Pastoral Council

Comments, questions and suggestions are always welcomed.

New Council Members Sought

Pastoral Council has received significant feedback from our parishioners and continues to develop and move forward with a plan based on these suggestions. We are investigating ideas for additional Adult Faith Formation and will offer a four-week series this fall led by Fr. Jerry. Our expanded stewardship program has facilitated new programs, including the return of Hospitality Weekends and New Family Breakfasts.

Our parish needs Christian leadership to help make decisions about our pastoral life and growth. After four years and the departure of several members, we are now looking to fill some vacancies on our Pastoral Council. Perhaps you or someone you know would be interested in helping us to refine and move forward with the goals we have already identified and to identify future goals.

Council members must:

• Be a baptized Catholic.

• Have been a registered member of our parish for at least one year.

• Be a participant in the ongoing worship life of our parish, especially Sunday Eucharist.

• Be at least eighteen years old.

Council members should have a desire for spiritual growth in themselves and in the parish; enthusiasm about the future directions of our parish; a willingness to listen and speak honestly; the ability to inspire and empower others and to delegate; flexibility and openness with people and ideas; and be comfortable in dealing with conflict and consensus.

While not excluded from serving on our Pastoral Council, parish staff, trustees, and members of the Finance Committee have their own roles and responsibilities within this parish. We encourage all members of our parish to prayerfully consider whether they are called to serve Our Lord through participation on the Pastoral Council. If you are interested, please contact the parish office at 399-9168 or via email.

Seven Elements of Parish Life

Service

Christ calls all of us into service for each other, to works of charity and justice. This is a basic tenet of our discipleship and was shown by Jesus throughout his public ministry. Christ has shown us that while we work to eliminate social injustices, we are to take care of those in need. We are to serve them, as Christ served his followers.

Stewardship

We are the stewards of all God’s creations. Responsible stewardship requires us to graciously offer our God-given gifts and resources to each other. We bestow our time, talent and treasure to our parish and our community. To the extent possible, we take responsibility for all that God has entrusted to us.

Community

Community is the parish life element that draws us together to love, to grow, to celebrate and support one another, our parish and our community. By giving of ourselves to the other parish life elements, we are drawn together in our faith to form the bonds of community. This community, by reaching out to serve others, shows that everyone fits in here, that there is always a place for anyone.

Word

The Word of God is essential to deepening our faith. We help to build our community of faith by our interaction with the Word. This interaction can be listening to His Word in celebration of the Gospel; teaching His Word to our youth and adults; or sharing it with our family, friends or community. All of these ways help us grow in our love for God and to understand His nature.

Worship

Worship encompasses so many aspects of our faith life. Among these are personal and communal prayer; evangelization; the celebration of the Sunday Eucharist and other sacramental and liturgical rites. The parish’s spiritual life should exalt its mission, give expression of its faith to the community; and show its commitment to advancing the Kingdom of God.

Evangelization

This word encompasses all the ways in which we bring forth the message of Christ Jesus – proclaiming the Gospel; sharing our faith with family, friends or the community. Evangelization is an essential mission of the Church and its parishes. Each Parish has its own special way to evangelize. Evangelization is paramount in our call to bear witness to Christ; to practice our faith exuberantly; to share our faith and invite others to do so as well; and to change society.

Leadership

For the Pastoral Council to be effective, there must be a shared leadership between the clergy and the laity, calling forth the gifts of [en]visioning, planning, empowering and evaluating. In order to fulfill/realize the Parish Mission Statement, these gifts must be given in service of the community. Although Fr. Jerry, ultimately, bears the authority and responsibility for the parish, the gifts of the laity are important in service of the parish. Fr. Jerry and the Pastoral Council work together, each with their own leadership style, gifts and talents toward fulfilling the Parish Mission.

Members of our Pastoral Council