Precious Blood Renewal Center update
Precious Blood Renewal Center hosted forty 7th and 8th graders from St. James Catholic School in Liberty, Missouri, and about a dozen adults at our annual St. Lucy Day Celebration on Dec. 13. St. Lucy (or Lucia) is a fourth-century martyr, and her feast day is celebrated in Italy, the Balkan states, and Scandinavia.
Along with a candle-lighting ceremony, a Scandinavian tradition, the participants learned about the Croatian tradition of planting wheat. Wheat grains planted in pots on St. Lucy Day sprout by Christmas Day and are added to Nativity sets. The green shoots are a reminder of the new life born in Bethlehem.
A common thread is emerging among the programs coming to the Renewal Center in 2025. If one chose a theme for these programs, it might be “reach out, reconnect, and restore balance.”
The Renewal Center and the local Liberty Ministerial Alliance will mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which this year observes the 1,700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, with a community ecumenical prayer service on Thursday, Jan. 23, and a workshop on Jan. 25 called “Witnesses to Unity.” The prayer service will be at Community of Christ Church (1220 Liberty Drive, Liberty, Missouri), and the workshop will be on the Renewal Center campus.
Are you or someone you know feeling disconnected? The Renewal Center and Precious Blood Spirituality Institute are inviting all to join them in creating a space for community on Feb. 2 in a program called “A Place at the Table.”
Social scientists are reporting “a crisis of belonging in this country.” Seventy percent of Americans say they feel disconnected or alienated from their local communities. In recent years, more than 40 million Americans have left churches and other religious institutions.
A Place at the Table has a remedy for this, according to Lucia Ferrara and Vicky Otto, who are organizing the event. Vicky and Lucia say, “If you or someone you know has felt disconnected or unwelcome, join us for an afternoon of good food and conversation. Bring only an open heart and a curious mind. Bring a friend or family member with you.”
More information for all these programs can be found at pbrenewalcenter.org/events.