Clergy & Lay Leadership: We Need Each Other

Clergy & Lay Leadership: We Need Each Other

Last weekend, we had a successful launch of the new Saturday 5:30pm Mass for our collaborative at St. Martha church, a 7-month trial period to see if this Mass helps attract and serve more parishioners. Thinking it would take time for people to learn about this, I expected only 20-30 people the first week - we had over 70! Please continue to spread the word around the greater Plainville-Wrentham area so people know they have a new opportunity for Mass at least through next April. We also heard from members of the Sunday Experience Team, explaining their discussions about weekend Masses and the need for more lay ministers to assist at all of our Masses. Training meetings are coming up very soon, so if you are interested please email me or contact your parish office right away.

I promise that having an additional speaker at Mass will continue to be the exception (not the norm). However, a couple of these presentations came together at this busy time of year in our parishes, so I beg your patience as your fellow parishioners from the Parish Finance Councils update you this weekend on how your generous contributions have sustained the ministries and properties of your parish and collaborative.

While each parish has its own Parish Finance Council, when we became a collaborative the two Parish Pastoral Councils merged into one Collaborative Pastoral Council (CPC). The meetings are normally the second Monday of each month and open to all parishioners, so please join us! Because of the upcoming holiday, our next meeting is this Monday, October 7 at 7pm in St. Martha parish hall. We strive for a balanced number of members from both parishes, and each parish has open seats at the moment. I am seeking new members for the CPC to replace those who have completed their service on this Council. If you are interested in the work of the CPC, please speak with a co-chair or myself about filling a vacant seat on the CPC.

Council members are responsible for expressing the strengths and concerns of their own parish, while taking into consideration the needs of both parishes and what we can do better together than each parish could on its own. The Pastoral Team (staff) and I need the CPC's input on behalf of all parishioners or we will not make good deci-sions that serve the true needs of members of each parish. I make sure they know I want fresh ideas and honest opinions (not “rubber stamps”). They help to keep us all accountable for how we carry out our Local Pastoral Plan and other ministries to move us forward in our collaborative parishes.

Presently, CPC members from St. Martha are: Christina Sencaj (co-chair), Sue Hines, Steve Rolfe, and Sally Winslow; CPC members from St. Mary are: Mike Toomey (co-chair), Lou Bragaw, Linda Conry, Kathleen Hallett, and Rich Lambert; Youth CPC Reps are: Luke Hamilton, Braedyn Moore, and Ray Mullen. Thank you to every one of them, as well as those who have recently completed their years of service - especially Pauline Chute, member and recorder for many years. Please pray for the CPC and all of our efforts to work together in the Body of Christ, using our varied gifts and perspectives in complementary ways for the good of Christ's Church!