One of my roles as Pastor is to see to the growth and development of the faith of all the people in this parish. At our parish, we address that goal in a number of ways: through worshiping together, parish programs, sacramental preparation, personal contact, and various forms of parish communications. Today I want to announce a new resource to help us all. It's called TAKE FIVE FOR FAITH: Daily Renewal for Busy Catholics, and it will appear weekly in our parish bulletin. It's a series of six daily faith reflections to carry you through the week between our time together each Sunday.

Today I'm inviting you--urging you, really--to start a new habit. After you've read the bulletin this week, remove the section that contains TAKE FIVE FOR FAITH. Find a handy spot in your home to keep that page all week (maybe the kitchen table, tacked to the refrigerator door, or on your nightstand), and give yourself the gift of five uncluttered minutes a day to read the day's passage and then reflect and pray about what you have just read.

We all know that "What we feed will grow." I'm inviting you to feed your faith. I'm inviting myself and the staff to do so as well. All of us. I am committing to this new habit, and I invite you to commit to it, too. If we do this together as a parish, a year from now we will not only know more about our faith, I believe we will also do a better job of living out our faith. And I am convinced we will all love God more. It seems to me, THAT is worth five minutes a day.

Pick up your bulletin today. Take an extra copy for a homebound neighbor or friend. They'll be glad you did.

Short Version
Long Version - For Director of Religious Education or Lector