Our Mission
To be united in the Eucharist and formed as instruments of peace through the practice of stewardship in imitation of God’s Triune love.
Our Vision
To invite people to become disciples of Jesus Christ through proclamation of the Gospel and inclusion within the parish family.
Our Core Values
- Worship
- Fellowship
- Education
- Stewardship
To nourish our love of God the Father through Jesus Christ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Centered in the Eucharist, we are developing a faith community through prayer, education, worship, and Christian fellowship. As stewards of God’s love, we strive to share our gift and talents for the service of God and all His people.
Our Parish Prayer
Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
You Can Expect This Parish To …
Our parish is a Catholic Christian community of disciples of the Lord Jesus. We believe that everyone is called to be on a spiritual journey and what matters is not where a person is on that journey, but that they are actually on the journey itself. Therefore, we seek to welcome all people regardless of the stage of their spiritual life. We are a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for Saints. To be a member of this parish is to enter into relationship with the other members of the parish who are also on this spiritual journey. Clear expectations are at the heart of every healthy relationship, expect this parish to …
- Celebrate dynamic and uplifting liturgies
- Offer a wide range of educational opportunities so that you can know the Lord more completely so as to love him more ardently
- Foster a sense of community through social opportunities that allow parishioners to meet and to enjoy one another’s company
- Provide experiences that help transform you to become holy
- Value your unique gifts and talents in the service of God and others
- Offer opportunities for you to put your God given talents to the service of others
- Love and support you in your spiritual journey regardless of the messiness and struggles of your life
- Listen to your needs to and help address them to the best of our ability
- Value your input and expect your courageous communication of hopes and dreams, difficulties and challenges for and within the parish
- Honor your financial contributions and put them to work for the building up of the Kingdom of God with transparency and accountability
You Can Expect Your Pastor and Parochial Vicars To …
- Be obedient to the bishop
- Preach and teach the Gospel in an orthodox manner
- Offer and celebrate the Eucharist and Confession faithfully and reverently
- Implore God’s mercy for themselves and the members of this parish
- Pray without ceasing beginning with the Liturgy of the Hours
- Grow closer every day to Christ the High Priest
- Prioritize the salvation of souls over all other activities
This Parish Can Expect You To …
- Make a commitment to be a disciple of Jesus Christ **
Our parish is primarily concerned about faith and for each parishioner to grow in a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “This is the will of my Father, that you should become my disciples” (John 15:8). A disciple literally means “one who is learning.” The Church is a community of believers and not simply a collection of individuals who gather for one hour a week. The Christian community is one in which we are truly accountable to one another and accountable for one another. We expect every parishioner to see themselves as an integral part of the life of this parish and being intentional about reaching out and connecting with fellow disciples. - Participate in Mass on Sundays and Holy Days and refrain from unnecessary work on Sundays **
We gather to celebrate the Eucharist every Sunday. We expect all members of the parish to gather for Sunday worship primarily and most frequently at this parish. It is when we gather we fulfill our call to worship the God who created us, express gratitude for all his blessings, and are given the grace we need to continue to love God through prayer and one another through hospitality. - Support and cooperate with the religious education programs of the parish
We believe that learning and growing are lifelong tasks. When we cease to learn and grow we cease to be disciples and will experience stagnation in our spiritual lives. We expect every member of our parish to commit to at least one program of faith formation each year (adult faith formation, Parish School of Religion (PSR), Catholic Schools, sacramental preparation, RCIA, FORMED, retreats, etc.). - Practice faith in the workplace, the home, the classroom, in civic life
We are called not just to practice faith in our parish, but also in every avenue of our life. Jesus said, “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve.” (Mark 10:45) The essence of the Christian life is to serve God and one another. The Church is not healthy when it forgets this truth. By being “Catholic Outloud” in every arena of our life we give witness that the Church is the hands and feet of Jesus in the world. - Participate in parish ministries, activities, work days, and organizations through your contribution of time and talent
Everything we have received is a gift from God ( life, love, health, talents, family, vocation, etc.), therefore we are called to develop and share our gifts sacrificially, generously, and proportionally. We believe that every parishioner, without exception, has something to offer, something they do well and can do for the sake of the Kingdom of God. We expect every parishioner to serve the parish by being involved in at least one ministry each year. - Support the ministry of the Gospel by pledging and tithing generously, proportionally, and sacrificially of our first fruits **
We expect all parishioners to give generously of their financial resources in proportion to what they have received (with a goal of 8% of gross family income to the parish and 2 % to other charities of your choice). We give not to just meet a few basic needs or to pay the costs of maintaining the Church building and a few staff. We give out of gratitude to God, and the more the parish receives, the more we can do for the building up of God’s Kingdom, the more we can help the poor, the more programs we can run to help others grow. No one is excluded from this. If someone has less, they give less. If someone has more, they give more. This offering will in turn extend to the diocese and even to the Universal church. - Observe days of prayer, abstinence, and fasting
We are spiritual people. Grace is to the soul what blood is to the body. We participate in God’s life of grace through daily prayer and frequent adoration (in the chapel if possible). We also bring our physical and emotional desires under control through fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday abstaining from meat (or other things) every Friday. In this way we intercede to God to obtain favor for every prayers, reparation of personal sin, the overcoming of scandal in the Church, and protection from harm and temptation. - Confess your sins to a priest in the sacrament of confession at least once a yearJesus first public words were, “Repent and believe in the Good News (Mk 1:15).” He also said, “I have not come to condemn the world… but to save the world (John 3:17).” Jesus died on the cross is to forgive us of our sins and reconcile us to the Father. A disciple of Jesus does not fear to confess sins because we know Jesus is full of mercy.
- Ensure your marriage is blessed in the eyes of God through the Sacrament of Matrimony in the Catholic Church
Marriage is a public reality because the Family is the basic cell of society. Just as the health of a body is determined by the health of every individual cell in that body, so too, the health of a society is determined by every individual family of that society. A sacramental marriage is a powerhouse of grace not only for the family but also for this community. To have your marriage blessed in the Church (or obtain an annulment for previous marriages and have your current marriage blessed by a priest) attaches it in vital communion with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and elevates the common good of our parish. - Support the joy and integrity of the family
Single and married persons are a source of great joy and life in our parish and are an invaluable part of our parish family. All parishioners, whether parents, young children, siblings, adult single persons, or elderly are called to foster the health of their family by praying, playing, working, and eating together as a family. All parishioners are asked to generously offer support and aid to families that are struggling in any way. Parents are to be respected as the first teachers in the ways of the faith and every household is to be treated as the Domestic Church where Christ is praised and glorified. - Participate in the Church’s mission of evangelization of souls in the parish, in the diocese, and in the universal Church
Sharing our faith is not optional for a disciple. Speaking of Jesus Christ and living in accord with his teachings and the those of the Church are the way in which we spread the message of the Gospel and invite men and women to join us at the table of the Lord’s supper. Christ calls us to courageously and boldly proclaim his name and invite others to join his Church.
** Indicates that some language for these bullet points was taken from: Fr. James Mallon. Divine Renovation: From a Maintenance to a Missional Parish, (Kindle Locations 2277-2281). Novalis. Kindle Edition