BETTENDORF — Our Lady of Lourdes Parish is opening its doors to individuals looking to develop their own “faith story” at a parish mission, Oct. 26-28.
Paulist Father John Collins of New York City will lead this mission with the goal of moving people to reach out to others by sharing their faith.
“Traditionally, Catholics have been slightly intimidated by the concept of evangelization,” said Fr. Collins. “The parish mission aims to bring about a renewed sense of enthusiasm for their faith. By living faith in Jesus, we all develop a personal ‘faith story’. We hope that this mission experience will help those in attendance feel more compelled to share that story with others.”
Fr. Collins’ story includes the completion of several assignments across the country, including parish work in Austin, Texas, and campus ministry work at UCLA and Ohio State University. For the past 10 years, he has conducted more than 30 retreats for priests and religious and more than 300 missions, similar to the mission to be held at Our Lady of Lourdes.
The mission topics appeal to the struggles and triumphs of people’s everyday lives and encourage them to explore key questions in their faith. Participants in the mission at Our Lady of Lourdes will explore the questions and topics: What Good is God? (Oct. 26); Why Prayers Don’t Work (Oct. 27); and Ten Kinds of People We Don’t Have to Love (Oct. 28).
“Fr. Collins delivers his talks with humor and honesty,” said Father Tim Sheedy, pastor at Our Lady of Lourdes. “His approach provides a comfortable setting for anyone, not just Lourdes parishioners and Catholics. We hope that anyone in the community looking to further explore their faith will join us for this unique opportunity.”
The mission content is directed toward adults and older high school students and will take place at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 1506 Brown St., Bettendorf. Each topic will be presented from 9:30-10:30 a.m. following the 8:30 a.m. weekday Masses and will repeat from 7-8 p.m., with refreshments provided after each session.
The Our Lady of Lourdes youth group will provide childcare during the evening sessions for parents with young children.
For more information call the parish office at (563) 359-0345.
