Dear Community of Saint Joseph’s;

 

Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Saint Joseph’s began our Parish Summit on Friday night, January 9!

 

This last year we have been preparing for a Summit by interviewing parishioners on the experiences they have appreciated in their time at Saint Joseph’s.  Friday night began with a sung Evening Prayer in our parish hall followed by gathering into groups made up of a mix of parishioners.  We shared stories of church and of our faith as well as personal background.

 

On Saturday morning we reunited and continued our discussion and began a discernment process including a viewing of a “History of Saint Joseph’s” DVD and the articulation of various parish strengths and areas for growth.   From those ideas and suggestions we began to identify priorities.  The day ended with a closing prayer based upon the upcoming Feast:  “The Baptism of the Lord.”  With Holy Water each individual selected a person to bless.

 

As Pastor, the Summit was an invaluable experience in it’s ability to identify the hopes and dreams of the parish community.  It was a great opportunity for me to hear the varied anecdotes of the families and individuals.  For many people who participated, it was a great chance to get acquainted and listen to amazing stories of faith, hope and their love for the church of Saint Joseph!

 

Repeatedly I heard people express how much they loved the parish and how fortunate they were in the nourishment of their spirituality.  They shared how much they wanted to see the parish continue to grow and welcome newcomers.  At this juncture, we are still processing the information gathered at the Summit and in the following weeks I will be continuing to update and inform you of plans for our future. In the meantime, action teams were formed and leaders were identified to develop plans for the realization of the Summit goals.

 

For now, I want to thank everyone on the Summit Committee for the enormous amount of time and energy that went into the extraordinary day and for all of you who gave up a weekend to pray, listen and celebrate the incredible gift of our parish community.  Regardless of whether or not you attended the Summit, there continues to be opportunity for all to participate in a variety of ways. May God bless this moment and may all our future plans continue to build up this community of faith, hope and love. 

 

May we always do God’s will and live together in harmony and peace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Father Matt Pennington

Pastor