BOSCOBEL — A Pentecost Candlelight Vigil will be held on Saturday, May 14, at 7 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church in Boscobel.
This local vigil is being held in conjunction with the worldwide Pentecost Vigil, titled the Wild Goose Project, established by Fr. Dave Pivonka, TOR, in collaboration with Dumb Ox Ministries and The Vigil Project.
Wild Goose Project
The Wild Goose Project is an attempt to invite Catholic Christians into a more profound life-giving relationship with the Holy Spirit. This is a relationship marked by the love of God which breathes life into our daily existence.
The Holy Spirit is not merely something relegated to Confirmation. The Spirit desires a relationship with us that will take us on the greatest adventure imaginable, a journey to the very heart of God. The Holy Spirit desires to be present to us in a manner that brings light out of darkness, freedom out of bondage, order out of chaos, and life out of death.Father Pivonka, founder, is a member of the Sacred Heart Province of Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular and director of Franciscan Pathways, an evangelistic outreach of his Franciscan Community.
Holy Spirit’s power
According to Father Pivonka, “The Wild Goose was a term that the ancient Celts had for the Holy Spirit. From the first time I heard this, it stirred something in my heart.
“The dominant images of the Holy Spirit are a meek dove or a flickering flame of a candle, both of which are in one way accurate. But the Holy Spirit is more than that.
“God’s Spirit is power and blows not merely like a gentle breeze but at times like a raging wind. We like the idea of the Holy Spirit as a flame on a candle, but a raging fire often causes anxiety. It’s hard to control a wild goose; believe me, I know.”
He says he created this effort “because apart from the Wild Goose there is no life.”
Vigil of Pentecost
Using the Internet, the Wild Goose Project and its local coordinators invite and encourage people to gather on the Vigil of Pentecost, worship the living God, and pray for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
The support materials are being provided to those registered on the Wild Goose website so each can help lead a local site. Whether this is done in the home with the family, a Bible study, prayer group, men’s and women’s groups, or parish, everyone is invited to seek the anointing of God. The worldwide vigil will be held from 9 p.m. to 12 midnight CST.
The Immaculate Conception Parish coordinators extend an invitation to all parishioners, family members,and friends, as well as all surrounding Wisconsin parishes, to join in gathering on the eve of Pentecost.
For more about the project, go to thewildgooseisloose.com/pentecost-vigil For more on the local vigil, email Peggy Schmitt at blueriverschmitt@gmail.com