When Father John asked me to take on the responsibilities of the General Manager of Saint John, it took me a few moments of discernment with my family and prayers to God to ensure it was the path that I could not only take, but could successfully serve the parish in the way you deserve. With the Family Mission focus, which includes every individual at Saint John as part of our parish family, we have all taken our Holy Father’s words into our hearts and church organization with our new “wineskin”:
And so the Church always goes forward, giving space to the Holy Spirit that renews these structures, structures of the churches. Don’t be afraid of that! Don’t be afraid of the newness of the Gospel! Don’t be afraid of the newness that the Holy Spirit works in us! Don’t be afraid of the renewal of structures!”
As such, this section of the bulletin (and with additional information on our website, which I highly recommend you visit regularly) will grow to include our Parish Mission and Life components. Some of the details of our parish community will now be included with the pastoral vision and story that continue to drive our efforts at Saint John, To Know, To Love, and To Serve God in His Church and Our Community.
We will continue the Family Mission, especially engaging the spectrum of all our parishioners, engaging them where they are and with programs and events that enliven the Catholic faith in all of us. In addition, we will be organizing our parish around the missionary focus that our church and Pope have asked us to. I am filled with excitement, faith, and hope for the future of the Saint John community. Thank you for all your support and encouragement you have provided to me. We are now on a new leg of our journey together and I am looking forward to working with each one of you.