The Synod on Synodality

The Synod on Synodality is a three-year, worldwide process of listening and dialogue that began in Rome on October 9 and 10, 2021. The synodal process will conclude in October of 2024.

Pope Francis invites the entire Church to reflect on a theme that is decisive for its life and mission: “It is precisely this path of synodality which God expects of the Church of the third millennium.” This journey, which follows in the wake of the Church’s “renewal” proposed by the Second Vatican Council, is both a gift and a task: by journeying together and reflecting together on the journey that has been made, the Church will be able to learn through Her experience which processes can help Her to live communion, to achieve participation, to open Herself to mission.”

Synod Resources

Praying with Color and Gratitude: Resources for Prayer

During the GIFT session on November 19, 2023, Maggie referenced several resources that aid her in her prayer life. As an avid book worm, it’s unsurprising that Maggie’s go to resources are books. However, don’t miss out on the last resource – it’s perfect for our tech savvy disciples!

Syllabus

This book has inspired multiple programs that Maggie has facilitated including this GIFT session, an OLOL staff retreat, and youth nights. Lynda Berry’s message that anyone can be an artist is the same philosophy that Maggie holds about prayer. Everyone already has the tools they need to have a dynamic prayer life, they just need to be brave and dive in.

Indescribable: 100 Devotions about God & Science

This is geared towards younger readers. However, Maggie absolutely adores this book. It does a brilliant job of connecting faith and science to show God’s presence in the physical world. Every devotion is filled with astounding facts about creation and paired with a beautiful prayer.

Help Thanks Wow

Maggie has recommended this book to multiple people. She may be biased because Anne Lamott is one of her personal heroes, but this book truly is fantastic. It’s a short and easy read. It’s like a DIY instruction guide to prayer that is hilarious, emotional, sharp, and practical. Our Parish Director, Deb Steppe, is also a big fan of the book.

Be Still and Know that I am God: A Promise Journal

This is Maggie’s favorite prayer journal. She typically uses this journal when she needs to jumpstart her prayer life. More often than not when she reaches for it the collection of quotes and scripture verses on the page are the exact words she has been waiting to hear. Unfortunately, it looks like this may be out of print and copies are becoming hard to find. If you cannot get your hands on this journal, consider checking out Ellie Claire’s other journals.

Bible App

For those of you with an iPhone, you can use the link above to download this wonderful app. If you do not have an iPhone, you can search for it in your app store. Its title is simply “Bible” and Life.Church is the developer. Maggie has used this app both personally and professionally during the height of the pandemic. She used as a model for virtual youth group during quarantine and she and her friends participated in several of the bible study plans while they were practicing social distancing.

God's Holy People

Living the Mass:
How One Hour a Week
Can Change Your Life

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Many Catholics believe that far more people would attend Mass if only the homilies were better, or the music was more inspiring, or . . . the list goes on. But best-selling authors Fr. Dominic Grassi and Joe Paprocki are convinced that the real problem lies not in the Mass itself but in a lack of understanding of how the Mass prepares each person to live day in and day out as a baptized Catholic. In this revised edition of Living the Mass, which includes the changes in the Roman Missal, Grassi and Paprocki thoughtfully explain how each part of the Mass relates to our baptismal call, effectively closing the gap between Sunday Mass and the rest of the week.

Ideal for the countless Catholics who haven’t been to Mass in a while, for the many who attend Mass simply out of habit, or for anyone who desires to join the Catholic Church, Living the Mass compellingly demonstrates how the one hour spent at Mass on Sunday can truly transform how we think and act the other 167 hours of the week.

Fr. Dominic Grassi is a well-known and well-loved pastor in the Archdiocese of Chicago. He is the author of the Bumping into God . . . series.

Joe Paprocki, DMin, is national consultant for faith formation at Loyola Press. He is a popular speaker and the author of many best-selling books, including The Catechist’s Toolbox.

This book can be ordered through the publisher or Amazon. A paperback copy is available in the OLOL Parish Library.

We Are Eucharist

The Meal That Reconnects: Eucharistic Eating and the Global Food Crisis

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In The Meal that Reconnects, Dr. Mary McGann, RSCJ, invites readers to a more profound appreciation of the sacredness of eating, the planetary interdependence that food and the sharing of food entails, and the destructiveness of the industrial food system that is supplying food to tables globally. She presents the food crisis as a spiritual crisis-a call to rediscover the theological, ecological, and spiritual significance of eating and to probe its challenge to Christian eucharistic practice. Drawing on the origins of Eucharist in Jesus’s meal fellowship and the worship of early Christians, McGann invites communities to reclaim the foundational meal character of eucharistic celebration while offering pertinent strategies for this renewal.

Mary E. McGann, RSCJ, is adjunct associate professor of liturgical studies at the Jesuit School of Theology (Santa Clara University) and the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California. Her recent research and writing focus on the global water and food crises, the challenges these present to Christian worship and sacramental practice, and the need to pursue a deep liturgical renewal that honors and acknowledges our planetary interdependence. McGann is author of several articles and three books, including award winning A Precious Fountain: Music in the Worship of an African American Catholic Community (Liturgical Press, 2004).

This book can be ordered as a paperback or ebook through the publisher or Amazon. A paperback copy is available in the OLOL Parish Library.

The Communion of Saints

Cathedrals: Clues to Identifying Biblical Figures in Cathedrals Around the World

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Have you ever stood before a statue in a cathedral and tried to guess its identity? Have you wandered aimlessly through churches, overwhelmed by the imagery and left frustrated? This book will help you identify the biblical figures in cathedrals around the world. A great tool for any traveler, it unlocks the artistic clues the great painters, sculptors, and glassmakers provided to identify important biblical characters and early Christian saints. Its purpose is to guide visitors globally through any cathedral and enable recognition of saints and martyrs in works of art. A helpful quick guide in the book ensures a speedy ready reference for the most popular figures in cathedrals.

This book began as a series of presentations on individual cathedrals. People asked if I would write something to help them remember the detailed information they heard in my lectures. Three years, eight countries, and three hundred churches and cathedrals later, the task is completed. Below are a few picture collages from the book.

Dr. Lorrie Wenzel is a scripture professor, noted church historian and the GIFT presenter for our session on Sunday, December 10, 2023. A sample of her book, Cathedrals, can be viewed here. The book can be purchased here. One copy is available in the OLOL Parish Library.

Catholic Discernment

Advent

The Non-Violent Jesus

These two podcasts were used in preparation for the session recorded above:   

The Beatitudes of Nonviolence

The Nonviolent Sermon on the Mount

They Will Know We are Christians by our Love

Dr. timone davis explores our contemporary situation in our nation and world and asks us to consider what our response is to be. Dr. davis challenges us to consider what liturgy (the work of the people) means.  

Catholic Social Teaching

Intro

Human Dignity

Solidarity

Common Good

Amos and Hosea: Social Justice Prophets

Session 1

Session 1 Scripture Text

Session 1 Study Guide

Session 2

Session 2 Scripture Text

Session 2 Study Guide

Session 3

Session 3 Scripture Text

Session 3 Study Guide

Session 4

Session 4 Scripture Text

Session 4 Study Guide

Session 5

Session 5 Scripture Text

Session 5 Study Guide

What is Eucharist

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Follow-up Resources

Session 2 Recap

Gift Exchange

Authentic, Servant Leadership

Follow-up Resources

October 18 Notes

Gift Exchange-10/13