Greetings! 

My name is Sarah Brockwell, and I am delighted to come to St. Michael as your new Director of Faith Formation.  Thanks to all of you who have warmly welcomed me into the open doors of your beautiful parish.  I look forward to meeting you over the coming year.
This weekend’s gospel (Mk 6: 7-13) made me pause and consider, what has this to do with faith formation?  I focused in on this verse:
 
How many times have you felt stuck in your faith life?  Are you constantly spinning your wheels of your spiritual development? Take a moment to reflect: when has someone entered my life to reveal God’s love and I have not welcomed or listened?  Or vice versa.  How many times have you tried to reveal the movement of the Holy Spirit in your life and have not been received or, worse yet, rejected?  Shaking the dust off our feet in Faith Formation means we cannot get bogged down in the administrative tasks that leave us drained and closed off.  We cannot lose hope when things are at the worst.  Jesus urges us to move on and let it go.  We are in a ministry of relationships and community.  We are all in this together.  Working in Faith Formation keeps us focused on our duty as baptized Christians to always set the table for those who might hear the Good News.  We cannot control whether people eat or not, but we can facilitate an open seat at the table when someone hungers for Christ.

Speaking of Christ…Jesus has many names: Prince of Peace, Son of God, Lord of All, Redeemer (just to name a few). One of my favorite names is used by Mary Magdalene in the Gospel of John: Rabbouni, which means teacher.  Think about your favorite teachers.  Why do you remember them as your favorite?  What did they do or say that made them beloved to you?  I would venture to guess that most of us would say that our favorite teachers saw something special in us and that made our learning personalized.  Jesus can be that kind of teacher for us; we just have to be willing to get to the class!

Speaking of class…faith formation is more than a textbook.  It is more than a standardized test or a program or a website.  It is more than our discipline of receiving sacraments.  It is everything we do and say in response to the weekly command at Mass to go out and serve the Lord.   Forming ourselves in faith is a lifelong commitment—an everlasting journey to grow more deeply and intimately aware of our Creator.  It is taking time to find a connection not only with our heavenly Rabbouni, but also our brothers and sisters in Christ who have taken on the monumental task of teaching the faith to our children, teens, and adults.  A giant thank you goes out to the many staff and volunteers that dedicate their lives to passing on the Catholic faith.

My focus for the year is to get to know you in the same way Jesus did—meeting you face-to-face.  If you are feeling the urge to deepen your faith life, contact me and let us chat about what is right for you in your life, right now.  Jesus never expected any of us to go on a faith journey alone.  He sent his disciples out in pairs, so they could care for one another during the trials and triumphs of evangelization and conversion.  You are not alone!  Come and see how your faith life can be nurtured and supported beyond the Mass.

Many blessings on the rest of your summer plans .  Carpe diem!!