Renewal in the Heartland Invite

Dear Parish Family,

As we begin to look toward to 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. You can also read more online at the Archdiocesan site.

Together, this initiative—A Renewal from the Heartland—invites 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 groups—DNA groups, Bible studies, and faith-sharing circles. This Lent, we are intentionally asking these groups to consider setting aside their usual format for four weeks and instead use Beatitudes from the Heartland as an opportunity to invite others in or even form new groups, especially with people they do not normally gather with.

We also want to especially encourage our larger parish communities—such as Sisters in Christ, Men of Nativity, the Knights of Columbus, and members of our school community—to help lead and bring together new small groups for this four-week journey.

And if you are not currently part of a group, please know this clearly: we want to help you find one. No one is expected to figure this out alone.

Lent invites us into a kind of liminal space—beyond what is familiar. 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.

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,

 Deacon Jim Mullin