Lenten Parish Mission
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Our patron saint, St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, was an impressive man. He wrote beautifully on Marian spirituality, and he showed bravery and courage in the face of setbacks and rejection. But did you know that most of his sixteen years of priesthood were spent preaching parish missions throughout France? Only twenty years before de Montfort’s birth, St. Vincent de Paul organized the first congregation of priests dedicated solely to traveling to parishes to give weeklong “missions,” hoping to stoke the fire of the Holy Spirit within the hearts of parishioners. In his priestly ministry, St. Louis de Montfort went from town to town throughout France, preaching Christ crucified with zeal and passion. To this day, parish missions are meant to be a sort of parish spiritual revival: to fan into flame those who have grown tepid, to enlighten the minds of the faithful, and to reignite hearts for the mission of holiness.
Throughout the year, our parish offers various retreat opportunities and formation sessions for particular groups, but a parish mission is meant to form and encourage the entire parish community. In our challenging cultural climate, we must be united in our purpose for existence. We must share a common vision and even vocabulary. And most of all, the fire of love for the Triune God and the fire of zeal for souls must be stoked in each of us.
Our parish has a long history of hosting parish missions, and this year will be no different… but on the other hand, it will be different. Instead of a traveling mission preacher coming to Fishers, your own pastor has been given the task. To prepare to preach a parish mission is a daunting and humbling undertaking, but I relish the opportunity to share my heart with you. To lead and guide my spiritual family is my foremost passion and characterizes my spiritual fatherhood. In the 18 months I’ve been at SLDM, I’ve become conscious of a great stirring of the Holy Spirit in our community, and I’m eager to do my part to help unleash the power of God in our parish.
I’m asking our patron saint (a great parish mission preacher) for his intercession. And I’m asking each of you to come to as much of this parish mission as you possibly can. The mission will include 3 days and we will offer a morning and an evening option each day. The time for revival has arrived.
Under the Mercy,
Father Haan