A NEW YEAR MEANS NEW OPPORTUNITIES For Growth and Engagement in Our Faith Community

A new year is always full of opportunities, offering us valuable chances to reset and get our priorities back in line. Here at St. Leo’s, we are blessed with so many options in 2022 to reset our prayer and faith lives. The past two years have brought so much despair, suffering, and interruptions.

Like all of us, Fr. Don Buhrman looks forward to a new year — a time to start fresh. According to the Liturgical Year, the new year started last month, and Jan. 1 is a new calendar year. So, we should all take this as an opportunity to get our priorities in check.

This fall, there were opportunities each week to watch the first season of the series The Chosen, which explores the life of Jesus. On Wednesdays at 9:45 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. and Sundays at 9:15 a.m., all adults are welcome to watch season two of the series. Part of the viewing session also includes time for discussion.

Men should consider attending Brothers in Christ. This is an excellent opportunity to grow in faith with other men. On Friday mornings beginning at 5:30 a.m., men gather for breakfast with the meeting from 6 to 7 a.m. “Both of these are great opportunities to grow in faith,” Fr. Don says. “Just because you are an adult doesn’t mean you should stop learning more about the faith.”

In turn, we need to be continually growing in faith — and we can follow the example of our parish youth who attend weekly Faith Formation classes. Fr. Don says we also just need to take a little time to evaluate our lives as we enter the new year.

“A lot of times in December and January, people evaluate their waistlines,” Fr. Don says. “It’s also a great time to evaluate the past year and see how your relationship with God did or didn’t grow. Let’s ask ourselves, ‘How can I nurture my relationship with God through prayer and the sacraments, and receive the graces to grow in holiness?’”

When church doors were shuttered at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mass was celebrated via livestream. This was a great alternative at the time and continues to serve a purpose for the sick or immunocompromised. Fr. Don would like to invite everyone else back to in-person Mass. The church is regularly sanitized, and it is a very safe environment. Returning to in-person Mass will allow you to receive the Holy Eucharist once again.

“If you want to return, we have a seat for you,” Fr. Don says. “If you’ve been away, make a commitment to come back. The new year is a great time for that.”

Overall, Fr. Don asks us all to find ways to enhance our relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Make 2022 your year to grow in faith! We welcome you to get more involved at St. Leo’s.