Parish Listening Session

What is it?

Following the lead of the Archdiocese of Denver in asking the Holy Spirit for guidance, we are organizing a Parish Listening Session, inviting parishioners to listen to how the Holy Spirit is guiding our parish to move forward.

 When?

SAVE THE DATE: Thursday, March 24th, 5:15-6:30pm, St. Clare Hall. Please RSVP by Saturday March 19th to let us know you will be joining this event.

  • We will start promptly. Please plan to arrive at SFA St. Clare Hall earlier to get your name tag and table assignment, and be seated and ready to go.

  • Bring your journal/notes from your prayer sessions.

How? Pray and Listen. Meet and Share.

  • Please pray with the 3 questions below. (Scroll below to see “discernment guidelines”)

  • Record what you hear from the Holy Spirit in a notebook or journal.

  • On the day of the Listening Session, we will organize participants into groups, and assign a table leader for each group.

  • Each participant will have approximately 2 mins per question to share, so plan to come with a summary or themes of your input for each question.

  • Table leaders will be given resources and instruction on how to gather and share the themes of each group.

The Questions

Please start praying with the following 3 questions:

1) Saint Francis of Assisi exists that through the love of Jesus Christ all might be rescued and have abundant life in the power of the Holy Spirit for the glory of the Father. Ask the Holy Spirit (by praying into one or more of the various nuances):

  • How has the Lord already been setting this parish apart?

  • How has the Lord gifted us at Saint Francis of Assisi?

  • How has the Lord set this community apart from the world?

  • How should Saint Francis of Assisi demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ so that all might be rescued and have abundant life?

2) At Saint Francis of Assisi, we are living our relationship with God, as His children, for lifelong Catholic mission. Ask the Holy Spirit (by praying into one or more of the various nuances):

  • What culture is the Holy Spirit calling us to embrace and foster?

  • How are we being called to behave?

  • What behaviors/habits do we need to prune to fulfill this mission?

3) How is the Holy Spirit Leading us forward as a parish? How is the Holy Spirit inviting us to respond?

Discernment Guidelines

Before you start, remember…

  • Trust, with fierce docility, that your Loving and Good Father wants to speak to you!

  • God speaks to us through:

    • Jesus Christ

    • His Church (because we are joined together in Christ, God speaks to us through other people)

    • Visible creation around us

    • The events of our lives

    • Holy Scripture

  • Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you.

Prepare:

  • Seek silence:, spend a few minutes quieting yourself and relaxing, settling yourself into a prayerful and comfortable position.

  • Be prepared with journal, pen and bible.

  • Don’t rush (the discernment may occur over time)

Pray:

  • Ask the questions directly (God is present as a person, in you through His Holy Spirit).

  • How may the Lord be speaking to me?

    • Seeing - images/scenes in the imagination

    • Hearing- word or phrase- voice of the mind

    • Feeling - intuitions or senses upon your heart

    • Knowing - information in the form of whole thoughts or impressions

  • ARRR:

    • Acknowledge (your thoughts, feelings, distractions, etc)

    • Relate

    • Receive

    • Response

  • How do I know it is God who’s speaking? (Voice can be divine, from ourselves, distractions from the world, or the evil one).

    • What comes from God will not contradict

      • Authority

      • Church Teaching

      • Scripture

      • Spiritual Direction

    • Is this coming with Peace or Fear?

  • Write down everything that comes to you in prayer:

    • Do not discard the “odd” or something you can’t explain right away

    • Pray into it

    • Look for confirmations