Being Together on Mission

As the team here at the diocese considered themes for this year’s Diocesan Appeal, the words “Together” and “Mission” came up often in prayer and discussion. You may ask, what is OUR mission? Or more personally, what is MY mission?

Generally, one of the best answers I have heard I would summarize as, “We are invited to cooperate with Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit to continue his work here on earth.”

Jesus addresses this in John 14:12, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.”

Jesus is challenging us! When was the last time you asked him how YOU are called to continue his work? We are all uniquely gifted and talented to answer that call.

I would now like to draw your attention to the other images on the other page, particularly to the photo of the baby in the lower right-hand corner. Oscar D. Erives, a member of our team here at the diocese, was taking pictures at the cathedral in Grand Island during Ash Wednesday services. Little did he know that this precious photo would culminate in a miraculous story that unfolded during Lent.

Baby Elle was born in October 2023. Doctors immediately discovered she had two holes near her precious little heart; a moderate sized one and a smaller hole near her aorta, in an area where the holes don’t often close. Baby Elle’s parents were told if the holes indeed did not close, heart surgery would be necessary, likely around age 2. As you can imagine, requests for prayers soon circulated. Prayer warriors went to work.

On Holy Thursday, Baby Elle’s cardiologist performed an EKG and echocardiogram and discovered that both holes had somehow closed, and she was perfectly healthy! The doctor said it was a rare occurrence and a remarkable turnaround in such a short period of time. Baby Elle’s parents and grandparents called it their Easter miracle.

That photo represents so much about our Faith. It represents hope. It represents the future of our Church. It speaks to the power of prayer.

Maybe that was Baby Elle’s mission. To make us smile. To bring us hope for the future. To teach us about the power of prayer. Maybe that was Oscar’s mission. To use his gifts to capture that image at that specific moment in time. We hope it inspires you as much as it has inspired us.

Prayer is powerful. Passing our Faith on to the next generation is a necessity. Being Together on Mission is how it is accomplished. How are you being called?

I invite you to join us Together on Mission by prayerfully considering a gift to this year’s Annual Diocesan Appeal.