Bonnie Meadows
Name, parish, role in parish: My name is Bonnie Meadows. I am the Coordinator of Religious Education at Precious Blood Parish in Jasper.
How was your faith formed? I grew up Catholic. Like most cradle Catholics, I learned my prayers while attending Mass on Sunday with my family. It wasn’t until I attended a Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) weekend that I really started to grow in my faith. It was then that my relationship with Christ started to grow, and it continues to grow every day.
What do you do in your role as a parish catechetical leader? In my role as a parish catechetical leader, I coordinate the programs of faith formation and education. This includes sacramental prep for children and adults, middle and high school religious education, adult study programs, and a school resource for Holy Trinity Catholic School. I am also a member of the Spiritual Life and Worship Committee for the linked parishes of St. Mary Ireland and Precious Blood.
Who do you consider to be positive role models today? I consider anyone and everyone who encourages others to live out their faith to be positive role models. Pope Francis, Bishop Thompson, our parish priests, the religious communities, parents and grandparents. And also the teens that are encouraging their peers to become involved in faith filled events such as TEC, One Bread One Cup, Source Summit, NCYC, and all Youth Ministry activities.
What are your dreams for parish faith formation today? My dream for parish faith formation is that everyone starts, or continues, to have a relationship with Christ. Is it going to happen overnight? No, I don’t think so. It’s like any other relationship that we have … it takes time. It takes time to get to know someone. And how do we do that? As the song goes, “talk to God like you’re talkin’ to a friend” … tell Him when you are happy or sad, when you need help, when you are thankful. To be a good friend, we also need to listen to what He has to say…a tough thing to do in this noisy, fast-paced world of ours.
How do you nurture your faith life? I nurture my faith life by attending Mass, receiving the sacraments and spending time with Jesus in the Divine Providence Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel located on the Precious Blood Parish campus. I also take online classes through Brescia University. My foundation of strength comes from my vocation as a wife and mother.
What makes being a Catholic so important to you? Being Catholic is important to me because of the sacraments. The sacraments were given by Christ and entrusted to the Church as visible signs of grace. An interesting fact about me is that I was baptized at St. Mary Church in Ireland, received First Reconciliation, First Eucharist and Confirmation at Holy Family Church in Jasper, and was married 30 years ago to my husband, Bob, in St. Joseph Church in Jasper. I always wondered where Precious Blood Church in Jasper would fit into my life. Four years ago I found out ... this is the place God has put me to be the hands and feet of Christ.
What is your best wisdom of life? I am going to have to go with Mother Teresa on this one. “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
What is a scripture quote that you would like to share? “For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them…” (Romans 12:4-6). We are all in this together! Use the gifts God has given you to do your part.
The Diocesan Office of Catechesis coordinates the People of Faith column.
