By C.J. Samuelsen

“When two or more of you are gathered in My Name I am in your midst.”

This promise of our Lord was the foundation for an experience in Christian living enjoyed by over one hundred members of Holy Cross Parish on Jan. 24.

These people gathered at the parish center and participated in “A Day of Sharing,” a program designed to bring the parish community closer together and to gain for the parish the benefits of the ideas of the group.

The day began at 10 a.m. with registration and coffee and the program was kicked-off with group singing at 10:20. Jack Cawley, president of the Parish Council, set the tone for the day with a short introductory talk in which he stated as an objective a search for meaningful ways for the individual to witness for Christ in our time in history.

Father Eusebius Beltran, pastor, next discussed “The Church - The People of God Today” stating that the Church was a composite of a divine basis and human membership which is immersed in both history and the world today. He stressed that while the Church has many people of different backgrounds, personality, ability and obligations everyone stands equal before God. His conclusion was that all believers were absorbed into the meditating work of the one and only mediator Jesus Christ.

With the inspiration of Father Beltran’s talk to aid them, the participants broke into small groups to discuss their roles, as they saw them, in the Christian and parish community.

At 1 p.m. all shared in a “brown bag” lunch and became aquatinted.

Next, new discussion groups formed based on the functional committees and boards in the parish. Attendance was left to the choice of each individual. In these discussions the members brought out the ideas and points which had emerged in the morning meetings and how they could be applied to the specific function performed by that committee. As a result each unit now has a revived feeling for the work it is doing.

At 2:30 all reassembled for the celebration of the Eucharist. This was truly an experience in sharing. Those who desired made known their special intentions at the prayer of the Faithful, and the others joined in prayer to the Lord for that intention. The people joined the priests around the altar and joined in the offertory. A sign of peace was passed through the group.

As the day ended all possessed a feeling of joy and unity and many expressed the opinion that they were better Christians for the experience. A desire to repeat the event was unanimously held.