Slides from 40 Hours at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Doylestown PA

1. Our Lady of Mount Carmel
40 Hours
DOYLESTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA
NOVEMBER 10 – 12, 2019

2. Opening Prayer
Lord, you have entrusted us
as stewards of your creation.
As we begin this gathering,
we come to you asking for your guidance,
wisdom and support.

3. Opening Prayer
Bring meaning into the days ahead.
Fill us with your grace
while we celebrate The Eucharist
as the people
of Our Lady of Mount Carmel,

4. Opening Prayer
Remind us that
what we do in these days
is for your greater glory,
and for the people
to whom you send us to serve,
Amen.

5. THEME: Jesus Christ –
The Way, The Truth and The Life

6. DAY 1: Jesus Christ - The Way (John 14:3-6)
• And if I go and prepare a place for you,
• What is the current status of the Catholic Church in America?
• How is your parish doing?
• What about you?
• How are you getting along with Jesus, the Church, your parish?

7. DAY 2: Jesus Christ - The Truth (Matthew 11:28-30)
• Matthew 11:28-30 - 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and
burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and
learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find
rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
• “You CAN handle the truth... but you may not like it. “Spoiler alert” -
seeking happiness is a trap. You cannot be a follower of Jesus and
avoid The Cross. What does your God look like then? What does The
Father feel like in times of trouble? How do you talk to God when that
yoke is heavy? What it prayer in times like that?

8. DAY 3: Jesus Christ - The Life (I Corinthians 11:23).
• Genesis 1:16 - God made two great lights … He also made the stars.
• Matthew 12:29 - “the Strong Man.”
• The Kerygma: What is it? Why it’s important to you, your parish and the larger
Church?
1. Why were you created?
2. What went wrong?
3. What was God’s solution?
4. What is your response?

9. Whose in the Pews?
 30%
 38%
 32%
---------
100%
 Americans raised Catholic & are “practicing” …..
(Attend Mass once/month
½ of these are at Mass any given weekend
 Hold on to their Catholic Identity but seldom/never
attend Mass ………………………….
 No longer consider themselves Catholic  …….

10. And Whose not …
• “32% No longer consider themselves Catholic “ ….
• 3% - Part of a non-Christian faith
• 14% - Unaffiliated (The “nones”)
• 15% - Part of some Protestant faith tradition

11. PROTESTANT / EVANGELICALS:
 Highly attuned to spiritual mobility of
postmodern Americans
 Constantly consider how to reach out to
them.
 Conviction: every person has a personal
decision to make!
 Personal relationship with Christ
 i.e. “Getting Saved”
 Assume religious identity is
largely inherited.
 Faith can be passed down
through Catholic Schools,
PREP, youth programs, etc…
 Assume religious practice
remains stable throughout
one’s life.
CATHOLICS:
Issues:

12. Issues:
 Since Renaissance, Catholic Church highly Influenced by power of education.
 Strategy:
 Childhood Catechesis
 Sacramental Initiation
 Catholic Schools
 Problem: CCD, Youth Groups, Catholic Grade- High School make little or no
difference whether teen stays Catholic.
 “Eucharist” will not bring them back.
 Sacraments for “their children” will not bring them back.
 Implications for current practices & investment of resources?

13. What does your parish really looks like?
“SPIRITUAL THRESHOLDS”

14. SPIRITUAL THRESHOLDS:
PARISHES & PEOPLE
Pre-
Trust
Trust
Curious
Open
Seeking
Disciple Apostle
+ - 70% of
Parish
+-70% of
Church-Go-ers
3% - 7% of Church
Go-ers ??
Actively Seeking
God
Passive
No
Connection,
Semi-Hostile,
Hostile
Actively Seeking
Others

15. Spiritual Thresholds
Pre-
Trust
Trust
Curious
Open
Seeking
Disciple Apostle
+ - 70% of
Parish
+-70% of
Church-Go-ers
3% - 7%of Church
Go-ers ??
Catechesis Only
Effective Here
“Small Groups”
Effective Here
Implications for you?
Implications for the parish?

16. It’s About “THE” Relationship …
Mass attendance depends
on a possible and a
personal relationship with God.

17. It’s About “THE” Relationship …
Millions of Americans
are seeking !

18. III. THE CONVERSION OF THE BAPTIZED
(Catechism, Part 2, Section 2, Chapter 2)
1428 Christ's call to conversion continues to resound in the lives of
Christians. This second conversion is an uninterrupted task for the
whole Church who, "clasping sinners to her bosom, [is] at once
holy and always in need of purification, [and] follows constantly
the path of penance and renewal."18 This endeavor of conversion
is not just a human work. It is the movement of a "contrite heart,"
drawn and moved by grace to respond to the merciful love of God
who loved us first.19
1427 Jesus calls to conversion. This call is an essential part of the
proclamation of the kingdom: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of
God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel."16 In the Church's
preaching this call is addressed first to those who do not yet know
Christ and his Gospel. Also, Baptism is the principal place for the first
and fundamental conversion. It is by faith in the Gospel and by
Baptism17 that one renounces evil and gains salvation, that is, the
forgiveness of all sins and the gift of new life.

19. Spiritual Composition of a Catholic Parish

20. Questions In Closing:
• Where are YOU in your relationship with Jesus Christ?
• What might be your next step?
• Where is YOUR PARISH in its relationship with Jesus Christ?
• What is working?
• What needs to be done?

21. Tomorrow
• Matthew 11:28-30 - 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary ….
• The “Happiness Trap”
• The Cross of Jesus Christ.
• What does your God look like now?
• What does The Father feel like in times of trouble?

23. Jesus Christ –
The Way, The Truth and The Life
4O HOURS
OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL

24. DAY 1: Jesus Christ - The Way (John 14:3-6)
• And if I go and prepare a place for you,
• What is the current status of the Catholic Church in America?
• How is your parish doing?
• What about you?
• How are you getting along with Jesus, the Church, your parish?

25. DAY 3: Jesus Christ - The Life (I Corinthians 11:23).
• Genesis 1:16 - God made two great lights … He also made the stars.
• Matthew 12:29 - “the Strong Man.”
• The Kerygma: What is it? Why it’s important to you, your parish and the larger
Church?
1. Why were you created?
2. What went wrong?
3. What was God’s solution?
4. What is your response?

26. Matthew 11:28-30
JESUS CHRIST – THE TRUTH

27. DAY 2: Jesus Christ - The Truth (John 14:3-6)
Matthew 11:28-30 - 28 “Come to me, all you
who are weary and burdened, and I will give
you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn
from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my
yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

28. The Happiness Trap

29. The Happiness Trap
 We have freedom to:
 Travel
 Speak openly
 Vote
 Happiness
 Good feelings
 Full, fruitful and meaningfu
life
 We have access to:
 Medical facilities
 Education
 Justice
 Welfare
 Clean air and water
 Sanitation
 We “Need:”
 Food
 Clothing
 Shelter

30. So, why am I not happy?

31. The Four Myths
1. Happiness is the natural state of human beings
2. If you’re not happy, you’re defective
3. To create a good life, you must get rid of bad feelings
4. You should be able to control what you think and feel

32. To get rid bad feelings ….
Suppression
Hiding
Arguing with yourself
Distraction/Escape

33. The Good News - It’s All A Myth.
Forget it.
Ignore It.
Don’t believe it.
Find Something else to believe in.
Find SOMEONE else to believe in.

34. The Bad News …
What to do when you’re not
“happy” with God?

35. The Soul of The Apostolate
Jan Baptise Chautard

36. Interior Life

37. Interior Life - Concretely

38. Some Passages:
Psalm 121
1 Peter 5:5-7
Psalm 119:153-160
Isaiah 12

39. Matthew 11:28-30
JESUS CHRIST – THE TRUTH