St. John the Baptist Parish to host stewardship retreat

Intermountain Catholic

+ Enlarge

DRAPER — Saint John the Baptist Parish has scheduled a mission retreat, ‘‘Stewardship in the Family,” to take place on March 11-12.

The retreat presenter will be Brian Niebrugge, who since 2010 has served as the executive director of Stewardship and Annual Catholic Appeal of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

Last year three St. John parishioners heard Niebrugge’s presentation at the International Stewardship Conference in Atlanta, and they recommended him as a speaker for the retreat, said Fr. Rick Sherman, St. John the Baptist pastor.

The parish has been rewriting its vision and mission statement, and “we want to emphasize not only stewardship but also our Catholic identity, including the V Encuentro process and our bishop’s ‘A Springtime of the New Evangelization,’ since both emphasized our Catholic identity,” Fr. Sherman said.

In his presentations on Catholic identity, Niebrugge usually speaks of the day-to-day attitudes and interactions within the family, and emphasizes the domestic Church.

“Just like parishes are the foundation of dioceses, families are the foundation of society. Families come in all different shapes, sizes and colors, but we have one thing in common: our love for each other. Brian will give us practical tips on not only anchoring our love for each other in our Catholic faith, but also how we can live our lives in ways that make our faith and love for each other witness to  God’s love for everyone,” reads in the invitation to the retreat.

St. John the Baptist parishioners said they wanted and needed ways “to get closer and deeper as a community, so we are trying to create opportunities where we can get together in a social context and also in talks that would give us something more to talk about something deeper in what people can connect on,” Fr. Sherman said.

The retreat is open to all who want to attend.

WHAT: Parish retreat – ‘‘Stewardship in the Family”

WHEN: Sunday, March 11,2018

Talk for Everyone 2–3 p.m. – Stewardship and the Family

Talk for Men: 5:00 – 6:30

Talk for Women: 7–8:30 p.m.

WHERE: St. John the Baptist Parish, 300 East 11800 South, Draper

Silent Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available throughout the day. Benediction will be at 6:30 p.m. For information, contact the parish office, 801-984-7101.