Thank you to everyone who participated in our live survey at Masses this past weekend. I was very excited to be the pastor of a collaborative doing such a creative and hi-tech project. If you were not at Mass this weekend, it’s not too late to participate--take the survey here. See the results from this weekend below, and then add a comment to let us know what you think.

1. I consider myself a member of the New Roads Catholic Community. (717 responses)

3. I believe that God’s vision for this community is for us to make disciples for Jesus Christ in our area. (726 responses)

4. I currently participate actively in one or more ministries in our community. (705 responses)

​I invite you to add a comment to this post with your answer to any of the following questions:

• What did you notice about the experience?
• What stood out for you in the live results?
• What conclusions do you draw from the survey results?

~Fr. Thom
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Take your next step:
Pray about the New Roads Commitment Card, fill it out if you are ready, and submit it online or bring it back with you next week to place in the offertory as an act of worship, an offering to God.

This week, as part of our Building New Roads message series, twenty-one members of New Roads Catholic Community share what they love about serving, in two sentences or less!

I love the good feeling I get each week welcoming the parishioners I know and those who may be new. I leave with a smile and the hope that I made a difference in someone's day.
Nancy Mitchell, greeter

I love that being a Eucharistic minister makes me feel like I am somehow helping to feed the community.
Sheryl Teti, Eucharistic minister

I love meeting families with new babies and remembering what it was like to have a baby--and how welcoming everyone at the parish was.
Paul Aloisio, baptismal ministry team

I love leading CLOW, as it is my way of sharing my love for God with others. Each Sunday, I hope to make a difference for just one child--if I reach more, even better.
Christine Regan, Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW) leader

What I love most about being part of the bereavement ministry is praying for souls!
Jill Shanley, funeral-planning minister

In visiting needy families, two by two, I am reminded of my calling to be a disciple of Jesus. For me, it is always a very humbling experience.
George Kenrick, St. Vincent de Paul Society

I so enjoy helping with the children's liturgy because it helps me connect with the simplicity of the Gospel. Simple messages, reinterpreted by the kids, help me to hear and see the Word of God.
Mark Healy, Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW) leader

I love seeing the faces of the congregation and knowing Jesus is present in each one. His presence will leave the building with every one of those people and work through them--that is powerful.
Kathleen Kim, Eucharistic minister

I like volunteering at the Reconciliation and Eucharist workshops, because my family enjoyed these workshops last year and I want to help others have the same experience (plus there are several workshop times, which makes it easy to find a time that works).
Jennifer Loebach, Reconciliation and Eucharist workshop volunteer

When I lead Scripture reflection, I am very aware that I am facilitating God's work. We breathe in God’s Word and it illuminates us in places where we need light.
Suzanne Robotham, Scripture reflection leader

I love having the opportunity to witness young Catholic teens realizing that spirituality and important good daily choices entwine in all they do.
Tim Stratford, Confirmation small-group leader

Lectoring allows me to experience the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit, who has been a dear friend throughout my life. It is something on which I rely wholeheartedly and unhesitatingly, and I cherish our journeys together, in particular as we ascend the pulpit.
Karen Young, lector

Serving in Bereavement Ministry gives me the opportunity to sit with grief-stricken families and offer my support, compassion, and assistance while preparing a beautiful individual Mass for their beloved deceased.
Janice Christo, funeral-planning minister

There's a couple of things I love about hosting Coffee Hour--one is having my kids help with setting things up and organize things (makes them feel needed and appreciated). Another is to have a sip of coffee just before Mass!
David High, Coffee and Donuts host

I love being a Confirmation leader because it gives me an opportunity to share my faith journey with Confirmation candidates while also helping to foster their faith journeys through dialogue at meetings, retreats, and service projects.
Caitlin Corrieri, Confirmation small-group leader

Most all the patients I see at Mt. Auburn Hospital are worried and afraid, and my presence reminds them that they are not alone, that the larger Catholic community is joined with them, praying for them and supporting them at a difficult period in their lives.
Michael Quinn, Eucharistic minister at Mt. Auburn Hospital

Teaching and helping the children of New Roads Catholic Community has been an inspiration and a joy. Through my work with them, I have felt a deeper connection to God in my own life; the true path to Him is through the service of others.
Jodi Walker, Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW) leader

​The people I visit are elderly and live alone, so they really enjoy my weekly visits and receiving the Eucharist and feeling that they are still a part of the parish. It really is a pleasure for me to be able to do this for them.
Gerry Hermansen, Eucharistic minister to the homebound

I have just started lectoring and find myself learning or relearning each time something fresh, powerful, and helpful from the Word of God and hope that I can convey some of what God wishes to be conveyed by the readings to the members of the community.
Tony Leccese, lector

Obviously the kiddos are very cute--their conversations during our one-minute reflections are sweet and adorable. But more than that, I love being able to give the parents a one-hour respite to reflect and pray in peace--as the mother of two young ones, I know time is a true gift, and so I feel a sense of service in giving time to other parents.
Kristen Zecchi, Tiny Disciples volunteer

What I love about CLOW is the opportunity to help spiritually guide some of the youngest and most impressionable members of our parish.
Alex Casale, Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW) leader
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If you serve in a ministry, please feel free to add a comment to this post with one or two sentences about what YOU love most about serving.

Take your next step: Find ten minutes of quiet once or twice this week. Thank God for whatever you are feeling grateful for in your life. Then ask God to show you his will for you by praying: “God, how do you want me to give, and how do you want me to serve, in your community?”

In the morning and in the evening, there is a nip in the air that, coupled with the splash of color that has begun to show itself, signals the change of season. It has always been my favorite season. I remember as a child kicking the fallen brittle leaves as I walked home from school, with the scent of burning wood in fireplaces filling the air. Today, I think I would name the mix of sensory perceptions “home and hearth time.” It conveys a sense of warmth and induces an inclination to reflection. Passage of years has added the dimension of time passing quickly, too quickly, and questions about what is important that I don’t want to neglect and fail to do. The transition from one season to another, especially now that they seem to pass very quickly, is something of a wake-up call for me. And so, this fall I ask myself some questions in the hope that I don’t waste the time and opportunity to live life, and especially my faith life, fully.
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I wonder…

• Am I content with the growth I have experienced in my faith?
• Am I satisfied with my relationship with God? What’s missing?
• Have I let the various concerns in our world and society touch my heart and move my feet to action?
• Do I acknowledge my dependence on God?
• When was the last time I took an active step in response to a social justice concern?  
• Have I forgiven those who have hurt me?
• Have I asked for forgiveness from those I have hurt?
• In what way(s) have I seriously considered my responsibility to reach out to those no longer affiliated with our community?

The questions could go on and on. There are a lot of transitions in life, but ultimately, there is a finite number, and so it is important to ask ourselves: What is this transition calling me to do, to be, or to become? Before long this autumn will transition into the winter of 2016, and we may find ourselves asking what that shift will ask of us. We will never again have the opportunity of this unique moment to assess how God is challenging us to live the life of grace that has been given us. It is an opportunity to flourish under the wing of God’s goodness. Just as I don’t want to miss the nip in the air, the crunch of brittle leaves, the colorful palette, and the scent of burning wood, I also do not want to miss God’s invitation to move closer to God as I respond to the people, circumstances, and challenges God lays before me.

~Sr. Kathleen
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Take your next step: Consider in your prayer: Am I willing to create space in my heart for the people God has put in my life, for those who are in need and for those who differ from me?