Thanks to Outdoor Mass Organizers
Thanks to the Parish Leadership Team (see the front of the bulletin) and several members of the Incarnation School Staff, particularly Laura Senkiw for their hard work in preparing for the outdoor Mass and family fun day, which is, I think a first for Incarnation Church. As I’m writing on Tuesday, there is only a small chance of rain and 100% chance of hot weather! This could be the beginning of something great in parish life! As it stands, it is an example of parish leaders working toward change and innovation!
Changes to Serve Better
Last week I related how we filled another new position with a part time volunteer for now, our Engagement/Volunteer Coordinator, Debbie Field. This was also listed in the app/bulletin as a change “in how we serve the people who come here to encounter” Jesus, the fulfillment of yet another dimension of the strategic plan. In addition to that change and in addition to the other changes listed periodically in the bulletin/app box, as we see with the outdoor Mass, staff is working to innovate in additional ways that are important and even profound, but not necessarily easily conveyed with a quick bullet in the bulletin. Let me share a few of those ways.
Staff member, Anne Monnin, our Youth and Young Adult Ministry Coordinator, who is also our social media coordinator and gifted when it comes to some dimensions of IT, is working to create an electronic/Outlook parish calendar synched with the school calendar not only for staff, but also for parishioners in general.
Additionally, Pastoral Administrator, Stacy Stang, who is now calling all of us (staff) together weekly on Tuesday’s at 8:00 am. This is a great opportunity for staff to brief each other on the week’s important events. We touch base, give heads up and pray for very specific people, initiatives and needs of the week all in about twenty minutes.
Finally, The Parish Leadership Team will be meeting at 10:30 am. (half-an-hour earlier than usual) each Thursday morning so that we can conduct an ongoing review of the implementation of the strategic plan. At that meeting we will track accomplishments, troubleshoot problems and keep momentum moving forward!
A quick Review of Staff Positions Filled
Special thanks to Stacy Stang, Parish Leadership Team Members and all who were part of search teams to find our outstanding new staff members. The following is a quick review of results from several months of hard work accomplished to hire new staff members.
• a youth and young adult ministry coordinator HIRED Anne Monnin
• an engagement/volunteer coordinator PART-TIME, VOLUNTEER
• a marketing/digital evangelization position, POSITION NOT YET LISTED
• a business manager HIRED Sarah Seckt
• a coordinator of religious education (CRE) HIRED Molli Glowacki
• a pastoral associate HIRED Jose Martinez
• an administrative assistant to the CRE HIRED Joe Roalef
Archdiocesan Strategic Planning
Thanks to parish leaders and all parishioners for making an icon/bookmark on your device for Beacons of Light: www.catholicaoc.org/beacons. So that you can stay informed, please make sure you visit the site every couple of weeks for new material and please sign up to have monthly newsletters sent to you. We are being told that all parishes of the archdiocese will be affected by this archdiocesan wide strategic planning…and that means us!
What might we expect?
The first thing to expect from Beacons of Light is that we will likely be in a family of parishes, either with one or more parishes. That “family” will be pastored by one pastor with one associate pastor. Clearly, this means that what is now two parishes with three priests (Incarnation’s two priests and another parish with at least one priest) will be only two priests. If Incarnation is not to be a part of
a family, we will certainly lose our associate pastor.
Continue to follow the logic… The second occurrence to expect from Beacons of Light is that, due to fewer priests, we will lose one to three Sunday Masses. We now have six Saturday Evening/ Sunday Masses. Recall the work of our Mass time subcommittee two years ago? We will have to dust off and revisit their recommendations. Therefore, expect fewer Masses and perhaps several Mass time changes. Also, please be aware that since we have been making Mass counts at every Mass for nearly a year, we know that the 7:30 am. and 5:00 pm. Sunday Masses have the lightest attendance, essentially by half as many attendees as other Masses. Please pray about Beacons of light and be ready to reach out with both hands to “region” or “family” with another parish!! Even more than a challenge (I’ll write lots more in the future) “regioning” is a great blessing to parish life.
Coronavirus Response
Hearing from several health professionals on the front lines of patient care at area hospitals this past week and being at the hospital myself as chaplain, my intuition is telling me that we are not far from requiring masks at church again. I do strongly recommend wearing masks when at Mass. Thanks to parishioners who are doing so and thanks to parishioners who are open to requiring masking again…to protect our brothers and sisters in Christ!
Sincerely and with Love in Christ,
Fr. Pat