Summer is here. And with it comes sprinklers, water balloons and swimming. For many families, summertime means a more relaxed schedule without schoolwork and with time for vacations and fun memories.
Unfortunately, summer can also be a time that many take a vacation from their spiritual life, making fewer visits to church and skipping Mass to enjoy the nice weather or have a longer day at the beach.
This is also the time when many ministries take a break for the summer, but that doesn’t mean Catholics should have to take a faith break. Summer can be a wonderful time to challenge yourself and your family members and grow closer to Christ, together.
Father Robert Schmid, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo in Ahoskie, has seen how summers may change the habits of the faithful to the point where they may forget about God and thankfulness for him.
“It seems like sometimes people forget … the virtue of thanksgiving … we almost forget,” said Father Schmid. “If we change the way we see it and think ‘I'm going to go visit God’ and see Christ as our friend, I think that will go a long way for people really making what we're doing real, not just a chore, but rather making a relationship. Then they will want to do it and do it with great enthusiasm.”
Father Michael Coveyou from St. Ann in Fayetteville said that things slow down during the summer in his parish and other places. For many families, this is the only time they truly have off.
“Staying close to God is reflected and connected to our view of God in our lives. If we only think of him for the hour we are in church on a weekend, then we are quite likely not going to think of him much when many summer opportunities vie for our attention,” said Father Coveyou.
The invitation then is to enjoy the summer days but stay close to God.
“When we pray daily and attend Mass as often as possible, then we are more likely to desire to invite God to join us in our days over the summer. When we have a thankful, appreciative and humble heart, we can see better our true need for God, and we are more likely to invite God to come and share our days with us,” concluded Father Coveyou.
Ideas for staying close to your faith in the summer
1. Go to Mass
Make every effort possible to go to Sunday Mass. How about a trip to another town? This can be a good way to connect with other Catholics in the region. To find a parish, you can visit https://dioceseofraleigh.org/find-a-parish
2. Read
Father Rob Schmid recommends reading Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales and start a daily reading of the Gospels, not reading them as a study thing, but rather read it as a story, read it as a family.
3. Seek out resources and attend events
The Office of Evangelization and Discipleship has some events that might be helpful to those seeking to stay connected with their faith, especially leaders and volunteers.
For example:
The office is sponsoring travel for parish leaders to attend the St. John Bosco Conference for Evangelization and Catechesis in Steubenville, Ohio, from July 11-14, 2022.
Reflection & Networking Day for Hispanic Ministry Leaders is happening July 30, 2022.
New Parish Leaders Orientation Day is happening Aug. 5, 2022 at the Catholic Center in Raleigh.
Youth Ministry Formation Days – Aug. 19-21, 2022
- Parish Youth Ministry Staff Members (Catholic Center)
- YM leaders, largely volunteer, relatively new at the ministry (Good Shepherd, Hope Mills, Fayetteville)
- New YM leaders (OLG Newton Grove)
For more events in the Diocese of Raleigh, check out the calendar!
