Discipleship Pathway
DISCIPLESHIP PATHWAY MISSION
Fulfilling The Great Commission to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19) to transform the world so that St. Rita’s Parish becomes a community of disciples making disciples, one person at a time.
Pillars: Eucharist * Evangelization * Holy Spirit * Leadership
The spark of this ministry began in February, 2017 at the Religious Education Congress where Father James Mallon gave three concurrent workshops based on his book, Divine Renovation: Bringing your parish from maintenance to mission.
He pointed to two passages of scripture which are the foundation of this ministry:
- Matthew 28:19 : THE GREAT COMMISSION
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.
- Ephesians 4: 11-13 EQUIP THE SAINTS
And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for works of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ.
Inspired by the Holy Spirit, a Parish Renewal movement began the following month, utilizing YouTube of Father Mallon breaking down the building blocks of a church on mission as enumerated in Divine Renovation. Some thirty ministry leaders were invited and after one year, they created a lay-led Rise-Up Retreat for the parish. Over 110 participants attended the retreat and viewed videos of Fr. James Mallon and participated in charettes to obtain feedback. His presentation included the impact of Alpha.
This led the team to explore Alpha by launching it as a pilot in July, 2018. Attendees watched two videos per session and had discussion after. Feedback was strong as they were amazed at the quality of the video and the presentation of Christianity. For the majority, it was a new experience and the first time they articulated their faith and rustle with the questions of life, God and Jesus. The following September, the first Alpha was launched, and has been held in the spring and winter of each year since. Even through COVID-19, the ministry continued their formation via Zoom, with studies on discipleship, evangelization, leadership and created a prayer team. Studies include the following:
BEGINNING DISCIPLES
Alpha
Christ In Our Neighborhood
Rescued and the Rescue Project
Catholic Christian Outreach: Discovery Study
FORMING DISCIPLES
Forming Intentional Disciples/Casting Our Nets
Ascension Press Study: Paul to the Ephesians
Ananias Training: The Art of Spiritual Accompaniment
The Wild Goose – Encounter of the Holy Spirit
The Mass:
Abbot Jeremy Driscoll
Ascension Presents with Ed Siri
Word on Fire with Bishop Robert Barron
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Divine Renovation
Amazing Parish
Rebuilt Parish
Revive Parishes
What was formerly called the Alpha Team, led these studies and in 2023, have chosen a name for this ministry that embraces the mission of all Christians and the Church to Go and make disciples of all nations!
ST. RITA’S PARISH MISSION
The mission of the Parish Family of St. Rita is to inspire and engage our diverse faith community through Catholic formation in prayer, study and service to build God’s kingdom, present and future.