Prayer -- Scripture -- Eucharist -- Christian Community
Through the years that I served as pastor of parishes, such as the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Ville Platte, as Bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodeaux, and now as Bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette, I have come to know personally many members of Come, Lord Jesus! groups.
I have seen participants in Come, Lord Jesus! Catholic Communities grow in the faith and love of Jesus Christ. Their perseverance in meeting weekly to pray and reflect on scripture has proven to be a most effective way in which to become more like Jesus, and to learn more about their Catholic faith. They also reach out generously to others in service, which is a true witness of the love of Christ made flesh in these Come, Lord Jesus! communities. It is evident to me that one of the many fruits of the Come, Lord Jesus! Program is the love that members show one another and all those they meet. The Come, Lord Jesus! Program provides an atmosphere of prayer where Gospel values are respected and nurtured. Some groups have been meeting faithfully for 30 years. Truly, this is a work of God.
I highly recommend the use of the Come, Lord Jesus! Program in all Catholic parishes because of the spiritual growth that it fosters among the people who become faithful participants. Members not only learn scripture and Catholic teachings but also help one another grasp how to apply it to their lives. The weekly meetings build true Christian friendships. Members find others who share the same values and they strengthen one another to live their Catholic faith more fully and joyfully.
Come, Lord Jesus! has proven to be effective with many different age groups. It is being used in junior high and high schools, as well as in parishes. Since 1974, when Father Conley Bertrand officially began the perfected Come, Lord Jesus! Program, many thousands of lives have been transformed. With this program, the Church has an invaluable tool for evangelization, catechesis, and small-group formation.
I enthusiastically endorse the Come, Lord Jesus! Program as an extraordinarily powerful means to foster a new and revived Catholic culture, which is, in many respects, at odds with the dominant secular culture. I ask the blessing of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Come, Lord Jesus! Program and on all who participate in it.
With prayers for your good health and for all of God's blessings, I am
Sincerely yours in Our Lord,
"Father Bertrand's program is based on the recommendations of the world's bishops gathered at the Second Vatican Council. Come, Lord Jesus! will bring you closer to God, help you talk to him in prayer, enrich your reading of Scripture and move you to share the treasure of your faith with others."..."I am certain that the main reason for the extraordinary power of the Come, Lord Jesus! program is its ability to form and strengthen communities in Christian love."
-Bishop Gerard L. Frey
"Come, Lord Jesus! gives a plan, an outline, and a method of coming into a strong and vibrant way of drawing closer to Jesus Christ. I am happy to commend this program to you, and I recommend that you study the volume and follow the directions of the method. Let your hearts be open to all the possible ways of growing in the love of God through this beautiful Come, Lord Jesus! program."
-Archbishop Harry J. Flynn
"It is my wish that Come, Lord Jesus! groups be established everywhere, in every parish. I encourage parish priests to support and welcome their formation. No one thirsting for God and His grace should lack the opportunity Come, Lord Jesus! offers."
-Bishop Jude Speyrer
"I want you to know that I deeply respect both you, Father Bertrand, and the program. I think it is Scripturally-oriented, eminently orthodox, full of common sense and at the same time deeply spiritual."..."Participation in the Come, Lord Jesus! program has been found to be of great spiritual advantage to many of our people, and I encourage more and more people and parishes to become involved."
-Bishop Edward J. O'Donnell
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