For the last three months, we have been focusing on the pillars of our women’s ministry efforts. We have explored prayer, faith formation, and hospitality. If you missed any of the reflections—no worries!—you can look back over the past three months and revisit them.

This month, we turn our attention to the pillar of service. I find this very fitting, as our parishes are often in the planning stages of service-minded outreach as we approach Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are also often bombarded during this time of year with opportunities to give and serve others. I would like to offer a few points to ponder—and a challenge—as we approach the final month of our liturgical year!

Pondering Point Number One: Service should be a natural response to gratitude.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. It’s a time when, as a nation—regardless of religious affiliation—we take time to give thanks for our blessings. Let us not forget to reflect on our Catholic teaching and remember that all we have is not something earned or self-derived, but rather a gift from our Creator—a gift meant to be shared.
Take some time this month to consider how you can best show your gratitude by not only sharing your resources, but also your talents, through serving others.

Pondering Point Number Two: Service should be a part of every season.

This time of year, it’s easy to catch the “charitable bug,” but ask yourself—is your service simply a reaction, or are you spending time in prayer asking God how He wants you to serve His Kingdom?
Do you wait to be asked, never really planning intentionally how to serve each month? Or perhaps you’re so overextended in serving that you’re neglecting the specific ways God is calling you to serve.
What if, at the end of each month, you intentionally planned how you would serve God in the month ahead?

Pondering Point Number Three: If you can’t feed a hundred, feed one.

Take some time to reflect on our quote of the month. For me, this quote challenges my excuses—I don’t have time; I have too much to do. Yes, our time and resources are limited. But if there’s no time for any service, perhaps we need to review our priorities and how we use those resources.
Return to Point Number One: there should always be a place for service. It is our expression of gratitude and the concrete manifestation of our faith!

The Challenge

I encourage each of you to set two intentions for serving this month—one for those in the pews and one for those outside the pews.

Service to those in the pews:
It takes a community to make a parish thrive. Find one way you can serve the people in your parish family. There are so many opportunities—help with the liturgy, join a parish committee, assist with youth or elder ministries, or volunteer for parish events. You can also reach out to your parish office to learn what needs exist.
Or, if you see an unmet need, approach your pastor and ask if you might take the lead in forming a group to help meet that need.

Service outside the pews:
We are also called to evangelize—and there’s no better way to do that than through acts of Christian service. Find one way to bring the hands and feet of Christ to those beyond your parish walls. Many parishes already have outreach programs, or perhaps you feel called to a specific cause in your local community—join in and help where you can.

Now, commit to doing this each month of the next liturgical year. Start small, dream big, and let your time in prayer be your guide. Imagine if every woman in our diocese accepted this challenge—how much change could we bring, and how much closer we could come to building God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven?

If you need some motivation, check out our service page or reach out—we’ll help you find a way to serve!

Have a blessed November, and remember:

We Are Better Together,

Barb