Spiritual Growth: New Year’s Resolutions

Have you set goals for the new year yet? Do they include spiritual goals? It can be easy to set goals for more material areas - health, fitness, finances - and miss the very important area of our spiritual life.

If one of your resolutions is to deepen your faith and grow in your relationship with God, setting aside a daily time for prayer (without your phone) is a great place to start. If you’d like some creative ideas to go along with that goal, you’ve come to the right place.

  1. Choose a patron saint for the year. Maybe you have a special connection to a saint. Maybe you have a particular area of concern or a petition you’re praying for that will guide you to a patron saint. Or, if you really don’t have any ideas, you can use this saint generator to introduce you to a new saint to learn about. Saints are not just powerful intercessors for us in Heaven, but also, learning about their lives and the way God worked in them can teach us ways to grow in our own virtue.

  2. Dive into the Catechism. In case you haven’t heard, Ascension Press and Fr. Mike Schmitz are starting a brand new “Catechism in a Year” podcast. If you want to explore the ins and outs of the Catholic faith, the Catechism is the way to do it, and this podcast promises a digestible reading experience of what can be an intimidating project, as well as helpful explanations from Fr. Mike. And, if you haven’t already listened to the “Bible in a Year” podcast, that is also a wonderful resource and companion to scripture reading.

  3. Commit to regular mission in your community. Finding local service opportunities on a regular basis is a great way to witness to the love of Jesus in your everyday life, and can create opportunities for reflection and gratitude in your prayer. Members of our community can keep an eye on our Mission Initiatives page for local service opportunities, and our events page for service that we as a community do together on a monthly basis.

  4. Attend Catholic 101. Offered right here at JPII Newman with our very own Deacon Omar, this weekly seminar is open to all college students. Come listen to lectures on the mysteries of the Catholic faith and have the opportunity to ask all of your questions. Semester 2 is starting up January 23, 2023, and you can add the whole semester to your calendar now through the links below, so you never miss a night.

Add events to calendar:

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A Seeking Rooted in Faith: The Theology of Pope Benedict XVI

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