Renew My Church
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Renew My Church Prayer
Lord Jesus, you speak to us today,
As you spoke to holy men and women
Who have gone before us.
In every age and in our own time,
You call to us and say: Renew My Church.
Pour out the gift of your Holy Spirit upon us,
And so enable us
To hear you clearly
To listen to each other attentively
To imagine our future boldly
To discern your direction wisely
To persevere in your holy will courageously
To stay together in charity
To surrender our own plans readily
To embrace the greater good
To hand on your gifts to future generations.
May we remain in the holy company of
The Blessed Virgin Mary, the Apostles, and all the saints.
May their example and presence
Inspire us with patient confidence
In the work of your grace.
We ask this of you who live and reign
With the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
Forever and ever. Amen.
As you spoke to holy men and women
Who have gone before us.
In every age and in our own time,
You call to us and say: Renew My Church.
Pour out the gift of your Holy Spirit upon us,
And so enable us
To hear you clearly
To listen to each other attentively
To imagine our future boldly
To discern your direction wisely
To persevere in your holy will courageously
To stay together in charity
To surrender our own plans readily
To embrace the greater good
To hand on your gifts to future generations.
May we remain in the holy company of
The Blessed Virgin Mary, the Apostles, and all the saints.
May their example and presence
Inspire us with patient confidence
In the work of your grace.
We ask this of you who live and reign
With the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
Forever and ever. Amen.
A parishioner with a positive attitude toward Renew My Church
There are many reasons why someone can lose their faith community (church). I came to believe that the only constant in life is change. I have personally lost several faith communities. The reasons have been varied. I lost several churches due to being relocated. A couple to being merged with other parishes and one even due to the behavior of a parish staff member. While each of these changes were for different reasons, they all had one thing in common, my attitude. I will not say that the loss of my church got easier with every change, because that isn’t true. What helped the transition was my attitude. Instead of comparing the new faith community with the old one, I started looking at ways I could make the new church, my church. As I started looking at each new faith community as an opportunity, not a loss, I was able to make each new church, my church. With every new faith community came a chance to try something different, a chance to get involved with a different ministry, club, or organization. It can also be a chance to start a ministry or bring an idea to a new place. With each loss of a faith community, I went through a period of a kind of mourning. I had a sense of self-pity. These would fade over time, and I believe they faded sooner when I got involved in the new faith community. As we go through this process of Renew My Church, we know things will change. We don’t know how, but they will change. So as we embark on a new faith journey, this may be the time for us all to reflect on what we can do to make the new faith community, our faith community.