In last week’s column, I presented the following vision statement for St. Mary’s Parish: Our vision of St. Mary’s Parish is to celebrate the Eucharist on Sunday in a manner that it will sustain and energize all we do as a community of Catholic believers. The way in which we worship will inspire and be central to (1) our spiritual life, (2) our commitment to life-long education in the faith, (3) our Christian outreach to others, (4) our evangelization of those who have not heard the Gospel or fallen away from it, and (5) our commitment to support the infrastructures that will enable us to carry out our mission.
In this week’s column, I am drawing out the implications of that vision statement in more detail. In this statement, our Sunday worship stands at the center of all that we do; and all that we do flows from our life as a worshipping community.
Worship The Heart and Center of Our Parish Life The heart and center of our life as a parish community is the Sunday Eucharist, at which we participate in the saving death and life-giving resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our Eucharistic celebration is the primary reason for our parish life, and from this celebration all else flows.
Spiritual Growth and Prayer The Fruit of Our Life of Worship Inasmuch as the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life, it is the Eucharist that enables us to live a spiritual life and pray daily. The spiritual and prayer life that we live in the world during the rest of the week will flow from and be intimately related to our experience of Sunday worship.
Life Long Education The Means of Preserving and Enhancing our Life of Worship The Christian life requires ongoing education in the faith for all the members of our parish if we are to worship in a fruitful manner. We will educate ourselves and others throughout our life in the Christian faith. We believe that education in our faith is an imperative that flows from our life of worship. Accordingly, we will provide diverse opportunities for education in the faith for all of our parishioners at every stage of their life.
Social Outreach to Others The Way in Which We Express our Worship in the World Our worship is related to our concern for the world. Therefore, our worship and our spiritual life will lead to service and engagement with the world in light of the gospel we proclaim and the Eucharist we celebrate, especially to those less fortunate than ourselves.
Evangelization The Mission of the Worshipping Community Jesus Christ commands us to preach the gospel to all nations. Therefore, in addition to reaching out to those less fortunate than ourselves, our worship will lead us to preach the gospel to those who have not heard the saving gospel of Jesus Christ or have fallen away from their Catholic faith.
Space and Place The Requirements for Worship, Education and Mission To carry out our mission as a Eucharistic Community called to worship, educate, reach out, and proclaim the gospel, our parish will need facilities that respond to our mission.