Hispanic Spiritual Formation Group: Drawing Near to Our Lord

When you come to a Hispanic Spiritual Formation Group meeting, you come into the powerful presence of God and His people. His wisdom, love, joy, and peace are alive and well at every gathering this beautiful ministry offers.

“Our ministry is more than just a prayer group,” says coordinator Marta Carias. “Although we pray together, we also dedicate a lot of time to spiritual formation as well. We desire to know more about the Scriptures, our Catholic faith, and what it means to be a close follower of Jesus and carry our cross. We also hope to prepare ourselves to talk to others about our faith.”

The Hispanic Spiritual Formation Group meets several times each week — on Mondays from 7 to 8 p.m. in the chapel for Eucharistic Adoration; on Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. in Room 221 to discuss spiritual and faith-based themes; and on Fridays from 7 to 9 p.m. in the St. Teresa Room to contemplate the Word of God.

“We talk about what the Scripture readings say and how we can live them out in our daily lives,” Marta says. “We also study and discuss themes such as what it means to be a Doctor of the Church, what it means to be a close follower of Jesus and carry our cross, and the meaning behind the different traditions and liturgical seasons of the Church.”

Recently, the group members took part in a concentrated study on the Stations of the Cross, which they pray every Friday during Lent.

“I asked the members if they knew why Catholics pray each station, and what each one means,” Marta says. “They said they didn’t know why, so we talked about it, and I assigned a few stations to each person so they could investigate them and share what they learned with the rest of the group. They couldn’t believe that they didn’t know this information before! It has made me so happy to see them grow in their faith. It is so exciting!”

To someone interested in coming to the Hispanic Spiritual Formation Group, but may be hesitant to give it a try, Marta has some encouraging words to share.

“You need to come,” Marta says. “It will help you get to know Christ and His saints better! Being in this group has really enriched my faith and inspired me. One of the most beautiful things about our group is the friendships that come with it. We are genuine friends who can be honest with each other and help one another grow closer to Jesus.”

The Sacrament of Confession (at 6:30 p.m.) and Mass (at 7:30 p.m.) in Spanish are offered on the first Friday of each month.

If you would like more information about this profoundly spiritual ministry, please contact Marta Carias at 602-518-6352.