Holy Cross’ Tri-Community Parish in Colorado is reaching out to those curious about the Catholic faith through a seven-week series, “The Good News of the Catholic Christian Faith.”
More than 80 people attended the first installment, Oct. 15. Tri-Community Parish includes Sacred Heart Church in Colorado Springs, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Manitou Springs and Holy Rosary in Cascade.
The vision for the series grew out of the prayer and conversations of a group of parishioners and some Catholics from neighboring parishes who were wrestling with the question of how to share faith with others in the surrounding community. In particular, they reflected on the words of Pope Francis: “We cannot keep ourselves shut up in parishes, in our communities when so many people are waiting for the Gospel! It’s not enough simply to open the door in welcome, but we must go out through that door to seek and meet the people.”
The goal of this new series is to give the parish the opportunity to invite others – who are either interested or even simply curious – to come and see what Catholics believe.
The seven-week series focuses on the core of the Catholic faith: Jesus; God; The Eucharist; The Church and Sacraments; Scripture and Tradition; Prayer and Life in the Spirit; and Mission and Hope. The parish seeks to share these beliefs by asking what is good and beautiful about what Catholic Christians believe: What is the Good News about a faith that has Eucharist as its source and summit? About a faith that complements Scripture with Tradition? What is beautiful about a faith that builds us up through Sacraments? About a faith that sees God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit?
In addition to the main presentation each night, there are also witness talks, video clips and prayer that will help draw connections between the beliefs and daily life. There also is a segment called “The Tip of the Iceberg” that builds on the foundation of the evening’s core belief to explore other beliefs we cherish as Catholics, including Mary, Heaven, the Pope and Communion.
“The Good News of the Catholic Christian Faith series underway at Sacred Heart Parish is at its most basic level a means to extend the Evangelization and Pre-Catechumenate period of RCIA to a wider audience,” said Steve Lowe, another member of the series’ team. “The evenings are an intensive and passionate summary of the core facets of the Catholic faith. The series aims to convey the Good news of the Gospel to those not only formally enrolled in RCIA, but to anyone who is curious about what Christianity and Catholicism in particular is all about, indeed to anyone who is searching for God either knowingly or not.”
“The series also hopes to engage Catholics who feel a desire to examine the heart of their faith in a new light and rediscover a love for the truth they have perhaps come to take for granted,” Lowe said.
