Saint Mary
Men's Ministry

Ridgefield, CT

MembershipCalendar

FAITH FORMATION

There are many resources that can help us to grow as men of prayer who want to learn more about our Catholic faith and enjoy the fellowship of other men who are trying to do the same.  To help us all on our journey we recommend the following resources for prayer, learning, and fellowship as ways that can assist in the path to a deeper faith and spiritual life.  We hope that you find them helpful.


PRAYER

I.  Public Worship, Eucharist and the other Sacraments

  • Regular weekend Mass participation as well as Holy Days of Obligation
  • Daily Mass if possible
  • For Mass away from home while traveling or on family vacations - masstimes.org
  • Proper reverence and behavior before, during and after Mass
  • Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) on a regular basis and Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick when needed

II. Private Prayer

  • Making time for daily prayer (5 min - 30 min per day)
  • Different types of prayer - praise, forgiveness, petition, thanksgiving
          o Vocal prayer
          o Meditative prayer - mental or verbal prayer combining visualization
          o Contemplative prayer - quiet presence with God, listening with our hearts not our minds
  • Spiritual Reading (Lectio Divina) - cf. Reading List below
  • Adoration Chapel (visit - weekly hour if possible)
  • Family prayer times (grace, intentions, etc.) 


LEARNING

  • Suggested Reading List
  • St. Mary Lecture Series
  • EWTN programming - channel 291 Comcast
  • Religious Education courses at local universities (Sacred Heart, Fordham, etc)
  • RCIA for those wishing to become Catholics and for those desiring to become full initiated members of our Church - attend meetings - www.smcr.org
  • Service (love of neighbor)
          o http://www.stmmm.org/RT-MissionOutreach.html
  • Topics On Life and Human Dignity (Related to contraception, genetic engineering...)  
  •      Catechism of the Catholic Church #2366 - 2379

FELLOWSHIP

  • Enhanced MM participation
  • Form smaller MM sub-groups that schedule meetings in addition to MM Saturday gatherings
  • Join Catholic organizations - Knights of Columbus, Regnum Christi, etc.