Dear Members of the St. James Community,

Blessings of Christ be with you all!  I am honored to be joining you and eager to begin our journey together as your new Director of Religious Education!  Over the past couple of weeks, I have had the pleasure of meeting the Religious Education staff and I feel incredibly blessed to be working alongside such dedicated, talented, and spirit-filled disciples!   

As I become immersed in our wonderful faith community, I will be delving deeper into our current Religious Education programming and will begin to offer additional insights and ideas to help build upon our already incredible offerings.  In addition to working hand in hand with our powerful Faithbuilders, Faith on the Go, and Ignite youth programs, I will also be exploring and developing educational and outreach opportunities for both our High School students as well as adults and families- please stay tuned! 😊

As I begin my journey at St. James and reflect upon my former experiences, I am reminded of the tradition of “Namaste”.  In Eastern cultures, when greeting another person, instead of uttering a simple “hello”, you place your hands together in front of yourself (as if in prayer), bow slightly, and say “Namaste”.   Roughly translated, “Namaste” means, “The spirit within me sees and greets the spirit within you.”  It is within this moment of pause and awareness between you and the other that you can truly see the spirit that dwells within the other.

It is within this simple but powerful greeting that I embrace you all.  I strive to remain aware of the gentle movements, guidance, and whispers of the Spirit within me and to acknowledge and help to enhance the unique gifts the Spirit has given to each of us.  

These spiritual gifts become the guiding force in our partnership together. As we delve deeper into our faith tradition and embark on this journey together, I gratefully welcome your ideas, feedback, and encouragement.  I also ask for your patience and grace as we continue to navigate these new and unusual times. I believe that if we follow our feet, one step at a time, and acknowledge and lift-up our spiritual gifts, we can trust God to guide our path forward.   I am eager to see where He will take us!

Many blessings to you all!

Namaste!

Director of Religious Education

St. James Catholic Church

248.347.3434