Listening with the Heart

All are welcome to join us for a prayer event called Listening with the Heart. This is a 90-minute session in which participants will pray, listen to one another and the Holy Spirit, and offer their responses to two prompts:
 
  • Share a story about your experience with the Church that has shaped you.
  • What is the Holy Spirit asking of us?
The responses will be gathered anonymously to be used in the archdiocesan Renewal from the Heartland pastoral planning process.
 
Listening with the Heart sessions will be offered at 29 sites in the archdiocese April 13-25, in English and Spanish. Please consider registering so we may have adequate hospitality; the registration link below has all the details of locations, dates and times.

Promo Graphics

5 x 7 Pew Card
8.5 x 3.5 bookmarker

Click button below to access all promotional graphics for Listening with the Heart Session.

“May our parishes be centers of charity and sanctuaries of mercy … may the church become known as a place to go when people are thirsty, are afflicted, are broken-hearted, are poor, in their life journey, and they need an oasis for healing and help.” - Archbishop Shawn McKnight

Rooted in our church’s teachings and our renewed spirituality of synodality, Renewal from the Heartland will encourage clergy, religious and laity to recognize their proper responsibilities in building communion and engaging in the mission of the Church.

Parishioner involvement is essential! We begin in Lent by meeting in small groups to share faith, using a program created for our archdiocese called Beatitudes from the Heartland. 

Together, we’ll explore the Beatitudes and uncover what it means to live as a Catholic in today’s world, here in the heartland. This is your chance to grow spiritually and help transform our parishes into centers of charity and sanctuaries of mercy.

“The Lord’s appeal to show mercy to the poor culminates in the great parable of the last judgment (cf. Mt 25:31-46), which can serve as a vivid illustration of the Beatitude of the merciful. In that parable, the Lord offers us the key to our fulfillment in life; indeed, ‘if we seek the holiness pleasing to God’s eyes, this text offers us one clear criterion on which we will be judged.’ The clear and forceful words of the Gospel must be put into practice ‘without any ‘ifs or buts’ that could lessen their force. Our Lord made it very clear that holiness cannot be understood or lived apart from these demands.’”

Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate

Renewal from the Heartland Events

Lent 2026
Beatitudes from the Heartland: a small group faith-sharing program held in every parish
Feb. 3, 2026
Deanery meetings of parish leadership (video link below)
April 13-25, 2026
Listening with the Heart: listening sessions throughout the archdiocese.
June 1-15, 2026
Online survey
Sept. 12, 2026
Archdiocesan-wide gathering of pastors and parish pastoral council representatives
Sept. 15, 2026
Deanery meetings of parish leadership
Nov. 10, 2026
Deanery meetings of parish leadership

Archdiocesan Synodal Team

Resources

Below is a recording of the February 3 Deanery meeting.

The below are recordings of each speaking session from the Archdiocese Convocation which took place on October 7, 2025.