At RENEW, January is one of our favorite months. This is the season when resolutions wobble, energy dips, and real life reasserts itself. And it’s precisely here, between the ideal and the actual, that community matters most.

We don’t believe faith is built by grand gestures or perfect plans. It’s formed in living rooms, church basements, Zoom squares, and small circles of people willing to show up for one another. It grows when we listen more than we speak, when we tell the truth about our lives, and when we remember that none of us are meant to walk this journey alone.

As this new year unfolds, our hope is simple: that RENEW keeps being a place where faith is lived honestly and community feels like home, even when life is still a work in progress.

So here’s to January. It’s not always tidy, but it’s full of invitation. We’re grateful to begin it together.

Happy New Year!

Saint of the Month

St. Francis de Sales

(with a nod to a few others who made the shortlist)

January gave us some very good options.

We could have leaned into St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, a woman who knew grief, change, leadership, and the holy work of starting again. Or St. John Bosco, whose joyful, relational approach to faith feels especially right in a world hungry for accompaniment.

And of course, January also holds the witness of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—a modern-day saint if ever there was one—whose courage, moral clarity, and insistence on beloved community continue to call us toward justice, dignity, and love made visible.

All of them remind us that holiness shows up in real life.

But this month, we landed with St. Francis de Sales. A choice that feels both providential and personal. (Fun fact: I spent my early school years at St. Francis de Sales, only to find myself later in life working with the Franciscans at St. Francis of Assisi. Apparently, Francis had a plan.)

Francis de Sales never imagined holiness as something only the spiritually accomplished could reach. He spoke to everyday people navigating family, work, and the beautifully imperfect realities of life. His gentle, trust-filled approach offers a wise posture for the beginning of a new year. One of his most beloved reminders feels especially fitting as the year begins:

“Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself.”

In a season when we are tempted to rush, fix, or perfect, Francis invites us to breathe, stay close, and trust that God is already at work. Paired with the prophetic witness of Dr. King who showed us what patient, persistent love can do in the world, we are reminded that faith grows both quietly and courageously.

That feels like a pretty good way to start the year.

Ministry Spark

Create a soft place to land

For many people, January doesn’t feel like a fresh start. After the busyness of the holidays, what often remains is fatigue, grief, uncertainty, or a quiet sense of overwhelm.

Parishes can respond by creating a soft place to land. A simple, intentional space where people can gather without pressure to have answers or “be okay.” This might look like a short-term small group, a listening circle, a gentle prayer gathering, or even a shared meal followed by reflection. The goal is not to fix anything. It is to offer presence, hospitality, and room to breathe.

When parishes create spaces like these, they send a powerful message: 

You don’t have to carry this alone. And often, it is in these quieter moments that faith is renewed and community deepens.

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Views from the Pews

I encountered RENEW in 1983, when i was stationed in Great Falls, Montana... I watched that process transform the community. Then I went over to the United Kingdom. They had over 200 people in small groups scattered around the villages of the base, and I again watched it transform that community.

Initially we had some resistance, because of the mindset that the priest does everything, but this really is a lay-led process, and once the people got some confidence, it took off. I did it again at my next base, and the same results!

The really great benefit of the RENEW process is that people discovered the gifts that they had, and had the spirit to employ those gifts. It got to the point where if we needed something in the parish, a small group would say, "We'll do that. We'll take that on."

I encourage anybody that is willing to take the risk. It pays off handsomely!

The Most Reverend Richard Higgins, Bishop Emeritus, Archdiocese of the Military

Paraphrased excerpts from a video testimonial - watch the full video HERE.

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