Renewal In The Heartland

Dear Parish Family,

 

As we begin to look towards Lent, our Archbishop has asked every parish to respond to a simple but meaningful call: to help people grow in faith through relationship, not alone.

 

Many of you have already encountered this invitation in The Leaven. It describes a Renewal from the Heartland—a call for our local Church to slow down, listen more intentionally, and remember that faith grows best when it is shared.

 

This Lent, parishes across the Archdiocese are being invited to listen, pray, and reflect together during the same sacred season—creating a shared rhythm that draws us closer to God and to one another.

 

Here at Nativity, Fr. Jerry has asked that we make this a truly special Lent. Rather than adding more programs or voices, we are choosing to quiet things down and focus on one shared invitation, so that we can come together as a parish in a deeper and more intentional way.

 

Our response will take shape through a four-week small-group experience called Beatitudes from the Heartland.

 

This is not a heavy commitment or a complicated program. All materials are provided. It is simply an invitation to gather—for four weeks—with a small group to pray, reflect on the Beatitudes, and listen for what the Holy Spirit may be stirring in our hearts. Each group can decide when and where they will meet—in homes, at church, online, or wherever works best.

 

Many parishioners already belong to small groups—DNA groups, Bible studies, faith-sharing circles, or parish ministries. One natural way to respond is to use Beatitudes from the Heartland within your existing group during Lent.

 

At the same time, Lent invites us beyond what is familiar—into a kind of liminal space. We encourage parishioners to branch out: to form new groups or invite people you don’t normally gather with. This might look like a men’s group, a women’s group, couples, friends, neighbors, or simply a few people willing to try this together. New voices and new stories often help us hear God more clearly.

 

As the Archbishop has emphasized, this is not about large gatherings, but small, relational groups—generally 6 to 12 people—where everyone has a voice.

 

Group leaders and participants can register below.

 

Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we discover Jesus as we walk together—through prayer, dialogue, and shared reflection—until our hearts begin to burn.

Lent was never meant to be walked alone, but together—as one parish and one Archdiocese—with hearts slowly set on fire.

 

With gratitude and hope,

Jim Mullin

On behalf of Nativity Parish Leadership Team