Growing in our faith is a lifelong commitment.
Current opportunities at St. Raphael are listed here.
You are welcome to join us at any time!
Questions? Please contact Sara Scheunemann
Getting to Know the Holy Spirit: The Book of Acts
Tuesdays, 2-3 pm
Check Calendar Here for updates.
Location: St. Martin Chapel
Join us for a weekly time of prayer and conversation about Acts and the role of the Holy Spirit in the church at its founding and today in our own lives.
When our Bishop David Ricken met with Pope Francis in Rome a few years ago, he asked him what he could do to help us grow in our relationship with the Holy Spirit. Pope Francis encouraged him to read and pray with the Acts of the Apostles as a source of inspiration.
As our diocese enters a season focused on growing deeper in our relationship with the Holy Spirit, we invite our parish to follow this advice.
Summer Catholicism 101:
Encountering Jesus in the Gospel of John
Mondays, 7-8 pm
July 6, 20
August 3, 17
Location: Rooms 104-106
There is no one else like Jesus. Whether you’ve known him your whole life or are just beginning, he always has more to share.
We’ll encounter and grow with him as we read and pray with the Gospel of John. A short video reflection from Dr. Allen Hunt of Dynamic Catholic will provide some background for our learning as well.
Making Room for the Holy Spirit: Speaker Series
Held in Good Samaritan Hall
Join us for our summer speakers to think about practical ways to make space for God in your life.
Reducing Anxiety in Your Life with Kari Reindl
Tuesday, July 28, 6:30-7:30 pm
Kari Reindl, a fellow parishioner who works with Winnebago Mental Health, will share about how prayer reduces anxiety. She’ll draw on methods that she has found successful in working with her clients – and that can be of help to us too.
Coming this fall
A Surge of the Heart:
Moving from saying our prayers to a life of prayer
Tuesdays, 6:30-7:45 pm
September 22
October 6 & 20
November 3 & 17
Location: Good Samaritan Hall
“For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven,
it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.”
St. Therese of Lisieux, cited in CCC 2558
St. Therese of Lisieux called prayer "a surge of the heart" – the soul’s response to the gentle pull towards communion with God. In this five-session course, we will explore the rich vision of Christian spirituality and the place of prayer within it, seeing prayer not merely as a practice but as a growing relationship with God. From this wider perspective, we will consider practical ways of praying and the challenges that often accompany the journey.
This course is for those who have ever felt confused or uncertain about prayer, and for those who want to deepen their own prayer life.
Sessions:
1. The context of prayer – where prayer happens
2. Temples of the Spirit – desire, longing, and sacred hearts
3. How we talk to God – methods of prayer
4. How God talks to us – listening for the still, small voice
5. Dealing with common obstacles in prayer
RSVP helpful, but not required: sara.scheunemann@raphael.org or 920-233-8044, ext. 228.
Our guide for this series is Chris Arnold. Chris grew up, unchurched, in the suburbs of Boston. After a slow conversion journey to Christianity all through his twenties, he went to seminary and spent 15 years as a priest in the Episcopal Church. He served parishes in Kentucky and Kansas before moving here 10 years ago. Last year, he resigned his Holy Orders in his old church and was received into full communion with the Catholic Church in October, midway between the feasts of two of his heroes: St. John Henry Newman and St. Teresa of Avila. He has been married to Celeste for 21 years. Chris now works at a nursing home here in town, while continuing to offer spiritual direction to a small number of people.