such is the love of our Father in Heaven. Our Father allows us to explore and question our faith and walk away.
How might we be more like our Heavenly Father and the father in this passage? If we were to embrace those who left the church, listen to them with compassion, and HEAR their stories, might they feel more open to return home? I admire how the father did not give up hope for his son to return, and I hope that I might carry that same hope for those I know who have left the church.
The Lord is speaking to you. I encourage you to read the Gospel. Open your bible to Luke 15:11-32 and listen to what the Lord speaks to your heart. Secondly, pray about what action you can take. Maybe you are the prodigal son, looking for support and answers amidst your confusion. Reach out to someone from the parish, a family member or a friend who is open to discussing your concerns and doubts. Maybe you have a strong faith and close relationship with the Lord; discern how you might shine that light for others in their darkness. Help direct their steps back home, even if that means just listening to their struggles or questions they have. You don’t need to have all the answers, just a compassionate heart.
Ashley Biwan
Tithing on a Tight Budget
It’s that time of the year where people are starting to collect their tax forms and begin the process of filing their taxes. It’s an annoying process, at least in our household, and every year my husband and I end up having a long conversation about how we prioritize our money. Every year. It’s an opportunity for us to take a look at how much we make, how much we’ve spent, and how much (if any) we will get back on our tax return. Then what do we do with that money? Save it? Pay off debts? Where are we as a family in terms of meeting our financial goals.
Why tithe? It’s easy to simply reply with “because we are obligated to” which, while true, isn’t exactly a compelling argument. The Church and Fr. Kevin likely have their own great and compelling arguments for tithing. Mine is simply that having God in the budget is a reflection of my values. And it’s true, how you spend your money is a very telling way to see what you prioritize. If you spend money on gym memberships, personal trainers, going out to drink with friends, traveling, or home improvement projects how your prioritize those expenses says a lot about what you value.
Now, the Church says we are obligated to set aside 10% to tithing. In our household, that’s a hefty amount of money to give to the Church. We are on a really tight budget. Between student loan payments, mortgage payments, car payments with insurance, and grocery bills there isn’t a whole lot left over at the end of the month. We are living paycheck to paycheck and blessed to be able to cover those expenses.
So how much should we pay? Good question. The answer? Whatever you can offer. It’s as simple as that. Be reflective about what you can and cannot afford to tithe, but I would challenge you to make an effort to tithe regularly. Even if it is very little.
There are two great ways to tithe regularly:
Utilize the Weekly Envelopes. This is where my husband and I started when we were first married. If you are a registered parishioner at Our Lady of Grace, your family will receive a bundle of blue envelopes every 3-ish months. They are the collection envelopes. You know, the ones that you put in the basket during mass. We would lay them out and every week before Mass we would put in the envelope whatever spare cash we had to offer. Sometimes it was $5.00 and other times we had a $20. And honestly sometimes we didn’t have anything. It works as a strategy because you’re evaluating every week what you can offer. When you’re on a tight budget some weeks are better than others so you can adjust as necessary.
*Pro Tip: It’s great to use those envelopes rather than loose cash in the basket. Why? Every week someone counts the money collected over the weekend tallies it up. At the end of the year during tax season you will get a statement from OLG and find out just how much you offered throughout the year. Then you can write it off as a tax deduction. Woo! This is important for those of us on a tight budget. If you aren’t getting those envelopes, call the Parish Office to make sure you’re registered as a parishioner 952-929-3317
Set Up Automatic Payments. Most churches, including ours, have automatic payments that will come right out of your bank account on a regular basis. You can set that up on the Our Lady of Grace website right here. This is what my husband and I are doing now because sometimes we honestly forget to tithe. Having it come out of the bank every month like a bill is great and effortless. You can set up payments based on what your comfortable with. Even as little as $10 a month is more than nothing. Then after a year you can reevaluate your finances to determine if your family is able to contribute more or continue at the pace you’re working at.
Money is one of those things that we tend to not talk about because it is personal. But because it is so deeply personal I would encourage you to include God in the budget and make Him a player in your financial priorities.
Pax Tecum,
Nicole Tursich
Daughter of God, friend, wife, mother, and OLG Parishioner
