Parish meets needs of time-strapped Catholics

By ANGELA CAVE- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

St. Mary's parish in Clinton Heights has been keeping Catholics' busy lives in mind.

First up on its schedule of events this summer is a "Car Care 101" class July 14, 9-11 a.m. The parish bulletin notes, "You're welcome to stay for as long or as brief as you like!"

Two of the parish's adult confirmands, a professional mechanic and a hobby mechanic, will cover topics including:

• how to change and rotate a tire;
• what to carry in your car;
• how to buy a car;
• what to do if your car breaks down, especially in the middle of a lane; and
• how to change oil and maintain your car.

The class is intended for teenagers - who also receive keychains and a "key blessing" to read with their families when they turn 16 - as well as veteran drivers. The first 20 participants will receive a coupon for a free car wash, as well.

"These are just some life skills that people should know," said Maureen Billa, pastoral associate for evangelization and catechesis. She's advertised the event in the media in the hopes of turning it into an evangelization opportunity.

The parish's next time-minded event is its third annual "Busy Person's Retreat," which falls on Aug. 15, the feast of the Assumption, this year.

"We're very aware of people's schedules, and we don't want to take up too much of their time," Mrs. Billa said. "We're also very conscious that our faith doesn't stop in the summer."

The parish will provide breakfast, a brown-bag lunch packaged by youth volunteers and a catered dinner after Mass. Attendees can stop in several times, stay the whole day or stay for 10 minutes. They can take prayer packets home or to work.

"Whatever you have on the docket that day," Mrs. Billa said, "you can do it and just squeeze this in."

Previous such retreats have attracted up to 30 participants, who have told Mrs. Billa the event taught them how to find time for faith.

"If they can just take a few moments out of their day to reflect on their life and their relationship with God, we've met our goal," she said.

St. Mary's also offers a women's "spiritual spa day" overnight retreat, a men's retreat and a Lenten retreat. A nine-month Scripture study group meets twice a month, but also offers opportunities for online study. Similarly, reflection guides for a Christian art series and episodes of the popular "Catholicism" television series can be viewed online.[[In-content Ad]]