April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
STAMFORD
Stamford book group benefits whole parish
Two different groups of almost 30 participants each - including Rev. Michael Cambi, pastor -met for monthly potluck dinners at the church. The book recommends prayer, study, generosity and evangelization; the club's goal was to educate parishioners on how to become engaged in their faith and to ultimately make the parish stronger, said Evelyn Augusto, pastoral council president and organizer of the club.
One result of the five months of club meetings was that "new friendships were forged," Ms. Augusto said. "People I had never seen involved before had come. People got to see our pastor in a different light," since "he wasn't there instructing."
The group also sparked the creation of a lending library, in accordance with the "study" recommendation by the book's author, who suggests reading a bit of a Catholic book each day.
"Believe it or not, people didn't know that there are wonderful books published [on the faith]," Ms. Augusto said.
Frances Wellington has committed to reading more since being in the book club.
"I have a lot of books, but I'm not always reading them," she said. "I think [the group] gives you more strength."
She said the club taught her that, in order to evangelize, "you really have to start with yourself, not look to change everybody else. Someone has to want to be like you for them to want to be Catholic and come back to church. You don't want to be out there with a bad temper or not caring about other people."
Ms. Augusto said it was important for group members to debate Church doctrine and get on the same page about Church teachings. "If we're going to evangelize, we need to work in the same direction," she said.
Participant Tom Molle found the group to be "a refresher course" on being an involved Catholic.
Edie Mesick enjoyed making new friends: "It really helped to build more community. It was good for us all to get to know each other better."
"The book provided a lot of practical tools," she added. "We don't have enough training around issues of prayer and different ways of connecting with God and connecting with our community."
Ms. Augusto said many members committed themselves to specific tasks, like a daily prayer routine or journaling with their Bibles. She feels more committed to her own routine and to study.
"In order to evangelize, I have to be able to speak intelligently about the faith and answer questions," she said. "I learned to be more generous in dealing with different personalities."
Parish life at Sacred Heart is active in other areas, too. A dozen people meet once a month in people's homes for "Prayer Warriors" meetings. A social committee plans bingo games, potluck dinners, movie nights, Lenten fish fries, an annual picnic and a Valentine's Day dance at a nursing home.
Eight volunteers staff a food pantry. A Knights of Columbus council puts on dinners and breakfasts, and a bereavement group meets once a month. There's a pastoral council and a buildings and grounds committee.
The Women's Guild has 38 members. Rosemarie Leonardo is one.
"We pray for the people who are sick," she said, adding that the guild's fundraisers benefit a member who is a Maryknoll missionary. "We support each other spiritually, which helps us physically and mentally.
"It feels good to get together with people who you know are thinking of you and you're thinking of them," Mrs. Leonardo added. "It's opened my eyes to different prayers and different ways of praying."[[In-content Ad]]
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