Visionary Council

Visionary Council Members

GREETINGS FROM THE VISIONARY COUNCIL

As we begin the New Year, it is typical to spend time both reflecting on the past year and setting goals for the current year. The Visionary Council would like to take this opportunity to do just that with you. The year 2008 was a very active year for our Tri-parishes. For the purpose of our review, we have looked at the following 6 areas: liturgical life, prayer, missionary spirit, life in the community, moral living, and knowing the faith.

To enhance liturgical life the following things were done in 2008: .

• Eucharistic Adoration before Sunday Mass in each parish .

• Tri-parish joint Holy Week services

• Corpus Christi procession

• Joint Thanksgiving Mass

• Anointing of the Sick as part of Mass

• Training for lectors, altar servers, and Eucharistic ministers.

To promote prayer the following occurred:

• Taize prayer was introduced

• Adoration opportunities were increased

• Prayer experiences were increased during 40 Hours

• Community Prayer was recited during Masses

• Prayer Journal was made available at each parish

• Chalice for vocations/prayer icon was presented to a family weekly at each parish.

A missionary spirit was evidenced through:

• Support of Birthright Gabriel's Comer

• Advocacy regarding Darfur

• Participation in the Life Chain

• Taking of Holy Communion to those in hospitals, nursing homes, and the homebound

• Participation in the Heifer and Rice Bowl programs

• Donations and work done for Thanksgiving baskets

• Provision of information regarding Catholic principles for voting

• Continuation of Christ Renews His Parish Retreats

Life in the community was addressed by:

• Taking of Holy Communion to those in hospitals, nursing homes, and the homebound

• Continuation of Christ Renews His Parish Retreats

• Parish dinners

• Encouraging fellowship by offering donuts after Mass

• Emphasizing Catholic writings through the Book Club

• Continuation of the Dead Theologians Society (Youth Group)

• Offering opportunities for growth through programs such as Generations of Faith and the citywide Marriage Enrichment Program

• Continuation/Initiation of groups such as the various parish committees, Religious Formation, Finance Councils, Stewardship Committees, and the Visionary Council.

Moral living was encouraged through:

• Religious education programs

• Homilies

• Christ Renews His Parish Retreats

• Bible Study

• Sacramental Preparation

• Marriage Preparation

• Marriage Enrichment.

Opportunities to increase knowledge regarding our faith were made available through:

• Sacramental Preparation

• RCIA

• Religious education programs

• Christ Renews His Parish

• Homilies

• Book Club

• Liturgy of the Word with children

• Catholic Mirror

• Lent and Advent Tri-parish religious education programs

• Formation of the Council of Catechesis

• Summer Youth Camp (Building Apostles).

As we begin 2009, the Visionary Council has identified the following areas of emphasis for the year:

• Improve liturgical life through increased involvement of youth

• Promote prayer by increasing attendance at Adoration and Taize, increase praying of the rosary, and promoting and cultivating devotions and traditional prayers, and re-introduce the praying of the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy

• Expand our missionary spirit by improving our ministry to Hispanics

• Enhance life in the community by forming small faith groups Tri-parish wide

• Enrich moral living by increasing people's knowledge level about morals, charity, and church teachings, offer opportunities that strengthen and/or encourage families and marriages

• Increase awareness regarding our faith by offering various teachings and opportunities.

The Visionary Council wishes each of you a blessed and happy 2009. May we grow closer to God and to each other this year.