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  As members of the Body of Christ, the baptized make up the core of every community of faith. Their unique charism profiles also manifest a charism profile for your parish. When charisms are taken into consideration for parish planning and ministry, mission becomes successful as it is the work of the Holy Spirit being accomplished.
  
  Contact us to schedule a Discovering Your Gifts Workshop.
  
  Along with the workshop parishes will receive a parish profile outlining the trends within the faith community. Via Maria Consulting, LLC will provide a detailed analysis of the gifting and faith practices in your parish. Parish leadership will learn valuable information allowing for more effective pastoral planning and ministry development.
  
  From the Parish Profile you will learn:

• The most common charisms in your community and what this means for parish planning, visioning, mission, and goal setting

• The strengths and weaknesses in the prayer lives of participants, giving insight into the spiritual life, practices, and needs of the community of faith

• To use charism profiles to build a database for calling forth the gifting of parishioners for more successful ministry

Sometimes we become so familiar with certain spiritual realities that we lose sight of their significance. Such is often the case with the Sacrament of Baptism. Along with all its other effects, Baptism bestows charisms, gifts of the Holy Spirit given in order that we may become blessings to others. Gaining an awareness of these gifts, discovering how they are manifested and how they complement one another in the Body of Christ, is the goal of the Discovering Your Gifts Workshop. At Our Lady of Sorrows, the parish staff and many parishioners have been growing in this awareness.

Pope Francis referred to the Church as a Field Hospital. He said “the thing the Church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful.” He said we are to be “ministers of mercy” and announced a Jubilee Year of Mercy to begin on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, 2015.

Interestingly enough, the charism in the lead for the staff of one of the parishes we recently worked with is Mercy. A Mercy charism is akin to a first responder, it seeks to alleviate suffering in all its various forms. Among the parishioners attending the workshop, the charisms of Generosity, Encouragement, Hospitality, Healing, Intercession and Knowledge appear strong. There is a reason why these charisms are present in this parish. The Holy Spirit does nothing by accident. Imagine the power of these charisms working in sync. They can enliven the parish and change the world.

What are your top charisms? How does God want to “warm the hearts of the faithful” through you? How can you make a difference in our parish family? Come and see.

Come to a DYG workshop. Better yet, contact us to schedule one at your parish!