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Renew My Church

Renew My Church comes out of a period of discernment and reflection on the signs of our times. In response to the challenges our Church faces today (increased trends of disaffiliation from religious practice, decline in number of men becoming priests, increasing need for investment in aging buildings), as well as our Popes' great call to become Missionary Disciples, and in order to meet the great needs of our time (war and violence, increased loneliness, anxiety and isolation, pain and suffering, political division, now a global pandemic) the Archdiocese of Chicago is enlivening a bold and comprehensive strategic initiative to bring about renewal in our parishes.
 
Renew My Church - as this initiative is named - is both structural and spiritual. Structural changes need to occur in order to make sure we are good stewards of the limited resources we have and ensure they are being utilized for the sake of our mission: to make disciples of all nations. In many cases, this means the unfortunate closure of church buildings and the unification of multiple parish communities into one new parish community. In all cases, it requires that parish communities think differently about who they are, what their purpose is, and the methods and models they are using to make disciples, build communities, and inspire witness.
 
Spiritually, Renew My Church calls each member of the faithful to recommit, or commit for the first time, to living a life with Jesus and His Church, following in His footsteps, and coming to know his heart ever more deeply through prayer and engagement in community life. On the level of parish culture, Renew My Church challenges communities to shift their mindsets - prioritizing mission over maintenance. This often takes us out of our comfort zones, as it challenges each individual believer to see themselves as a leader, a co-worker with Jesus in the mission of the Church to share the good news with all they meet.
 
At St. Josaphat, our goal is to empower everyone in our community to mature as disciples of Jesus and to feel comfortable sharing the story of how Christ has transformed our life with the people we know and love.
 
We invite you to join us on our journey to become a renewed parish and to bring the Good News of Jesus to a world in need of the love, mercy, and salvation that He offers.