A new, unprecedented national survey of African American Catholics by University of Notre Dame researchers reveals several significant insights into individual religious engagement and identifies several notable demographic trends facing the church. Some insights:

> On almost every measure of religious engagement, African American Catholics are considered stronger in their faith than white Catholics.
>  On the often-used measure of Church attendance, 48.2 percent of African-Americans attend church at least once per week, compared to only 30.4 percent of white Catholics.
> While there is generally high satisfaction with various aspects of Mass and church service, such as preaching, music, readings and prayers, Catholics’ (both white and African Americans) level of satisfaction with these aspects of Mass are noticeably lower than Protestants. <image source>

Check out the executive summary.

Our prayer for today, the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

As winter drags on, so it sometimes seems with our lives.  We find ourselves surrounded by demons both external and internal.  We become restlessness until the dawn. Our days seem to be a drudgery. Each comes to an end without the hope that we might ever see happiness again.

Great is our Lord and mighty in power. Our God sustains the lowly and heals the brokenhearted. Praise the Lord, who binds up our wounds. He can speak to each of our scars and tell the story of our injury. Praise to our God who is gracious. Sing of the goodness of our God.

Everyone is looking to fill the emptiness in their lives, everyone is seeking you, Lord.  Woe to us if we do not preach Your good news without expectation or recompense. There is not cause for us to boast of this, we do it so that we might have a share in the story, His-story. It is the purpose which we seek and the promise of our happiness.

Our prayer for this day, the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

We seek, O Lord to listen to your words. We know who you are… the Holy One of God! Let us come into Your very presence with thanksgiving.  We seek to be quiet, let all distractions come our of us.

Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the Lord who made us. You are our God. Our hearts have been bruised, yet we desire open hearts. Our ears have heard so much falseness, yet we want to hear Your true voice, your message of salvation.

May we be taught as well as teach with the authority of the Lord. Send for your Spirit, Lord, place Your words into our mouths that we may speak of all that You command us. May we proclaim in Your name, not about the things of the world, but about the about the things of the Lord.  <image source>

Our prayer for this day, the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

These are the days, O Lord. It seems as if time is running out, that this is the very time of fulfillment. We have a message to announce to all the peoples… The Reign of God is at hand.

Teach us, O Lord, Your ways and make your paths known to us. We know that we are to change our ways. If we believe i the Gospel, we shall repent. If we do, the world in its present form will surely pass away and we will be able to come after you, to become Your fishers women and men.

Send us on mission and send your Spirit to make it fruitful. Only you can send us on a three day journey of such power that transformation occurs within one. Remember Your compassion, Your love, Your kindness, and Your goodness, O Lord. <image source>

Our prayer for this day, the Second Sunday In Ordinary Time.

We are waiting, Lord. Hear our cry. Our bodies are meant to be for You. May we find Your Holy Spirit within our temporal temples.

We are waiting, Lord.  Invite us to come and see.  We are ready for a new song within our mouths. Write Your law within our hearts for to do Your will shall become our delight.

We are waiting, Lord. Here we are. Call us. Revealed Your presence to us. Your servants are listening.  Speak to us for we come to do your will.

Our prayer, this day, as we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord

Lord, we get popularity and celebrity all confounded. We get sorta star-struck: raising our eyes, looking about; and assuming that others will gather and come because… well, who can resist OUR light?

Your Light, O Lord, every nation on earth adores. You rescue the poor when we cry out, the afflicted when there is no one to help. Darkness covers the earth, thick clouds cover us all; but upon us the Lord shines, over us appears His glory.

Your light has come and Your glory shines upon us. See, we shall walk by Your light, our leaders traverse by Your shining radiance proclaiming Your praises, bringing tribute of Your gifts and grace. 

We have seen Your star at its rising and now come to offer homage. We have been overwhelmed at seeing the light, star, offer all the gifts that we have, and know that our lives will now be journeyed along by another way. <image source>

As stated earlier today on the blog, our Archbishop is about to become a Cardinal.  Here’s some background…

I was on Morning Air with Sean Herriott again this morning.  Our topic was the Year of Faith (which we profiled in Wednesday’s Witness Talk article.)  I hope to have more resources soon on this – - which you should know means I  have a power point already good to go.

But I got to be a news breaker today.  It was announced (and I shared it on the radio) that our Apostolic Administrator, Archbishop Edwin O’Brien, due to his current role as grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre will be elevated to the role of Cardinal in a consistory to held at the Vatican on February 18, 2012.

So, we talked about that AND the Year of Faith and what it all can mean for our young people!

Relevantyear by CatholicYMblog

We begin our New Year in prayer continuing our Christmas celebration on the Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord and commemorating the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God.

May God bless us in his mercy. We look back to the past and beseech that the Lord have pity on us and bless us. The Lord has blessed us and kept us to this day. We look towards he future and strive to be glad and exult. In hope, we believe that God will let his face shine upon us and that He will be gracious and make His ways known to us!

We  have seen and heard much over these days, much has been told to us.  For all that was Yours and You, help us to reflect upon them in our heart and keep all that is good.

Lord, sent the Spirit of Your Son into our hearts. We cry our "Abba, Father!" as your heirs in the Reign of God, Your daughters and sons.

May God bless us in his mercy. <image source>

Our prayer, this day, the Fourth Sunday of Advent.

Lord, we are nearing the point where we find our Christmas preparations have become quite the mission impossible.  How can it be that we let this season get away from us each year.  How can we be missing the point of this all over again?

Our Advent Anticipations, however, remind us that you are very much with us, guiding us as a flock, protecting us as your people.  We marvel about how can this truly be?  We remain in an uncertain place unsure of how to address the power of the Most High through the Holy Spirit coming upon our meager lives.

Glory to God in the highest, we sing.  It is all of Your faithfulness, Your kindness, Your goodness that we sing. To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be glory forever and ever.

Our gift this season is to recognize that there ain’t nothing beyond God’s possibilities. Behold, we offer our lives in service to the Lord. May our lives be conformed according to Your word.