Serving the Parishes of
St. Martha and St. Mary
Plainville & Wrentham MA
St. Martha and St. Mary
Plainville & Wrentham MA
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Motivated by Hope
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Motivated by Hope
In the latest Star Wars movie, Rogue One, a new character is introduced: a droid (robot) named K- 2SO, who tends to offer unsolicited information about the odds of success or failure in whatever action the protagonists are about to take. While lines like, "There is a ninety-seven point six percent chance of failure," can be comical for the audience, they are clearly demoralizing for those trying to succeed! By contrast, the lead character, Jyn Erso, is able to motivate, inspire, and attract others to their cause - however treacherous - by her message of hope. As disciples of Christ, we have the greatest message of hope: Jesus has already won the victory, sin and death have been conquered, so ultimately "all things work for the good for those who love God" (Romans 8:28).
Last April as we formed a new committee called the Plan Writing Team, I wrote in this column: "We have two very good parishes here in Plainville and Wrentham, but with a little more prayer, discernment, planning and effort we could have two amazing parishes! What would you imagine amazing Catholic parishes in our communities would be like, and what can we do to work toward those ideals?" Since that time, the Plan Writing Team (PWT) has made great progress with researching and writing a Local Pastoral Plan to strengthen and grow each of our parishes. With the support of the Pastoral Team (clergy and staff) and CPC , drafts of several parts of the plan were submitted for review by the offices of the archdiocese who are guiding and supporting us in this project. With their feedback strongly supporting these initial parts of the plan, we are genuinely excited by the enthusiasm and progress of this team!
The "Vision" statement in the plan attempts to capture the ideals of amazing Catholic parishes and the enthusiasm of this team. The draft as it now stands reads:
Picture this... Our parishes are filled with Catholics engaged in their faith experience through a welcoming atmosphere, inspiring music, meaningful homilies, and sacramental celebrations. A growing number of parishioners recognize we are all called to be intentional disciples of Jesus Christ, realizing that growing our relationship with Him is a lifelong process. As disciples, we reach out to others, inviting them to partake in both spiritual and outreach activities.
Doesn't this reflect a hopeful picture for the future of our parishes? You are invited to send your feedback and questions about the planning process to [email protected].
Like with the survey results I shared with you last year and this column now, we will be keeping you informed as this work progresses. In turn, we need your prayers for the Holy Spirit to guide our work, that the good work God has begun in our planning may grow to increase the hope and inspiration in our parishes!