Parish Life Self-Assessment: Measuring by the Fruits of the Spirit Exercise

Suggested price: $4.00

Celebrate the Spirit’s Work in Your Parish!
Wrap up the year with this ready-to-use Pentecost reflection, helping your team prayerfully discern the fruits of the Spirit in parish life—and where God is calling you next.

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Take the opportunity to close out the “activity season” at Pentecost—or another time—by hosting a staff and/or councils extended meeting where you discern the fruits of parish life in the last year, according to the Letter of the Galatians’ “fruits of the Spirit.” This is a print-and-go activity.
Why? The end of the Easter season, when we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, is often the time where parish activities wind down: summer is here, and people are in and out of town while on vacations. And we do need a break, but the timing is unfortunate because Pentecost reminds us that our role in the Lord’s mission is just beginning!

Although this can be done at any time, perhaps Pentecost is the ideal time to assess the fruits of the Spirit in your parish. After months of sacramental preparation, service activities, and common worship, your parish leaders (staff, council, selected representatives), or if you prefer, all the baptized, can gather for a morning of prayer and reflection. What better time to ask the Holy Spirit for insight into the fruits borne by the parish as community, and where to pay attention in the future?

This exercise gives parish leaders practice in communal discernment, common prayer for the parish, and insight into where God is harvesting much fruit! It is an ideal way for parishes to honor the Solemnity of Pentecost in their pastoral work and planning.

 

Pages: 7
Date Published: May 12, 2025
Author: Susan Windley-Daoust

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