“What Makes A Parish”

As we prepare to celebrate our 40th Anniversary as a parish, it gives us an opportunity to reflect on what has made
our parish, or any parish, prosper and grow in grace and faith, as well as to fulfill the mission of the Gospel.
 
One simple answer might be to state that what makes any parish great is God. It is His grace that allows us to be a
community, as He is the reason for us to come together to worship. It is also because of all of His many gifts specifically
given to all of our members. Over the 40 years since our parish was founded, tens of thousands of members have given of their
time and talents and financial treasure in support of our parish. It is when we recognize that all we have is a gift from God, and
that we give some back in thanksgiving so others may benefit.  So what makes a parish effective, is God working through people.  
 
A Catholic parish should be a community and place where we celebrate that greatest of all feasts, the greatest celebration
of all, the sacrifice of the Mass, and where we turn for comfort and grace through all of life’s challenges. The vision of a parish
is that it is a spiritual family, not just a group of near-strangers we might briefly encounter once or week, or a place we only
seek out when we need something. 
 
A successful parish involves lay men and women in leadership roles; they pay special attention to
Sunday Mass; the focus on developing the faith of all of its members and those in their neighborhoods by forming disciples; and they
look outward into the community by finding ways to evangelize.  If you are like me, you might feel that we are not there yet and
we need to grow and learn. Will you help our parish as those in the past have done? 
 
We’ve had some broken fences on our property that need to be fixed, can you help to replace them or give some extra money so we
can hire out to have these repairs done?  We need to paint the Parish Hall, a bid came in for $6,000 to have a professional do it. There
are many projects that need attention and they take either volunteers to do the work or for us to pay to have it done? It is the volunteer
spirit of those who have practiced Stewardship in the past that has provided us with what we have today, and it should be our response
to help take care of it.  Let’s celebrate our goodness and blessings by committing to honor and celebrate Prince of Peace’s past, present
and future now..., and in the future, by giving more of what we have received.
 
God bless,
Fr. Jerry