DYER – A Lenten Small Group series taking place at St. Maria Goretti received enough interest to have eight different groups meeting each week and one more at nearby Hartsfield Village, with over 100 people participating.
These groups are diving deeper into Dilexi Te, Pope Leo XIV's first apostolic exhortation. The exhortation builds upon Pope Francis' fourth encyclical, Dilexit Nos, and is an invitation to contemplate Christ’s love. Within it, Pope Leo encourages the faithful to become attentive to the suffering and needs of others, and to share in the work of liberation that flows from His love.
Inside the church’s hall, in a space that is laid out more as a living room than a classroom, the groups gather to reflect on key themes in the pope’s writing. After starting in prayer, each person takes a turn reading aloud part of the exhortation. Then a series of questions prompts discussion, creating an opportunity for members to share with one another, discussing topics related to faith.
Marla Macadlo, of Munster, likes the sense of community created by the sessions. The group filled a spiritual void she had been looking for. She was previously attending a Christian church in the area and enjoyed its Bible study. After converting to Catholicism, she and her husband joined St. Maria Goretti.
“I just thought it would be so nice if they could ever have something like a Bible study,” she said. “And it was like my prayers were answered when they started saying they were going to have these scripture reflections. That's what I was looking for.”
Macadlo has been signing up to be in similar religious study classes ever since and was asked to run the Wednesday afternoon sessions on Dilexi Te.
“I wasn't sure at first. I didn’t know if I was capable of this, but how can you say no to Father when he asks you?” she joked.
While Macadlo may have been a little hesitant at first, those concerns quickly faded, and she enjoys participating in something where she is able to learn more about the faith and meet other women in the parish.
“How do you get to meet anybody at church?” she asked. “It's not going to happen when you just come in the door and you leave the same way. This is how you really can get to know people.”
Bridget Cook is in charge of community outreach at the parish and is also participating in the program. She feels being active in the church is about giving back and doing more in the faith community. She did not have the opportunity to join in similar activities in the past and wanted to become a better advocate for the programs.
“I think it's good for parishioners to know one another and just keep an open mind and grow as individuals and in their faith,” she said.
Father Leo Gajardo said the parish has been holding small study groups for about a year and a half, which have been well-received and continue to see an increase in the number of attendees. As the church is currently focusing on the word and meaning of encounter, it felt that reflecting on Dilexi Te for the most recent round of small groups was appropriate.
The pastor explained that one of its parishioners, Kevin Foy, used to work for the Archdiocese of Chicago and now works for the United States Catholic Mission Association (USCMA). Knowing the great gift he has for putting together presentations and curricula, the church asked him to create a guide to the pope’s exhortation as part of the parish’s renewal journey.
“He just did a great job taking the letter of the pope and breaking it down into five sessions and creating the discussion questions,” Father Gajardo said. “Everything that I've heard from people has been very, very positive. They really are engaging with the material and asking really good, really important questions about how it is that we're called to share the love of God with others.”
Father Gajardo also shared his excitement about being able to bring the sessions to a local nursing home, Hartsfield Village, where about 15 seniors are participating. Instead of having to organize transportation for the residents to the church, facilitators are coming to them.
“It’s another way of reaching out and extending that invitation to people,” Father Gajardo said.
For more information about St. Maria Goretti, visit https://smgdyer.org/ or contact the parish office at (219) 865-8956.
