The OMG
Our group name is The OMG, for The Old Man's Group (Oh My God). The Homeless Catholic website is where we evangelize, and it describes what those of us writing the reflections are focused upon doing. It’s taken from the title of a book John Pearring wrote, tracing his struggles with the faith.
Most believers fall across a wide spectrum of homelessness in the Church. From liturgy to doctrine, Christians struggle with submission to the practice and the tenets of our faith. That full-on and fully-in allowance to be temples of the Holy Spirit, brothers and sisters in Christ, and trusting the Father, all of that, is quite a long journey for stubborn, independently driven men and women.
Please pray for us.
Annual Men's Retreat
“Take my hand,” and he takes us by the hand. Let you be pulled out. And he is capable of doing it. In these bad moments that happen to us all.
Our 2023 Retreat based upon Fr. John Riccardo's mission
If you’re done with hope, Jesus’ message is this one, says Pope Francis. There are times in all our lives when we've said, "There is nothing more to be done."
“A painful loss, an illness, a bitter disappointment, a wrong or a betrayal suffered, a grave error committed ...” So many things can lead us to give up hope. “There is nothing more to be done.” And we close the door to hope.
[There] are moments when life seems to be a sealed tomb: Everything is dark, and around us we see only sorrow and despair. Today’s miracle tells us that it is not like that, this is not the end, that in these moments we are not alone; on the contrary, it is precisely in these moments that He comes closer than ever to restore life to us.
Aleteia
By Kathleen N. Hattrup
March 27, 2023
The OMG & Wood Ministry
The OMG is a public charity 501(c)(3) group formed to provide a non-profit organization supporting the wood ministry, comprised of men weekly engaged in prayer and service. The Wood Ministry Program, or Pete’s Place, is under the guidance of The OMG.
The OMG
719-219-6806
PO Box 5925
Woodland Park CO, 80866
The purpose of the corporation is exclusively for charitable purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code and herein stated as follows:
The OMG was formed from a weekly prayer group to provide non-profit status for a fully volunteer firewood ministry that serves the poor and needy in Teller County. The firewood ministry collects wood, cuts and splits wood as needed, and delivers the wood to the poor and needy identified through requests and confirmation of local addresses.
These needy people rely upon wood fireplaces, stoves, or ovens to supply their heat. Using land provided by the United States Forest Service the firewood ministry stores wood for splitting and delivery operations. The OMG supports the oversight, materials and tools needed for the firewood ministry volunteers, and establishes the non-profit status for the firewood ministry.
Why OMG and Homeless Catholic?
Some find the name Homeless Catholic troubling. We use the term to describe a troubling reality for many Catholics, whether fallen away or simply feeling unloveable by the Church. Unloveable in their eyes, not the eyes of the Church. The Church is always our home. That instilling of hope is the ministry we are involved in. It is also the description of the men and women who are not always at home in the Catholic Church. We recognize them. We work hard on the foundations of our faith, hammering away at the fundamentals of our faith. We are men of faith, not perfect, and not perfectly at home. We call to our brothers and sisters.
We're in the alleyways, so to speak, making friends with those who want to believe, but struggle to do so. In our efforts, meanwhile, we deal head on with our own homeless issues in the faith.
It's the Catholic Church's role as non-denominational—calling all separated Christians back to the Mother Church—that also points out the separation of Catholics who haven't actually left but are uncomfortable in their faith.
Reflections
We're encouraging those that follow us to return to Church, to know they are welcome home. Most of our followers are active, and at home, in the Catholic Church. They encourage us to continue our evangelization because they have not forgotten how they felt before they returned to the Church.
We are thrilled to tackle those difficulties in our reflections. The practices and tenets of the faith are built upon our relationship to the Holy Trinity as a community gathered together as the body of Christ — we are the Church.