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Parishioners share reflections

As an exercise in stewardship, members of St. Mary Parish, Oshkosh, write their own devotional book for Lent. The project has inspired at least two other Oshkosh parishes to follow their example.

Scott Ramsay, St. Mary's liturgy director, said the book includes 40 devotions, one for each day of Lent, under the theme, "Return to Me With All Your Heart." Each devotion includes a reflection and prayer based on that day's three Scripture readings.

Sr. Judy Miller, parish director, said she got the idea for the books four or five years ago from Nativity Parish in Green Bay, where Monica Penzenstadler, then liturgy director, had parishioners write reflections.

Ramsay and Jan Cleaver, St. Mary's bookkeeper, said volunteer writers for the book were recruited in several ways. Some are parishioners serving on committees. Others sign up at the parish's Stewardship Sunday in the fall. Still others participate in Eucharistic worship on Mondays and Thursdays at St. Mary Church.

In November each volunteer is given three Scripture readings and asked to pray about them before writing a reflection, Ramsay said. After writing, each person is asked to wait a couple days and consider if it is what they want to turn in for the book. The deadline is mid-December.

Each contribution must be 200 words or less, Cleaver said.

"That's hard to do," Cleaver said. "Two hundred sounds like a lot of words until you get going and take into consideration the three readings."

The books are put together a couple weeks before Lent, then distributed the weekend before Ash Wednesday.

Sr. Miller, Cleaver, and Ramsay said reactions to the books are "real positive." They said the book has helped parishioners get to know one another.

"There's a spirit of community in this," Sr. Miller said. "These are our own folks who are sharing their own thoughts and prayers with each other. The parishioners love to see other's reflections and reactions and find (them) meaningful for their own lives."

The reflections sound "just like the (writers are) talking," Cleaver said.

The book reflects the parish's theological diversity, Ramsay said. "The reflections show we get everything from hellfire and brimstone to peace (and) love."

Cleaver said the parish prints approximately 1,000 copies of the devotional book each Lent. In the past, it has sent several hundred to St. Raphael and St. Peter parishes in Oshkosh. For the last two years, St. Raphael has produced its own. They believe St. Peter did one this year.

The parish also sends a couple hundred books to Oshkosh area nursing homes. Cleaver gives some to her husband to place in the teachers' lounge at Lourdes High School, where he teaches.