The New Wine Press April 2018 | Page 9

Passion is the Strength of Ministry by Denise Murrow, Precious Blood Resource Services Director In the March 2017 edition of the New Wine Press I wrote an article titled “In Faith a New Ministry is Born.” In it I spoke of the spiritual inspiration I received during a retreat given by Father Ben Berinti in October of 2016. The retreat was about apostolic life and the “Four Irritatingly Beautiful Questions for Companions of the Precious Blood.” They were ques- tions about where we were in our apostolic life, how we could improve our relationship with God, and how we could help our brothers and sisters in need. The last question included Isaiah 6:8, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I. Send me.’” I felt a strong calling to ask God to “send me” to bring life to a new social service ministry and embrace St. Gaspar’s vision to help the poor. Over a year ago a very dedicated committee was formed whose members believed that providing charity to the poor and marginalized is an integral part of Precious Blood spirituality. They had enough faith in the ministry to devote their time and energy into its structure and organization. As a result of their passionate efforts, Precious Blood Resource Services (pbrs) emerged. Precious Blood Resource Services is a ministry of accompaniment. We offer those in need assessments of their individual situations, provide them with refer- rals and resources and then accompany and walk them through a very tedious process. As a former city, county and state social service worker, I can attest to continued on page 8 April 2018 • The New Wine Press • 7