Rebuild my Church

February 22, 2021

This Lent, we are inviting you to “Rebuild my Church.”
     As COVID continues to impact our day-to-day living, especially our Sunday worship, St. Bernard’s faith formation team has provided a resource that focuses on keeping Sundays holy.
     “Rebuild my Church” is the instruction that St. Francis of Assisi received from Jesus.
     St. Francis started collecting brick and mortar to “rebuild” the church in Assisi.
     He later realized that Jesus was sending him out to “rebuild” His Church, so he left everything behind to follow Christ and to bring others with him.
     This Lent, we are inviting you to “rebuild” your domestic church - you and your household.
     In each of six emails, there will be something for everyone - from young to old, single or married with children.
     The emails will include a newsletter that focuses on the Sunday gospel with discussion questions, family activities, a feature about a saint — even recipes!
     “It has been very difficult to offer any significant faith formation experiences in the past year given the pandemic,” said Kevin Sullivan, a member of the parish faith formation team.
     Also, one of the tenets of the Diocese of Madison’s “Go Make Disciples” evangelization program is reclaiming Sundays.
     “So this is our tool for families and households to begin to do that,” Sullivan said.
     Reclaiming the Sabbath inevitably will flow into other areas of our lives, and this is something that we want to help facilitate, especially during Lent!
     The weekly newsletter will be available to all who “opt-in,” and you can do that by subscribing to the “Rebuild List” available on our website at stbmidd.org/evangelization.
     Feel free to share this resource widely and reach out to Sullivan, Zoe Bernard or Jenna Ripp in the parish office with questions, comments, or ideas so we can help you and your family grow in faith together!
     “Since so many have been separated in varying degrees from the Church during the pandemic, it is my hope that this will give people an opportunity to reconnect or rebuild and strengthen connections with the Church,” said Fr. Brian. “I eagerly await the day that people feel comfortable returning to Mass, but anything we can in the interim to foster spiritual connections is so important.”