HOW CAN I BECOME MORE
INVOLVED IN MY PARISH?
Council of Catholic Women
(CCW)
Our objectives are to intensify the
ministry of the women of the Parish, to serve as a medium through which they
speak and act as a unit on matters of mutual interest and concerns while
keeping in mind the overall needs of the Parish. Our meetings are held on the second Tuesday
of every month starting at
Within our
group we have four Commissions: Church, Family, Organization, and Hospitality.
Within these Commissions
our members are actively involved in organizing Parish activities, such as
We do many fund raising projects. Most of the money we raise is from our bake
sales, but our biggest fundraiser is the Santa’s Breakfast, which is
coordinated and run by the CCW. With all
the money we raise, we are able to give back to the Parish and other Commissions.
The Holy Name Society
The
Holy Name Society promotes the honor and glory of our Divine God and the
personal sanctification of its members by acts of love and devotion to the most
Holy Name of Jesus. The spirited life of
its members is a perpetual act of reverence and love.
The Society is open to all men of the Parish
age 16 and older and, as a group, assists the Parish and other organizations in
their activities.
The Holy Name Society promotes respect
for the most Holy Name of God, faith in the Catholic Church and the
Magisterium, loyalty to one’s country and respect for all authority, both civil
and religious.
The regular meetings of the Holy Name
Society are held on the second Wednesday of each month. Meetings last about two and a half hours,
from
Building and Grounds
Committee
It is the responsibility of the
Building and Grounds Committee to oversee the Church and its surrounding
grounds to make certain that everything is in proper repair and in working
order.
On a regular basis, members inspect the
building and grounds for any potential problems as well as scrutinize the
building’s fire safety equipment. The Committee
members also review and award contracts for lawn care and snow removal.
When possible, they will make or find
the right personnel for minor repairs and improvements.
It would also be the task of this Committee
to coordinate any future expansion of the Church.
Finance Commission
The Finance Commission oversees all
financial matters for the Parish including reviewing and approving all
committee budgets and reporting financial activity back to the Parish and Diocese. They meet approximately eight times a year on
the fourth Tuesday of the month at
The Commission is comprised of 10 Parishioners
and the Pastor. Members serve a two-year term.
Some major accomplishments for the
members of the Finance Commission have been the organization of the annual
Build a Dream Raffle that is held in conjunction with the annual Anniversary
Fest.
The Finance Commission looks forward to
welcoming new members to help serve their Parish community.
Christian Service Commission
The Christian Service Commission
strives to serve our Parish, the community and our extended Catholic family
through several projects throughout the year that best exemplify the Christian
values of Our Mother of Good Counsel.
Every month, the Commission sponsors a
food drive and accepts donations from our Parishioners. Those items are then donated to a local food
pantry. Twice a year, the Commission
coordinates the St. Vincent de Paul collection where we promote the event as well
as man the truck to accept donations.
The Christmas Giving Tree for Daybreak
Shelter is coordinated through our membership.
Gifts are collected and then driven to the shelter for
distribution.
The collection of Valentine gifts for
local Senior Citizens groups and serving breakfast at the Daybreak Shelter are
just two additional items that are open to both members and Parishioners.
Our meetings, held the fourth Wednesday
of each month, are relaxed and usually last less than two hours.
The Anniversary Festival
Committee
The purpose of the Anniversary Festival
Committee is to coordinate and oversee the operation of the Festival, the
largest fundraiser for the Church.
It is the role of the Committee to
encourage and enlist members of the Parish to volunteer together as a group for
the overall good of the Parish.
The Festival Committee’s first
objective is to bring together many volunteers to work for the Parish and
thereby improve the community spirit within the Parish.
The second objective is to produce
funds which are used to help purchase items needed for the Parish. After operational expenses, the next largest
cash requirement is the Building Fund. Over
the years, this fund is where the income from the Festival has been directed.
Membership on the Festival Committee is open to ANY member of the Parish who is
willing to volunteer to join it.
The time commitment is ten to twenty
hours over the year to attend meetings and make the required contacts with
vendors and suppliers for the Festival.
During the week of the Festival, time requirements increase depending on
the function that the Committee member is doing or overseeing.
The Festival Committee needs new
members who will bring their skills into service to improve the Festival for
the good of our Church.
Worship Commission
The purpose of the
Worship Commission is to promote and provide an environment that will bring the
members of the Parish closer to God by developing the spiritual and liturgical
life of the Parish community.
Some of the key duties of
the Commission are: assess the liturgical and spiritual needs of the Parish and
plan worship responses to those needs; implement the priorities, policies and
recommendations of the Universal and Diocesan Church in the areas of worship
and spirituality; participate in the planning and preparation of regular Parish
liturgies and liturgies for special events or groups; provide a festive and
spiritual environment for special holidays, i.e. Christmas and Easter; and provide
formation and training for those assuming Ministerial roles in Worship.
The Commission meets approximately
six times per year and meetings generally last two hours. The Commission is open to any member of the Parish
and experience in liturgical matters is not necessary.
The Christian
Education Commission
The purpose of the
Christian Education Commission is to continue the teaching mission of the Church. The Commission is concerned with continuous,
life-long Christian education for all members of the Parish.
The Commission has the
responsibility of developing, promoting, coordinating, and evaluating the Parish’s
total education ministry including: all sacramental preparation programs; Religious
Education for first through eighth grades; Children’s Liturgy; Adult Education;
The Youth Group; and Vocations.
The members of the
Christian Education Commission, which meets six times a year for approximately two hours each meeting, believe that we are putting
our love for God into action. Our
working motto, “What you do I cannot do.
What I do you cannot do. But
together you and I can do something beautiful for God.”
We invite you to become a member of the Christian Education Commission and to
help our Parish’s faith grow stronger, and in doing so, we can do something
beautiful for God.
Role of the Parish
Council
The Parish Council is the coordinating
and unifying structure of the Parish community.
It should be the means of achieving full participation of the whole
Parish in its mission by giving all a voice in encouraging, guiding, and
directing the various aspects of Parish life.
The Council is a Parish in miniature.
Its members gather together the thoughts and ideas of the community,
work them together until some general agreement has been reached, and then
translate this consensus into Parish goals.
Finally, it sees that these goals are acted upon by the Parish
community.
The Parish Council is sensitive to the
movement of the Spirit among God’s people, to work for a unified vision or general
agreement among its members and to help the whole Parish to meet the challenge
of being a Church in the modern world.