Do you want to be happy? Kind of a silly question! Of course you do. A new year means new beginnings for many people, or at least an attempt at new beginnings. People create resolutions because they feel that if they fulfill them, they will be happier. Some will resolve to eat better, lose weight, exercise more, do a better job of keeping their house or yard work done, or perhaps save more money. Good for them for them; I hope it works.
If you haven’t chosen a new beginning for yourself, let me make a suggestion: Apply your faith in a new way! If you know me or heard any of my homilies, that statement may seem like I am repeating myself. But what if applying your faith in a new way really did make you happier?
Scientists have found, again and again, that those with a spiritual practice or who follow religious beliefs tend to be happier than those who don’t; religious people tend to be less depressed and less anxious than nonbelievers, and are better able to handle the difficulties of life. A 2015 survey by researchers at the London School of Economics and the Erasmus University Medical Center in the Netherlands found that participating in a religious organization was the only social activity associated with sustained happiness—more than volunteering for a charity, taking educational courses, or participating in a political or community organization, as if a sense of spirituality and active, social religious practice were an effective vaccine against the virus of unhappiness.
So how can you apply your faith in a new way and get happier? I am glad you asked! This Thursday Jan. 17, 2018 at 6:30pm, in Room B at the Cathedral, we are following the Archbishop’s Unleash the Gospel initiative. We are offering a Cluster Visioning Team (CVT) and Cluster Action Team (CAT) Formation Night.
For months now, the Cluster Leadership Team and a team of parishioners from both the cathedral and St. Moses have been creating a new way to move our vision forward. The CVT is a re-imagining of parish leadership with a new methodology. The CVT will meet 3 times a year, setting goals for us to address in the following months. Cluster action teams (YOU,!) will help create objectives for all of us to reach those goals. The CVT will meet in January, May, and September to keep us on task and create new goals for us.
So clear your Thursday night and join us. We will ALL be happy you attended!
God Bless,
Fr. J.J.