Dear St. Luke Family,
Second, I wanted you to know that this coming year my team and I are working on building up our ministry in marriages and support for the members of our family who have had to face the death of a spouse and for those of us who have been wounded by divorce. Let me tell you what we are envisioning:
For Marriages
We've begun to see lots of new weddings at Saint Luke! And we are heavily involved in preparing our new couples for this beautiful sacrament. But it would be great if we could give that same support to couples who are 5 years, 10 years, or 50 years down the road. The marriage initiative will be part of the FIRE movement we began last year. The year will begin with monthly couples' adoration and speakers, marriage resources available through our website, and a final cocktail date night Supper and Substance, and a couples' weekend retreat.
For Marriages in Trouble:
IIf you've never heard of Retrouvaille, we'll be introducing this amazing ministry here at our parish - and we will be doing talks and a day retreat to help you learn important skills in communication, love languages, and renewing hope in your marriage.
For Divorced Families
The hardest part of a broken heart is the recovery. It's an uphill road for men or women who have to try to rebuild their new lives. That's why we want to begin a Divorce Ministry for our deanery - an opportunity for us to stand with Catholics who need to feel that they are still loved by their parish family. The ministry will have annulment help for those looking for a fresh start and a support group for those trying to get back on their feet. Resources and outside organizations will be available for you through our website so that you can find guidance and spiritual support whenever you need them.
For Grieving Widows and Widowers
Our deanery had a great bereavement program called Grieving with Hope. We'll be throwing our support behind the deanery to get it going again. We'll also be supporting New Beginnings - a series of retreats for people trying to recover from the loss of a loved one through death or divorce.
Would you like to hear more? Sign up to join our HEARTS ON FIRE eNEWS
To Jesus through Mary, in union with St. Joseph,
Your pastor,