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Perhaps to you Catholic Tent Revival sounds like an oxymoron or a contradiction of terms. St. Francis wants the world to know - the spirit of revival dwells here! Our Tent Revival theme is We Must Go. It will be held September 12, 7:00-10:00PM. Father Marc Montminy of St. Marie Parish, Dick Kiernan of Alpha New England, and The Silence Within music group will all be present helping us to draw closer to God. Luke 10:2 "And He was saying to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'"
In other articles I've spoken of Soulfest - a 4-day Christian music festival held at Gunstock in Giflord, NH. Last year Tim Hughes was one of the performers. As a music minister I knew that he had written some popular songs - but I didn't know any of them specifically and I wasn't expecting to be particularly moved by his music. As a matter of fact, when he was playing his set at the main stage I only happened to be walking by. We were on our way to the car as I recall and he was singing about the God of Justice. The words of the refrain spoke to my heart. "We must go - live to feed the hungry, stand beside the broken - we must go. Stepping forward, keep us from just singing, move us into action - we must go." Even then I thought - great song. What a prayer - keep me from just singing Lord - move me into action. We must go.
Dennis was one of the people with me - and I remember (though he doesn't) him saying - "Wouldn't this be a great song to use for a commissioning or something like that?" Fast forward a year - someone was playing the CD in their car - and the song again spoke to my heart. It just got to me that so often we forget how urgent the calling is. God is constantly calling us, urging and asking - sending us out - or even just hinting to us what we could do. He doesn't need us to do it - but He does want us to be part of His plan. As my friend Kyle the Seminarian would say - ask God if you can be part of what He is already doing - and then listen. I do want to be part of what God is already doing. It isn't about how many programs I can run, or jobs in the church that I can do - my mission is to be part of God's work. I know God has called us all to this work of feeding the hungry, helping the broken...hear His call in Matthew 25: "Where were you when I was hungry or thirsty...?" We must Go. At this Catholic Tent Revival we will hear the words of the Great Commission. We will hear the call to go forth - to reap the harvest that the Lord has already cultivated. We will step forward in faith to be part of what God is doing. There will be more than just singing! We must Go. Dick Kiernan has been a longtime evangelizer in our Diocese. Remember his work within the umbrella of Spiritual Renewal Services, most recently with Alpha New England, and even some work with Vita Nova. Personally I have gotten to know Dick through several ministries and events. Dick was the advisor to Catholic Young Adults (CYA) when I was in my 20's. He also leads a group called "The Foundation For the Lay Apostolate" to help lay leaders discover how to live an apostolate in conjunction with Vita Nova. I participated in this program and found Dick's encouragement and words of wisdom extremely inspiring and helpful. I believe that my participation in that group gave me the courage and knowledge to begin the Friends and Family Confirmation Program at St. Francis. It also equipped me to organize this tent revival. For as long as I've known him, Dick's mission has been to spread the good news and help others do the same. I thought of him immmediately when praying about presenters because of his desire for us all to be part of the great commission. Father Marc Montminy, pastor of St. Marie Parish in Manchester NH has proven himself to be a great shepherd through his work at his parish and in our diocese. St. Marie's is alive and well - a parish that reaches out and touches the lives of its parishioners and the people in the surrounding areas. Even through the parish website, Father Marc reaches beyond the boundaries of the parish to the world-wide-web. He truly wants to help Catholics grow, and wants to inspire all to seek this great relationship with Christ. To get to know him better go to www.enterthenarrowgate.org Finally our musicians - The Silence Within - a conglomerate of musicians from various areas in our state including Newport, Nashua, and Goffstown promise to inspire us with songs that invite us to go and serve the world. |
