Growing in Faith

At a new parishioner meeting last night, us newbies were asked a few questions, including

What does it mean to "belong" to this parish?
What are the privileges of membership? What are the responsibilities?
How do I fit in?
What can I give? What do I get?
How can I grow as a person and as a member of this community?

As I was thinking over these questions to discuss with the group, a realization started to hit me - I've actively chosen my parish home. This is where (in addition to my school community) I will have opportunities to grow in both my knowledge and living out of my faith. I have a chance to get involved and become an active (rather than passive) member of a faith community. Going to Church now has more of a purpose and more of a feeling of belonging - things which I took for granted growing up in my parish back home.

It's far from automatic, I know. Trust me, I'm a firm believer in "you only get out what you put in" - so I'm ready to start putting.

And, as for the questions mentioned above - we talked about them, but I still have some thinking on them to do as well.

Oh, and for my dear regular (or even somewhat regular) blog-following friends, I likely won't have access to much internet over the next couple of weeks - off to a symposium and then a NE road trip to include a wedding, sightseeing, and visits with friends. Summer's officially here!