Take A Bag!

Recently I was talking to one of my good friends and catching up about life when he shared with me a very interesting thought. He was describing those bags you usually get from a school, a hospital or another institution when a big life event is about to happen.

Here’s a bag that explains everything you need to know about going to college.

Here’s a bag with all of the policies and manuals for your new job.

Here’s a bag that gives you information on childbirth.

Here’s a bag full of information about the area and things to see and do.

It dawned on him as he was sitting in a doctor’s office and had just been handed a packet about what to expect when you’re expecting that the church should really do this. He shared a bit with me about how this idea came about and how it’s grown.

When we went to the ObGyn for the first time after we found out K— was pregnant they gave us this canvas bag with books, info sheets, prenatal samples, etc

I said, “We should be doing this.” Someone gets engaged, Fr Paul has a bag ready. Someone is interested in becoming a catechumen, Fr Paul has a bag ready. Someone dies, Fr Paul has a bag ready, etc. We decided it was silly for [the church] to be out done by the medical practitioners.

We are working with our priest on making up little information packets/bags for different stages of life that explains the services connected with them and how th elaity can prepare for them, etc and including patristic works related to them

K— and I are currently working on one for expecting parents. It will include a description of the different prayers the priest says after the baby is born and leading up to the baptism and hopefully include some patristic advise/books about raising children.

I will work next on a marriage bag and hope to put John Chrysostom’s homilies in there.

What a great idea! We are admonished in Scriptures to be ready to give an answer, and this is a great way to do it.

How do you think your local church could use information bags?

We decided it was silly for us to be out done by the medical practitioners