Dear Parishioners, +JMJ
This past week we had another meeting of our Discipleship Talent Coordinators from each campus. We briefly looked at a discipleship ministry booklet that the coordinators put together, which begins to explain all of the different volunteer ministries happening in our parish. It’s a pretty impressive collection! The hope is to provide a tool that will enable everybody to see the various ministry and service opportunities, so that those who are looking for a way to engage more fully in parish life will have a concrete way to consider the options. The booklet should also make communication regarding various parish needs more efficient. People will much more easily be able to find the right person to go to for specific areas of our life together… Whether it be a question about PSR, a prayer group, or even something having to do with one of our buildings.
The booklet aims briefly to describe all the current areas of ministry and service. But it also includes a couple new ideas. For example, I would love to see a team of couples who help with marriage preparation, so we end up with something of a couple-to-couple of dynamic that is very personalized. I also envision getting two or three people trained to help with annulments. The Diocese of Toledo hosts a couple training sessions for annulment advocates each year. Perhaps there will be some parishioners who feel led to help out in these areas?
In the not-too-distant future, you will also be hearing about a discipleship ministry opportunity fair that we will be holding after each weekend Mass. The last such fair we remember in our parish was held in Paulding some years before the merger back in 2008. with various ministries streamlined and described in the booklet, it will be easier for people now involved in those areas to describe them and answer questions for anybody interested who attends the fair. Stay tuned for more information in future weeks!
All of this organizing is undertaken with the understanding that the Faith and parish life pertain to all of us; and we all have unique gifts to offer for the enrichment of our Faith and parish life; and our Faith and parish life will be much more evangelistic, efficient and effective as everybody engages the way they believe Jesus is leading them to participate.
In appreciation for everybody who puts so much effort into the many areas of parish life, we also want to host another volunteer ministry appreciation dinner. This will happen on a Sunday afternoon in November at our Payne campus. It’s been three years since we had the last appreciation dinner for all of our amazing volunteers, so it’s time to host another one!
On another note, I will begin an “apologetics” course that will meet one Sunday per month, right after the 10:30 Mass. I decided to do this, because we got feedback last year from people who went through the ALPHA course that they would like something with more specifically Catholic content. Plus, we heard of another parish where there was apparently quite a lot of hunger for apologetics – a greater capacity to explain why we do what we do in the Catholic Church. I hope that in addition to learning more about the Faith, the course will also provide an opportunity for us to share the Faith more deeply with one another.
On a final note, a young man (who will remain anonymous) came into the office this past week to pay off the remaining balance on the Payne parking lot renovation expenses from last year. That was a generous gift, and I know we are all grateful for it.
Have a blessed week!
In cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Father Poggemeyer
