Summer School with the Holy Spirit

What do you do when you do not know what to do? Each of us likely has a short list of tactics for times such as these. You likely have a treasure trove of interesting, funny and weird stories of these times. Maybe you have stepped into situations grossly unsure of yourself, ultimately unprepared and lacking some essential skills to survive the circumstance.

Hello 2020! It has been a year without any prolonged periods of peace, a sizable dose of fear and a truckload of questions about what comes next. I serve the Diocese of Camden and her people through a pastoral office — Discipleship and Leadership — supporting parishes and the work of sharing the joy of the Gospel in their respective communities.

The Catholic Church is a missional church — one that looks out and goes out. The parish should be the mission hospital for everyone, especially those on the margins, the poor and those the world does not see. Catholics should focus on those who need an encounter with Jesus Christ. Each parish is unique, so we have 62 “mission hospitals” throughout South Jersey who have great capacity to serve.

This year has posed sizable challenges to sharing the good news in the age of quarantine and social distancing.

Baptism uniquely calls each of us to our individual and specific mission.  How do you live this in the midst of a pandemic? How do parishes share the good news in this environment?

My struggle — how does the Office of Discipleship and Leadership support these “mission hospitals” of the diocese in this environment? Our churches are open at lower capacities, meetings are limited to 25 people, masks and social distancing are required. My least favorite phrase, applied to myself, is “I don’t know” (Please don’t tell anyone. It is a character defect of mine.) I knew I needed a significant game-changer, and that it could only be the Holy Spirit.

I have had a book in my collection for over two years now I have not read, “In the School of the Holy Spirit” by Father Jacques Philippe. It was time to crack it open. I was going to summer school in 2020.

Then I thought I had a brilliant brainstorm. I knew others across the diocese were in the same boat in the stormy sea — seeking inspiration and feeling similarly challenged. I did not have to go it alone (we need each other). I did not need to ponder alone the book’s themes (God speaks to us through other people). I know, let’s have a book club! Clearly, this was not my “brilliant brainstorm.” It was the movement of the Holy Spirit.

In late June, with the help of Michele Anthony (Saint Vincent de Paul Parish, Mays Landing) and David Dean (Our Lady of the Angels Parish, Cape May Court House), we kicked off a book club, cast a net across lay leaders who attended the Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the Gospel in South Jersey. 

We planned to meet on Saturday mornings at 7:30 a.m. via Zoom. Yep, super early! Dean said, “I suspected satanic influence might be at work — who speaks to other people at that hour of the morning?” We forged ahead with the plan to see who might join us, and the journey was rich and faith affirming.

Beth Pimenta, also from Saint Vincent de Paul, thought there was no way she could do a 7:30 a.m. start time. But her favorite person of the Trinity to talk with is the Holy Spirit. “When I am driving the car, when I am cutting the grass, when I’m pulling weeds … you get the picture, I’m always talking to the Holy Spirit…”, she said. By the third week, she was waking up without her alarm.

The two months together went by so quickly. We read the book aloud each week, together, and found the natural break in the content to discuss it. Though the book club could have accommodated more people, Pimenta said she came to feel sad that more people were not participating in this unique experience.

The journey of each person was both unique and common. Dan Steinmetz, Saint Stephen’s Parish, Pennsauken, said, “It was very good and encouraging seeing such sincere, spiritual people. … I was very impacted by Father Philippe’s point that we should try to notice the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives, trying to discern what paths he wants us to take and not take.” He added he found the book club initially intimidating since he is not used to discussing his spirituality. He was comfortable listening and taking it all in. “I plan to read the book over and over, so hopefully it will sink in.”

Anne Marie Gavin of Saints Peter and Paul, Turnersville, said she immediately recognized she could learn more about the Holy Spirit who has been the most elusive of the Trinity to grasp. The book club was for her, as it was for others, a nourishment and a chance to do something for her personal spiritual journey.

Gavin also said the idea of coming together with others who attended the Convocation from across the diocese “kept the journey going” for her. She said Bishop Dennis Sullivan’s concept of the event was that it was not an event but an enabler of a long, ongoing journey for the Diocese of Camden.

Donna Wicker, Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish, Cape May, said, “The sharing was the most special part of those mornings. … It was a wonderful, uplifting part of my week.” From a parish perspective, Wicker said this is just the type of environment — gathering in a virtual room — to bring people back together because it creates inclusivity.

The book club has also contributed to her ability to be more open to talk about her faith with her nieces and nephews. She said she had concerns faith conversations could create distance and this book club has created a closeness — a great grace!

Anthony said the personal invitation had bearing on her decision to participate — and this is significant behavior for missionary disciples — personal invitation. In the midst of pandemic, not having to leave home was a plus. “In missionary lingo, I was invited into this experience by someone I trusted who would accompany me and invited me to something I enjoy (books). God’s call can be very sweet,” she said.

In approaching the experience without much expectation, she said she learned a lesson that less expectation, less cognitive preconfiguring, gives way to more acceptance and trust. “It makes it easier to see the treasure in the activity and the persons who accompanies you,” Anthony said. 

Summer 2020 was like no other before it. We were a group of 15-20 on any given Saturday, sharing our stories — sometimes with sadness and often with lovely laughter. We shared our hopes for holiness and the ways to be open to the movements and inspirations of the Holy Spirit — and what we noticed in the previous week. Jesus refers to Holy Spirit as The Helper and Father Jacques Philippe outlines how we can watch and listen and ultimately yield.

This is a story of a small group journeying together. Harry Cherico, Saint Katharine Drexel, Egg Harbor City, expressed often the importance of placing full and absolute trust in the Holy Spirit. He also said small groups are the backbone of the Catholic Church.

This group, as with others, are similar to the first century Christians — who met in each other’s homes (ours was a Zoom room!), sharing meals (we brought our own mugs of steamy coffee), inviting others to belong, and radiating the good news of Jesus Christ.

Dean said we are living in an era when all things appear to conspire against Christ’s people. “What better way in our current circumstances can there be — other than sharing in Mass together — than for us to gather together in small groups, to welcome those who’s faith has been shaken by all these forces, and through the aid of the Holy Spirit, comfort and raise them up to God by walking together with a good book.”

Donna M. Ottaviano-Britt is director of Office of Discipleship and Leadership, Diocese of Camden.