Parish Bulletin – May 15, 2022
As of July 1, Saint Giles and Saint Catherine of Siena-Saint Lucy Parishes will be unified as one. There are many questions about what this means and what it will look like. To help us begin BUILDING A NEW REALITY, I have started the process by assembling a UNIFICATION TEAM.
We gathered last week for the first time. Joining us was a representative from the Archdiocese who will be working with us on this new unification phase. He explained that the unification process will take approximately one year and consist of these unification activities:
- Months 1-2: Listening sessions with members of the new parish
- Months 3-5: Naming Team, Liturgical Team, Communication Team
- Months 6-10: Parish Community & Environment Team, Parish Finance Council
- Months 11-12: Transition from Unification phase into Building the New Reality phase.
At this point, there are three areas upon which we will be focusing:
- Listening sessions
- Determining a name for who we are as a new parish
- Unification celebration
Members of the Unification team are: Pat Carew, Mark Laboe, Ed Siderewicz, Sharon Zinkula (from St. Giles Parish) and Ginny Jones, Miles Jackson, Andrea Legatzke, Latrice Porter-Thomas, Renee Smith-Quinn (from St. Catherine-St. Lucy Parish).
The next meeting of the Unification team is Monday evening, May 16.
Pope Francis’ vision for the Church from Evangelii Gaudium will guide our work ahead:
“I dream of a “missionary option,” that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, way of doing things, times and schedules, language and structure can be suitably channeled for evangelization of today’s world rather than our own self-preservation… The parish is a community of communities, a sanctuary where the thirsty come to drink in the midst of their journey, and a center of constant missionary out reach.”
What beautiful words for us to pray with and reflect upon as we begin this journey together.
Have a safe and blessed week ahead.
With you a Christian. For you a priest.
Fr. Carl Morello – Pastor of St. Giles Parish
