- St. Pius X Catholic Church

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Small Groups

Faith was never meant to be lived alone - because your faith needs friends. Small Groups are where our large parish gets small, giving you a supportive circle to share life's ups and downs, pray for each other, and grow together as Christ’s disciples.
- Click HERE to Sign-up for your Small Group!
- WHY SHOULD YOU JOIN A SMALL GROUP?
  
  We want each and every person at SPX to have a relationship with Jesus and for their lives to be a reflection of that relationship. And while each of our journeys is unique, we have identified 5 practices that can help you to grow as a disciple. One of the most important is to join a small group. Here's why.
  
  Here at SPX, we want you to be more than a number, more than a face in the crowd. We want you to have friends who actually know you and care about what is happening in your life. We also want people to count on you. And we want you to grow spiritually. We think the best way to do all of that is to join a small group.
  
  So that's a weekly gathering of 6-10 people, who meet on-line or in-person to share life together. It's not a bible study, but we will talk about the weekly readings. It's not a support group, where we come to vent, but we will share life's up and downs with each other. It's not a social gathering, but we find many people form new friendships through these groups. And even though the messages you hear each week at Mass are well thought out, relevant, and delivered flawlessly, most of the time, we need to talk about the message with other people to figure out how to actually apply it to our lives.
  
  And if you are hearing this and think "I tried a group once and it wasn't for me", we would encourage you to give groups another try. Sometimes it takes more than one attempt to find a group that you really click with.
SMALL GROUP STORIES
- I really enjoyed my experience participating in a Small Group at St. Pius X. I was relatively new to the parish when I joined, and participating in the Small Group played an important role in helping me feel more connected to the parish community. Instead of simply attending Mass each week, I began to develop relationships with other parishioners and feel that I was truly becoming part of the St. Pius X community.
  The Small Group also gave me an opportunity to deepen my faith through meaningful conversations with other parishioners. Hearing how others understood and lived their faith helped me reflect more deeply on my own faith journey, while also giving me a comfortable place to ask questions, share my thoughts, and learn from others.
  One of the things I appreciated most was the sense of community. Being new to the parish, the smaller setting made it much easier to get to know people beyond simply seeing familiar faces at Mass. I enjoyed the people I met and the relationships that developed through the experience.
  I joined hoping to grow in my faith and become more connected to my new parish, and the experience definitely helped me do both. I would absolutely participate in a Small Group again and would encourage other parishioners—especially those who are new to St. Pius X—to consider joining one.
  Myria Emma Dawn Carpenter, JD
  
  My experience with the St. Pius X Adult Small Group has truly enriched my faith. Listening to others and participating in thoughtful group discussions have helped me grow spiritually and better understand my relationship with God.
  Being part of the small group also encouraged me to become involved in other ministries within the St. Pius X community. Along the way, I have formed meaningful connections with fellow parishioners, some of whom have become like extended family.
  For me, it is a blessing to be an active member of a faith community that serves others, supports one another, and helps each of us grow closer to God. I encourage anyone who is considering joining a ministry or small group to give it a try—you may be surprised by the friendships, fellowship, and spiritual growth you experience.
  Michael Knight
  
  I recently joined a small group for the first time. The group members were all friendly, and I learned a lot from each of them. I felt a strong feeling when we lifted our prayers at the end of the session. God has answered some of my prayers.
  Josephine Zerbo
  
  Small Group has enabled me to know my fellow parishioners beyond Sunday Mass. Beyond discussions about faith, Small Group has allowed me to become familiar with different ministries and has made me feel like part of the St Pius X community.
  Martin Mendoza
  
  When my husband I moved to Bowie in 2022, we were looking for a church that was welcoming and would help grow our faith. I kept feeling a growing need to draw closer to my faith, but did not know how to do so. When small groups was advertised, I felt like this was the place I was supposed to be.
  Since then, I have been in 3 small groups and each group has taught me so much. Through the different perspectives, my faith has deepened both in and out of small group. I completed the Bible in a Year last year and am working through the Catechism in a Year currently. I have taken what I’ve learned and implemented faith growing in our home. It has been a rewarding, low stress way to dive into my faith while also growing a church community.
  Kelsey Mauldin
- what are small groups?
  
  At St. Pius X, Small Groups are a place to grow together as Christ’s disciples with other adults. Small Groups bring 6-10 people together to grow, share life, and pray with and for each other. Life has its ups and downs but being in real relationship with other Christians allows us to face those issues together.
  We launch new small groups every Fall and Early Spring. Typically these groups focus on discussing the Message (sermon) we hear at Mass. These groups meet in a variety of ways - some in-person, some entirely online (usually on Zoom) and still others are hybrid - weekly online with in-person socials.
  In late Spring and Summer, we offer “interest” groups. These groups bring people together to have fun sharing a common interest, like gardening, hiking, photography, etc.
- what will i need to do?
  
  To have the best experience possible we ask you to do 3 things
  
  Show up. Small Groups are all about relationships – and you have to be there to experience it.
  
  Join In. Participate in the conversation. Everyone brings a unique point of view. Your group won’t be complete unless you contribute.
  
  Be Real. Be yourself and allow God to work through the group and you. Being vulnerable is hard, but God honors our trust in Him and others.
- To download our Weekly Small Group Guides, click HERE.
- Jen Mayer
  
  Adult Discipleship Coordinator
  
  adultsspxbowie.org