BELLEVUE – Pope Francis’ message that Catholics should engage in the world around them will be the focus of a pre-Lenten retreat at St. Louise Parish led by Jack Jezreel, founder and CEO of JustFaith Ministries.
“We need to explore the intersection between spirituality and mission. It speaks to the church’s tradition — classic social teaching,” said Jezreel, who will direct the Feb. 14 retreat, “The Call to Compassion and Mission: Pope Francis and the 21st Century.”
The event is sponsored by St. Louise Parish in Bellevue and the archdiocese’s Missions Office.
Esther Lucero-Miner, one of the retreat organizers, said Jezreel is a dynamic, motivating speaker who has been to the archdiocese several times. He helps parishes around the country think about social justice in creative ways, to “be the church that Christ called us to be,” she said.
Social justice teaching — crafting the world envisioned by the Gospels — is one of the “wonderful jewels of our Catholic faith,” said Jezreel, who holds a Master of Divinity degree from the University of Notre Dame and spent 12 years in parish ministry.
Jezreel’s JustFaith Ministries, based in Louisville, Kentucky, calls for church members to care for the poor and disenfranchised through their faith communities.
He said Pope Francis tells Catholics that participating in an act of charity is as important as the act of Eucharist. “The way Pope Francis lives this out is capturing a lot of people’s imaginations,” Jezreel said. “A lot of people are intrigued by what he is trying to communicate.”
Lucero-Miner said the St. Louise community is particularly interested in immigration issues because of its large immigrant population.
Immigration is part of Catholic social teaching and many social issues are immigration-related, Jezreel said. In 10 percent of the world, people are being uprooted through war, hunger, poverty and crises, all directly related to the issue of immigration, he added.
Parishes should dedicate as many staff resources to sending people on missions as they do for gathering people for prayer and worship. “It’s intricately connected,” he said. “We need to do those things because that’s who we are by virtue of calling ourselves Catholic Christians. Everything in the parish needs to speak to what we are called to dream for and sacrifice for.”
Learn more or register for “The Call to Compassion and Mission: Pope Francis and the 21st Century.” Cost is $15 per person, including lunch.