Message from Fr. Jamie . . .

A Word from our LA Chaplain (Halifax) 

Over the past 7 years I have witnessed many successes and struggles as an associate pastor at Holy Trinity. At the same time, I have been edified to see how the Lord has used many different methods and strategies over the years as we have begun to pursue a common vision that we believe He has planted in our hearts. I know that the Lay Associates here represent a number of different parishes around the diocese, but our goal must always be the same wherever we are and wherever we are at:
to encounter the Lord, to undergo conversion, to recognize and embrace the support
of the wider community, then to go, and evangelize, making disciples. 

I always go back to Matthew Kelly's observation in his 4 signs of a dynamic Catholic... where the primary focus must be on prayer. If prayer is not well established and the basis of our lives, then everything else that follows it will be a struggle, and eventually become impossible (namely, study, generosity and evangelization ...
all of which comprise another way to describe the basic discipleship process). 

As such, becoming the 'new' chaplain for the Lay Associates this past November,
I was really feeling a strong prompting to 'restart' and focus once again on a foundation of prayer. Knowing that the previous chaplains had done tremendous jobs in bringing the LAs to where they had come, I still felt the need to bring us back to prayer, and to refocus, partly for my own need to 'restart'. Over the past few meetings, we have used opportunities to explore different kinds and methods of prayer, particularly during the Mass, to pray vocally, to meditate, to intercede and we also invited Sr. Ann Veronica (of the Sisters of Charity) to give us a talk most recently and to lead us through a practice of contemplative prayer (using the centering prayer method). 

"Prayer is a game changer for you spiritually, and a game changer for every aspect
of your life. If every Catholic in America prayed (using a prayer process) for a few minutes each day, the Church would be on the fast track for renewal. If everyone
in your parish began to pray (using a process), your parish would explode with enthusiasm and engagement." - Matthew Kelly (The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic)