You invite us to serve the human family by opening our
hearts to the fullness of your Holy Spirit.

This prayer taken from the Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer of Reconciliation I, expresses the essential mission of our parish. Everything we do in the Church of Saint Paul has as its purpose to help each member experience and know how to use the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit through a well established personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Through this inexhaustible font of God’s life comes the desire and ability to reach out in service to others. Our goal is that each of us, our families, our ministries, our programs and the whole parish would be led by the Holy Spirit in everything we think, say and do. This awesome goal is in fact God’s ultimate plan for the whole Body of Christ, the Church.


What happens when our life is truly empowered by the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit not only empowers us to reach out in service to others but equips the full spectrum of lay ministries to build up the Body of Christ bringing life to everything we do and believe. The Holy Spirit quickens our knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures as the treasured and inspired word of God. It is the Holy Spirit that makes prayer and the sacraments personal encounters with the Living God and not just times of meditation or meaningless rituals. It is the same Holy Spirit that gifts us to believe and live the Faith and Morals taught by the Magesterium of the Catholic Church. It is the Holy Spirit that calls us as a parish to uphold the primacy of the Family in God’s plan. Finally, it is the Holy Spirit that calls us to steward well all of our God given resources for the building up of the Kingdom.

No wonder we profess in the Creed that, The Holy Spirit is the Lord and giver of life!

How do I receive baptism in the Holy Spirit?
As Catholics we were first baptized in the Holy Spirit with baptism. However, the Catholic Church has never claimed that the work of the Holy Spirit is limited to baptism. For instance, Confirmation is the Catholic Church’s official prayer for the Holy Spirit to empower a person to spread the gospel, to live a fervent Christian life, and to share more fully in the mission and ministry of the church.

The Catholic Church teaches that the Spirit of God can enter a person’s life in a new way if the person simply prays for this with expectant faith or has someone pray over them. This is what many Christians call being baptized in the Holy Spirit. However, God has also been known to send His Spirit to a person without prayer or faith, as He did with Paul. The Catholic Church recognizes the importance of the Holy Spirit and is very open to people continually asking God for a fuller outpouring of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Several times each year at the Church of Saint Paul through Retreats, Missions, and Life in the Spirit Seminars called a New Day in the Spirit individuals are offered the opportunity to grow in their relationship with Jesus and be prayed with for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. However, while these times may be special don’t wait to get the fire. Prayer Teams are available twice a month after Mass and they’ll pray over you to receive Holy Spirit.

How do I open myself to receive the Holy Spirit?
In this famous Prayer by Cardinal Mercier we find a way to open up our lives more to the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

I am going to reveal to you the secret of sanctity and happiness. Every day for five minutes control your imagination and close your eyes to the things of sense and your ears to all the noises of the world, in order to enter into yourself. Then, in the sanctity of your baptized soul (which is the temple of the Holy Spirit) speak to that Divine Spirit, saying to Him:

Oh, Holy spirit, beloved of my soul...
I adore You. Enlighten me, guide me
strengthen me, console me. Tell me
what I should do... give me Your orders.
I promise to submit myself to all that You
desire of me and to accept all that You
permit to happen to me. Let me only
know Your will.

If you do this, your life will flow along happily, serenely and full of consolation, even in the midst of trials. Grace will be proportioned to the trial, giving you the strength to carry it and you will arrive at the gate of Paradise, laden with merit. This submission to the Holy Spirit is the secret of sanctity.

What do the Scriptures say about having our lives led by the Holy Spirit?
The Scriptures make it clear that Jesus Christ the Son of God, was, as man, led by the Spirit of God. It was by the Spirit that he was led into the wilderness to be put to the test (cf. Mt 4:1). It was by the Spirit that he cast out the powers of evil (cf. Mt 12:28). It was by the Spirit that he spoke in the synagogue at Nazareth (cf. Lk 4:14-18). It was by the Spirit that he healed (Lk 5:17). It was by the Spirit that he chose his apostles (cf. Acts 1:2).

What is true of the Son of God is true also of all the children of God. St. Paul tells us that they who are children of God are led by the Spirit of God (cf. Rom 8:14). Jesus assured the apostles that they would be Baptized in the Holy Spirit and receive power when the Holy Spirit came down on them (Acts 1:5,8).