Issue link: http://archden.uberflip.com/i/1443894
Diaconal Ministries Resource Manual 15 Faith in Action Ministry T here are numerous ministries in the Arch- diocese that are coordinated by deacons that also are areas the lay faithful can be involved in. Faith in Action attempts to provide a link f rom the ministries to the lay faithful so that they can become involved more fully in the life of the Body of Christ. Faith in Action coordinates the diaconal ministries by help- ing deacons involved in the various ministries reach out to the lay faithful to provide infor- mation on how the lay faithful can become involved. The information includes some of the activities that have been identified as well as contact information for followup. Fallen Away Catholics "M any in our community were raised Catholic, but no longer practice their faith or have serious questions about their faith. Six people leave Catholicism for everyone that joins. Half of young Americans who were raised Catholic, but no longer identify as Catholic today. Four out of five Catholics who left the Church left before age 23. Millions of parents grieve for their fallen- away children and describe their situation as "helpless" and "hopeless." All have stories, and all have reasons for leaving. It is important to reach out to them, reconnect with them, answer their questions, and bring the baptized back home to the faith. The deacons in this ministry have helped individuals come back on a case-by-case basis, but now are forming, preparing, and inviting parishioners to join in 5 to 6 weeks of book study and discussion on the newly released book f rom the Word on Fire Institute "Return" by Brandon Vogt." Single Parent Ministry T his ministry reaches those who find them- selves for any reason raising children as a single parent. Based on Jo Holt's book, "Single and Raising Saints - Forming Single Parents as They Lead Their Children to God," this scrip- ture based Lectio Divina series helps single parents tackle challenges such as achieving balance, loneliness, finance and budgeting, parental discipline, and the dangers associat- ed with pornography and technology. Led by a single parent lay minister, participants meet in a group setting once a week for nine weeks to study scripture, share and support each other on their parenting journey. The deacon attends each session to provide spiritual and prayer support. Single parents f rom all parish- es are invited to participate in the existing pro- gram at Saint Thomas More parish or parishes may wish to obtain more information about establishing their own single parent ministry group. i Deacon Tom Uschold tomuschold@email.com Deacon Derrick Johnson Apollo11_us@yahoo.com i Deacon Huan Nguyen stjohnbaptist123@outlook.com Deacon Richard Milinazzo deaconrich@stjp2.org i Deacon Dave Simonton deacondavids@stthomasmore.org