News - Synod 2021 RSS Feed

Dig out those old photo albums, those shoe boxes filled with cards and letters, those grainy, sepia-toned photos of the ancestors! All Saints Day and All Souls Day encourage us to remember those who have gone before us. This month, we can do that in special ways while we continue to refocus our Sundays toward rest and reconnection.

October is beloved for many reasons: leaves, the Rosary, football... Wait! Football?! Yes! This year’s Reclaiming Sundays focus reminds us to pray, rest, and recreate. For many, that means football. But no matter how we like to recreate, we can reclaim our Sundays by intentionally spending them restfully and joyfully. Click here for suggestions.

Family Corner will now tie into the Archdiocesan initiative to help us refresh and deepen observation of the Lord’s Day. This initiative is described in "Reclaiming Sundays: A Guide for Families." For each month of the next year, Family Corner will develop the Archdiocesan theme as we can live it here at Nativity of Our Lord.

“Year 3” of the Synod will extend into 2026-2027 with the theme of Equipping Parents as the Primary Educators of their Children in the Faith. Implementation of this theme will begin with a “soft start” in this, the 2025-2026 year. Click here for more information.

Now, 50 days after Easter Sunday, we mark the close of the Easter season with the remarkable solemnity of Pentecost. Click here for reflections on how we can welcome the descent of the Holy Spirit into our homes and families and communities by meaningfully celebrating this feast.

Each parish is sending their pastor and two lay delegates to the 2025 Archdiocesan Synod Assembly; Theme updates for Years 3-4; Invitation to pray Holy Spirit Novena culminating on Pentecost (June 7).

Continuing the impact of the four regional pilgrimages last year, the new St. Katherine Drexel route this year covers Indianapolis through the midwest, south, and west towards San Diego and Los Angeles. Frances Webber, one of our parishioners who attended the National Eucharistic Congress last July, will accompany our Eucharistic Lord across the country this year.

UPDATE: Grief Support Group meetings have been cancelled through May 13.

Fr. Erickson offers a vision for returning to 24/7 Perpetual Adoration in this ongoing Eucharistic Revival, as well as an invitation for each of us to commit to an hour.

For those who missed the first Eucharistic Consecration, there will be another opportunity on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27. We invite you to read the Matthew Kelly’s "33 Days to Eucharistic Glory" daily on your own beginning March 26 and to click the link above to sign up.

Lent provides a chance to go deeper: both giving and giving up. Learning and praying together as a family enhances simpler meals. Lent coincides with lengthening days, enriching our patient waiting and preparing. Click for ideas to pray, eat, and work together.

Why does the priest sometimes wear green and sometimes white? What do the seasons of the Church have to do with our daily lives? All this and more in The Family Corner, a new feature where we’ll share ways to bring the liturgical seasons of the Church into our families and homes in simple, accessible, kid-friendly ways.

Small groups for Lent 2025 will begin the first full week of Lent on Sunday, March 9. Sign-ups for open Lenten small groups will begin on Sunday, February 16.

We especially need Nativity School parents to attend our small group leader formation so we can offer small groups for School parents.

As our national Eucharistic revival continues into Year 2, and our local Synod focuses on a year of Eucharistic focus, there are many local formation opportunities available.

Sign up here for the weekly Heart of the Revival newsletter to receive Bishop Andrew Cozzens' weekly Gospel reflections as we prepare our hearts for Christmas.

As our national Eucharistic revival continues, and our local Synod focuses on a year of Eucharistic focus, there are many resources available on the Eucharist for individuals as well as Small Groups.

Open enrollment for fall small groups has begun! Gather some family, friends, or neighbors together to learn more about the Mass and the Eucharist in Year II of the Synod Implementation at Nativity of Our Lord.

Videos are being viewed in small group meetings and are now also available for anyone else who wants to learn about prayer — whether they're brand new to an intentional prayer life, or seasoned vets.

Our Lenten Small Groups have officially launched as part of year one of the Archdiocesan Synod Implementation. Thank you to the 220 parishioners who signed up for our 26 small groups this Lent!