Salt, Light, Leaven - A Testimony

Upon moving to this side of Madison, about 1999, we (my husband Chris, son Zachary, and myself), registered at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church.  As a registered parishioner at St. Maria Goretti, I have met so many wonderful people who are willing to share their friendship, knowledge, and faith.
I was joyful when I found out that the three churches, St. Maria Goretti, St. Andrew, and St. William, will now be members in the same Pastorate and become a bigger family of faith. I am very grateful for all the wonderful people I have met from all three of our churches. They have truly helped to spiritually nurture my soul and give me a sense of belonging in a bigger Catholic family.
It is important to recognize our relationship with each other as fellow parishioners, as members of the Church, the Body of Christ, and as Pastorate members. By virtue of our baptism, we have been given gift(s) by the Holy Spirit to share, to give for the benefit of others, to help nurture and grow personal relationships with God.
In our Pastorate there are many opportunities to meet one another, such as, small group studies, outreach ministries, prayer groups, social events, etc.  In this article, I will focus on the personal encounters with the people I have met at the other churches I am not registered at. People who, by the graces they were given, were willing to share their spiritual gifts with me and others.  People who inspired, and encounters that gave me a sense of spiritual nourishment, and now a sense of belonging in a bigger Catholic faith community, a Pastorate.
 …Cathy, a parishioner at St Andrew, who in 2013, led the first group I ever attended at St. Andrew. Cathy as a leader walked with us by her virtues of faith and acts of compassion. 
 …Testimonies at Encounter Nights at St. Andrew. They were the first testimonies I had ever heard in my whole life. Until then I did not know what a testimony was
…Steve, the Coordinator of Youth Ministry at St. Andrew. One Wednesday night, while I was still in church praying after reconciliation, Steve brought his school formation class into church. The class session was about the ‘Saint of the night’. In his kindness Steve included me by simply giving me a prayer card about the Saint at the conclusion of the class.
…Laura, who leads, shepherds, and guides us in our Women’s Bible Study class at St. Andrew. Laura serves us steadfastly, while helping to nurture our knowledge and hearts spiritually.
… Widows of Prayer, group who pray for priests on Thursday mornings after Mass at St. Andrew. Anyone is welcome to join them in prayer for our priests, so I have joined them occasionally.
…Bob, who prepared a facility space for me. He welcomed me with a warm greeting, while laying out the tablecloth and setting up the gathering space for our prayer group meeting held at St. Andrew
… Sue, who leads the Council of Catholic Women greeted me with the grace of hospitality. She provides leadership for events and acts of charity outreach, raises money for scholarships, and provides acts of compassion with funeral meals/fellowship. 
…Shirley and Jenny, who in intercessory prayer lifted prayers for my intention, a spiritual work of mercy.
I can only attempt to emphasize, how these personal encounters, and so many others, by virtue of belonging to a Pastorate, have enriched my spiritual life.
I’m also so thankful for our priests, for our Holy Masses, for the many hours offered at our Pastorate for Reconciliations, for Adoration, and for the Sacraments we receive at our Pastorate.  Let us pray for our priests, Msgr. Holmes, Fr. Scott, Fr. Gabi, (and Fr. Petrica). Let us pray for our Divine Mercy Pastorate and for each other. Pray for the graces to be open to sharing our spiritual gifts, and for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we move forward as a Pastorate family to a Parish family.