Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa
The Oremus study program teaches you the essentials of an effective and fruitful prayer life. Over the course of eight weeks you will discover how God speaks to you, even in the smallest encounters.
Following the Tradition of the Catholic Church and the wisdom of the saints, you will learn how to express yourself to God in prayer, and how to hear His voice.
Register here or at the link below.
Wednesdays at 6:30pm on 9/4, 9/11, 9/18, 10/2, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23, 10/30
Thursdays at 1:30pm on 9/5, 9/12, 9/19, 10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24, 10/31
Looking to grow faith and friendships after OCIA, Alpha, CRHP or Bible Studies? Or simply; are you looking to join a small group? Consider Salt and Light Grow Group.
“Encounter/Grow/Witness” is the threefold dimension of the Christian life. Once we encounter Jesus, we are then called to grow daily as His disciples. Grow Groups are one way Our Lady of Mercy is responding to our missionary identity where we are called to help parishioners grow continually in discipleship.
To follow Jesus is to commit to lifelong learning and growth. Like Jesus’ disciples, our walk with the Lord today is not one lived in isolation but rather one immersed in community and enriched by authentic friendship with others. In homes and in the company of friends, Grow Groups provide a place of deep transformation where people can be known, loved, and cared for as they strive to deepen their friendship with Jesus and one another.
For more information, connect with our Salt and Light Grow Group Leaders for these series; Jeanine Malone comeadorejesus@gmail.com 630-670-4062, Sophie Petrone pet791@aol.com or 630-723-1888 or with our Evangelization and Discipleship Director zara@olmercy.old.diocesanweb.org or call 331-707-5381.
After encountering the person of Jesus, it is crucial that we enter a stage of maturation. That is to say, a time where we endeavor to better know the One we encountered. The more we come to know about Jesus, the more we fall in love with Him.
The only safe place to do this is under the guidance of the Church community with other Christians seeking to know Him. We encourage you to take advantage of ways to grow in your relationship with Jesus and quench the thirst within us all not just through the discipleship courses we have (Bible Studies, Charism Workshop, Speaker Teaching events) but also through Grow Groups (A Mother’s Heart, Consuming Fire, this upcoming Salt & Light, and Vine and Branches Grow Groups).
Gather and Fellowship for brief check-in before evening starts.
Prayer and worship that builds on the communal experience one has had in Alpha or CRHP.
The teachings are designed to engage and inspire conversation. They also foster the spiritual disciplines of a Christ follower. They can be given as a live talk or played as a video. Members are given the chance to share thoughts and ideas on the topic, discussing in their group. Discussion is guided by prepared questions from the curriculum. The session wraps up with five minutes of closing prayer and intentions.
Use your departure as a time to thank God and as a group pray for one another’s intentions. Follow up with one another at the next meeting to give updates to prayers answered.
Social gathering; from a field trip to one of the shrines nearby such as The National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in New Franken, WI, a Marian Apparition Site in the U.S. or The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows is a Catholic shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary in Belleville, IL, or The Shrine of Christ’s Passion in St. John, IN, perhaps even go on a pilgrimage together to the Holy Land just to suggest a few.
Movie nights, a group dinner out, picnic event, catch a concert, baseball game, volunteer together, or simply gather in a person’s backyard or the church by the outdoor Stations of the Cross, all dependent on what the group would like to do every month. The possibilities are amazingly endless.
Join the Salt and Light Grow Group as we embark on a two day field trip “Our Lady of Champion Pilgrimage”
PLEASE REGISTER FOR THIS LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE AT THIS LINK.
The Mysterious Woman in White Said to Adele…
“Gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they need to know for their salvation. Go and fear nothing. I will help you.”
Embark on an 8 week experience of “Healing the Whole Person”
The goal of the Healing the Whole Person series is to facilitate a personal encounter with Jesus’ merciful love and healing truth in the areas where people have felt disconnected from love and bound by lies. God has worked powerfully in the lives of those who have participated in these series with an open heart.
We pray that you will experience the merciful love of Jesus in deep and profound ways. This course is designed to facilitate life-changing experiences for all who participate.
The course is divided into 8 talks given by Sr. Miriam Heidland and Dr. Bob Schuchts. The talks are meant to give hope and vision for the healing process, and the reflection times will be an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to prepare your hearts in very personal ways for an encounter with Jesus.
Begin a new chapter in your life of healing, light and peace; invite the Holy Spirit. You are the Father’s Beloved, truly discover what that means.
Based on the book, 33 Days to Merciful Love, by Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC, this 33 Days to Merciful Love Group Retreat goes even deeper than the book alone and explores new material on the heart of St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s Little Way, uncovering the power of trust in the face of personal darkness, inspiring participants to become great saints amid ordinary circumstances, and laying the foundation for a personal consecration to Divine Mercy.
33 Days to Merciful Love Group Retreat is a six-week retreat and falls within Stage Three* of the Hearts Afire Program.
The power and drama of Fr. Michael Gaitley’s best-selling book The Second Greatest Story Ever Told are captured in an amazing visual presentation that will challenge and enthrall you.
In 10 fast-paced and lively sessions, Fr. Gaitley connects people and events in history to a unifying vision of the splendor of God’s merciful love. From the epic story of Poland’s national suffering, to the events of Fatima, the revelations of St. Faustina, the heroic efforts of St. Maximilian Kolbe, and the life of St. John Paul II, the panorama of Divine mercy is fully revealed as a transformative reality.
This 10-week series falls within Stage Three* of the Hearts Afire Program.
This Consoling the Heart of Jesus Group Retreat continues where the 33 Days to Morning Glory Group Retreat left off: with the help of Mary, hearing the thirst of Jesus for our love and consoling Him with our love and trust. Continue your small group experience with this powerful retreat and its accompanying retreat book (Consoling the Heart of Jesus by Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC), Retreat Companion (workbook), DVD talks, and group discussion. Perfect for Lent or any time of year.
*This retreat is the second part of Stage One of the Hearts Afire: Parish-based Programs.
An extraordinary 33-day journey to Marian consecration with four giants of Marian spirituality: St. Louis de Montfort, St. Maximilian Kolbe, Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and Blessed Pope John Paul II. Fr. Gaitley masterfully summarizes their teaching, making it easy to grasp, and simple enough to put into practice. More specifically, he weaves their thoughts into a user-friendly, do-it-yourself retreat that will bless even the busiest of people. So, if you’ve been thinking about entrusting yourself to Mary for the first time or if you’re simply looking to deepen and renew your devotion to her, 33 Days to Morning Glory is the right book to read and the perfect retreat to make.
We are all shaped by a story. The choices we make, the way we live, the things we believe—the way we see life itself—are the result of the stories that we have accepted as truthful accounts of reality.
Our modern world presents the story that we are personally liberated, no longer connected to anything beyond ourselves, free to do whatever we like. And we have never been as unhappy.
The Rescue Project proposes a simple question: what if there’s a different story—a story that engages people to answer the deepest cries of the human heart?
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The Rescue Project will take place in Lent 2024. We look forward to journeying with you!
A seven-week journey of Catholic discipleship designed to help people grow in friendship and union with God. This course guides people in how to live as a Catholic disciple of Jesus Christ in today’s world based on basic disciplines and truths that have been practiced by Christians from the time of the early Church.
A seven-week that trains Catholics to share Jesus Christ with others and invite them to be part of the Church.
Sharing Christ focuses on personal or friendship evangelization, sharing our relationship with Jesus in our daily encounters with people. The course helps to develop an attitude of the heart that moves us to be open to share the Good News we have experienced anytime and anywhere.
Although the Eucharist appears to be simple bread and wine, it is actually the “source and summit” of the Christian life. Presence: The Mystery of the Eucharist explores the truth and beauty of Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist, from its origins in Sacred Scripture to its profound role in the life of the Church and its members. The Eucharist is the crescendo of the entire story of salvation.
Every Sunday, we get to witness a miracle. Sometimes it can be difficult to wrap our minds and hearts around this fact. Dive deeper into this 4 week study from the Augustine Institute, see why this mystery is Jesus’ greatest gift to us.
One of the most important relationships on this side of life, one can have is that with the Holy Spirit. It is so important, that Jesus says to us in John 16:7 “But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you.” John 16:7
The Wild Goose is a work of the Holy Spirit, which is awakening in the hearts of all those participating God’s love and transforming power. This is a love that has been revealed to us by Jesus Christ and that leads us to our heavenly Father. As you walk through this series, pray for the Spirit to breathe life into your heart.
As a teacher on deliverance, Neal Lozano knows that many believers struggle with the same sin areas time after time. Yet victory can be as simple as tapping into the potent power of the gospel. By focusing on Jesus and his work, rather than on the intimidating aspects of evil spirits, readers can reset their mindset about their spiritual struggles.
In Unbound, Lozano shows us how to do just this. He also shows us how to find and close any doors we may have opened to evil influence–and, consequently, Satan’s underhanded strategies. Balanced and full of hope, Unbound is a practical, thorough, and easy-to-follow guide to deliverance and freedom.
Who among us would receive a gift and put it aside without opening it?
St. Paul tells us we have all received a spiritual gift, a way that the Holy Spirit works through us in our daily lives and yet, most of us have never opened our gift to see what it is.
Taking time to uncover the spiritual gifts God has given you is essential in our growth in becoming a true missionary disciple of Jesus Christ where we can “GO” and make disciples of all nations. As a group, this book will show each of us how the Holy Spirit has empowered you to use your Spiritual Gifts as you go out “ON MISSION”
Your group will journey through Scripture, the Catechism, and the writings of Pope Francis to learn how the Holy Spirit pours out special gifts called charisms that help us grow spiritually and help us support those we love to grow spiritually.
You will be blessed
To learn how Jesus Himself used all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit throughout His public and private life.
You will be enlightened
When you take the Spiritual Gifts Inventory, score It, and discover your Spiritual Gifts and when you learn about and recognize your own gifts as well as those of others.
You will be energized
When you discover the impact you will have in proclaiming the Kingdom of God to your family members, your friends and neighbors, your co-workers and your fellow parishioners using your charisms.
Once you know your spiritual gifts, you will know what you are called to do with them as a missionary disciple to bring Jesus Christ into “your world” and bring “your world” to Christ!
Pope Saint John Paul II
