Pastoral Council

Pastoral Council Members 2023-2024

Pastoral Council - background & objectives

A few years ago, in 2016, we embarked on the Engaging Disciples Initiative at Immaculate Heart of Mary. The goal of the initiative was to develop a greater sense of welcome and discipleship within our community of faith and beyond through discussions, brainstorming and ministry and event planning. As an outcome of this initiative, various changes were introduced including welcoming each other before mass on Sundays to different opportunities for learning and reflection and continued development of our Faith Formation programs and ministry throughout the parish many have grown into a deeper faith and stronger relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ.

One of the desired outcomes of this initiative was to reestablish a pastoral council for the parish community. The ministry of a pastoral council is to assist the pastor in forming a pastoral vision for the parish community and forming a strategic plan to implement that vision. Over the course of 2 years between 2019 and 2021 many parish members attended workshops and webinars to bring about the pastoral council, and after a 6 month-period of meeting diligently with some of the members of the Engaging Disciples team formed the Parish Pastoral Council Implementation Team (PPCI). The PPCI team, representing a good cross section of our parish, recommended potential Pastoral Council members to me based upon our discussions of the needs and demographics of our parish community, to bring us to a starting point for a pastoral council to begin its ministry within our parish community.

After participating in a Lenten small group discussion process in 2021 and discernment, the PPCI identified the members in April 2021 and introduced the Pastoral Council to the parish on Pentecost Sunday June 12, 2021. This was followed by formation and training exercises over the summer and then the council began their ministry in the Fall - September 2021.

As we continue our work and making progress in many fronts, over the past couple of years we have accomplished much, some of which are listed below

1. Celebrated Fr. Mikes 25th anniversary

2. Various events hosted by the hospitality committee

3. Continued serving the Church through improved communications through the pandemic where we were able to bring the Word of God to people’s homes through mass livestream, improved website and social media outlets including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube

4. Launched faith formation programs such as Alpha and Beta

5. Launched Families of Faith program

6. Worked with Finance Council to improve our financial standing

Pastoral Council Updates

May 17, 2024

The parish pastoral council convened for its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, May 8th. It was a pleasure to welcome Tim, Thomas, and Alexandria, leaders from our youth ministry, who provided an update on the ministry's activities. They outlined the ministry's recent history, starting from when Rachael Flanagan was recruited in 2019 to revive the previously dormant teen ministry. Initially, the program engaged around 12 to 15 teens in bi-monthly meetings and has since expanded. Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, which necessitated a shift to weekly virtual gatherings, the ministry has grown to serve 35-40 teens. The current program fosters a teen leadership team that organizes events and includes initiatives like a feeder program for 7th and 8th graders, as well as a college care program for those attending college.

Tim, Thomas, and Alexandria expressed a desire on behalf of their ministry to establish a monthly children’s mass and volunteered to assist with its organization. They also wish to participate more actively in regular masses by serving as lectors, ushers, and altar servers. Furthermore, they have outlined ambitious plans to expand their ministry by inviting friends and schoolmates to upcoming events and leveraging social media to enhance outreach. The council members were deeply impressed by the dedication of these young individuals to their faith and the parish community. They committed to supporting the ministry’s proposals and initiatives.

June 12, 2021

Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary It is a great honor to announce the formation of our new pastoral council. While IHM has had a pastoral council in the past we hope that with a renewed understanding and engagement we can grow from past experience and bring a greater and renewed sense of community and relationship within the parish in our relationship with Jesus Christ. The council will be able to assist our pastoral ministry by advising our pastor on needs of our parishioners and helping to give vision and strategy to our community of faith in light of those needs. Thank you to our Engaging Disciples Team and Parish Pastoral Council Implementation team for their time and commitment to this process. We have discovered a new sense of commitment and devotion to our parish community through this process and it is our hope that it will continue to grow through the efforts of our Parish Pastoral Council. Over the summer the members of the council will participate in several training sessions to build community and relationship within the council and to gain a clear and unified understanding of the ministry and expectations of a pastoral council and how that will function in the context of Immaculate Heart of Mary parish. In September they will be installed properly and begin their ministry proper.

It is my pleasure to introduce you to the newly re-formed Immaculate Heart of Mary Pastoral Council:

Courtney Agnello
Rick Aiere
Stephanie DeBiase
Dave Diken
Mary Jane Bergen
Geraldine Keogh
Diane McGuinness
Kathy Mitchell
Charlie Mulrooney
Jean Naugle
Christina Peeney
Steve Prato

Please keep them, their new endeavor and our parish community of Immaculate Heart of Mary in your prayers, and that, through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, their ministry may bear much fruit.
Peace, Fr. Mike

April 17, 2021

A few years ago we embarked on the Engaging Disciples Initiative at Immaculate Heart of Mary. The goal of the initiative is to develop a greater sense of welcome and discipleship within our community of faith and beyond through discussions, brainstorming and ministry and event planning. In many little ways and big ways, directly and indirectly we have moved forward with this initiative. From welcoming each other before mass on Sundays to different opportunities for learning and reflection and continued development of our Faith Formation programs and ministry throughout the parish many have grown into a deeper faith and stronger relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ.

One of the desired outcomes of this initiative was to reestablish a pastoral council for the parish community. The ministry of a pastoral council is to assist the pastor in forming a pastoral vision for the parish community and forming a strategic plan to implement that vision. Over the past 2 years many of us have attended workshops and webinars to bring this about, and during the last 6 months we have been meeting diligently with some of the members of our Engaging Disciples team. This group has become the Parish Pastoral Council Implementation Team (PPCI).

The goal of this team, which represents a good cross section of our parish, is to recommend potential Pastoral Council members to me based upon our discussions of the needs and demographics of our parish community, to bring us to a starting point for a pastoral council to begin its ministry within our parish community.

While all of the details regarding function and process are still being developed I am happy to inform you that we are almost there. After participating in a Lenten small group discussion process and continued discussion and reflection the PPCI is now developing their list of potential candidates for our Pastoral Council. It is my hope to have this part of the process completed by the end of April and to introduce our Pastoral Council to the parish on Pentecost Sunday. They will then embark on some formation and training exercises over the summer and then begin their ministry in the Fall.

I want to thank the Engaging Disciples team and the Parish Pastoral Council Implementation team for all of their wisdom and lending their time and talent to this process. We ask all of you to continue to pray for the process that will help us continue to grow our wonderful parish community.

Peace,
Fr. Mike