Reach more people with small faith-sharing groups

March 18, 2024

An increasing number of parishioners are seeking fellowship and engaging in religious studies through small groups. St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church has responded to this demand with a new program: Reach More.

A Wisconsin-based organization called The Evangelical Catholic developed Reach More as a mission process to reach people in their communities. 

Larry Laughlin, a member of the parish, was one of six point persons who played a pivotal role in launching this grassroots evangelism effort in 2023 at St. Francis with the approval of Father Joseph Pins, the pastor, and Katie Patrizio, the director of Faith Formation.

Subsequently, the point persons began discerning its first formation group of adults.

The core team carefully discerned who should be selected for the inaugural formation program. Eventually, they chose  30 individuals, including some married couples, to spearhead this new endeavor. The individuals participated in a 12-week formation program to prepare them to go out and establish small group gatherings in their homes.

“We let God walk us through the process and who should be selected for the program,” Laughlin said. 

One distinguishing feature of this program and other parish-led initiatives is that the small group leaders are given the autonomy to determine the format for the gatherings. The parish does not impose specific meeting times or require the use of a particular Catholic booklet. In essence, it’s led by parishioners but not specifically by parish staff.

“We want to build the leaders’ prayer lives, emphasizing Christ first so that they start their small groups. We’re going to recommend some resources to get the groups going,” Laughlin said. “We don’t tell them what they have to do. This is their apostolate.”  

Building Prayer Lives
Small group leader Alan Eoriatti says that, following the pandemic, there was a consensus among Catholics he knows: There’s a need to get people together and build relationships with a focus on prayer, Scripture, the sacraments, and the faith.

The small group leaders gather once a quarter for huddles and share ideas, resources and feedback from their meetings. At a recent huddle, a leader shared a story about an attendee receiving the sacrament of reconciliation after almost 60 years, said Eoriatti. Other individuals reported attendees admitted going back to Mass after an extended period.

Laughlin echoed Eoriatti’s feedback from the huddle with a story about people’s reactions to being invited to a small group.

“One couple that is running a small group was inviting other couples to join them,” Laughlin said. “They made four phone calls, and each person that they called started crying on the phone after the invitation, saying ‘I can’t believe you called me. I’ve been praying that something would come into my life to bring me back into formation with Christ.’ The country and our diocese are all desperately wanting a relationship with Christ.”

At small group meetings, leaders can let the conversation go in different directions, depending on the needs of the individuals. This may include discussions about particular sacraments and the benefits of receiving them, such as reconciliation and Holy Communion.

“This effort is bringing Catholics back to the sacraments,” Eoriatti said. “It’s enhancing our faith and allowing us to experience it more fully when we’re engaged in these conversations.”

Laughlin believes St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church is the only parish in the Diocese of Des Moines that is using the program. He hopes it continues to flourish and more small groups will be formed in the community. He also noted that it’s not strictly intended for Catholics. Other Christians and non-Christians can be invited to the small groups for fellowship and discussion.

Learn more about Reach More on at evangelicalcatholic.org.