Starting in September, parishioners throughout Brooklyn and Queens will experience a comprehensive process of evangelization and spiritual renewal through RENEW International’s ARISE Together in Christ/LEVÁNTATE Unámonos en Cristo/LEVE KANPE ak Jezi Kri. This journey towards a deeper and richer Catholic faith takes place in the context of small faith-sharing groups.

According to RENEW International, a small faith-sharing group is a face-to-face gathering of six to 12 people “who invest time with one another for the common purpose of applying Gospel values to every aspect of their lives.”

During the week of Sept. 24-29, Sister Maureen Colleary, F.S.P., Manuel Hernandez, Philomene Pean, and Milissa Else – the Pastoral Services representatives from RENEW International – will deliver formation workshops to prepare for the upcoming small community faith-sharing.

Encountering Christ Today

This workshop prepares small-group leaders to lead Season One of ARISE, entitled Encountering Christ Today. The workshop provides the basic theological grounding in the core belief that in Jesus Christ, God has fully revealed himself to humanity.

The training also highlights the practical skills needed to facilitate and maximize parish small groups as vehicles for prayer and faith sharing with a movement toward action.

The workshops will be held:

Saturday, Sept. 24, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., in English and Spanish at SS. Simon and Jude, Gravesend;

Monday, Sept. 26, 7-9 p.m., in English and Spanish, at Immaculate Conception Center, Douglaston;

Tuesday, Sept. 27, 7-9 p.m., in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, at St. Brendan’s, Midwood;

Wednesday, Sept. 28, 7-9 p.m., in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, at Blessed Sacrament, Jackson Heights;

Thursday, Sept. 29, 1:30-3:30 p.m. and 7-9 p.m., at Immaculate Conception Center, Douglaston.

Theodore Musco, the director of the School of Evangelization and the diocesan coordinator for ARISE, encourages parishioners to volunteer as leaders and take part in this facilitation training experience.

Groups will meet on the parish level during six-week seasons starting Oct. 2, to read and reflect on Scripture, share how the Word of God relates to their daily lives, and encourage each other into active discipleship. Each of these seasons has a Christ-centered Gospel theme that is broken down into weekly topics and experienced in a variety of ways.

For information, contact Musco at 718-965-7300 or tmusco@diobrook.org. Information can also be viewed at www.renewintl.org/brooklyn.