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Our Vision

In the Vision Statement, we express an image of the ideal that the parish community seeks to exemplify through our faithful living out of the pastoral plan. We are called to make this vision the cornerstone of our thinking, prayer, attitudes and behaviors in our daily living. Take a few minutes to reflect upon three key aspects of this Vision:

How are we a community?

We are all members of the Body of Christ and are called to faithfully support one another and nurture each other’s ongoing development and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Collectively, we are to become God's presence in this world.

How are we to be His disciples?

A disciple of Christ responds to His call to "follow Me" with humility, love, compassion, mercy, patience and forgiveness towards all whom one encounters, especially the most needy and vulnerable.

How are we to be stewards of God's gifts?

All of our blessings, abilities, achievements and opportunities, are gifts from our loving God who is the source of all good. A steward is one who manages these gifts as the Master desires. As stewards, we are responsible for how we respect, appreciate and use our time, talent and treasure.


Our Mission

Built upon the strongest elements of the original Mission Statement adopted in 2002 and updated to reflect new opportunities and directions open to the parish in the coming years, Our Mission expresses why Saint Elizabeth Church exists; it reminds us of our personal and communal identity in Christ and our shared responsibility to give witness to Christ for those around us and for the world at large.

Our Mission articulates the intentions and actions needed to bring Our Vision to life in the everyday circumstances of our families, our neighborhoods, our schools and work places.

Our Mission is rooted in the fundamental affirmation of our identity as followers of Jesus Christ. We are called by the Word of God to welcome and accept Christ as the center of our lives and to celebrate His Death and Resurrection as the source of our eternal salvation.

We warmly invite others to become a living part of the Body of Christ and to share in the sacramental life of the Church. We offer our daily lives as living witnesses to the Gospel, Good News for all humanity!

 

Our Mission, What does it mean to…

“.... nourish and grow a holy, faithful and vibrant Catholic community...” 

Our Mission commits us to take an active role in working together to build up and sustain a parish community that is fully alive, one in which all our parishioners continue to grow in faith and strive for holiness by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

“.... warmly welcome everyone and invite all ...”

Our Mission commits us to open our hearts and minds in welcoming others wherever they are on their spiritual journey and to invite them to come to know, love and follow Jesus Christ. We are charged to reach out to families, children and young adults, middle aged and senior adults, inactive Catholics, and anyone seeking life’s deeper meaning and purpose, for we recognize that everyone needs to experience again and again Christ’s healing love.

“... a stewardship parish, in grateful acknowledgment of God's abundant gifts ...”

Our Mission commits us to receive, gratefully acknowledge, and develop the personal talents and skills God has given to each of us, and then to share these gifts freely and generously in response to the needs of others, both within and beyond the parish community. As disciples of the Lord, we, too, come not to be served, but to serve and to give our lives for the enrichment of others’ lives, with a particular concern for the least of our brothers and sisters.

“Together with the Lord .... With the grace of the Holy Spirit ...”

Our Mission reflects the affirmation of our parish Stewardship Prayer: “all that we have and all that we are” comes from the hand of God the Creator. We proclaim our true identity: not as self- made men and women, but as beloved children of the Father and brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. In the words and actions of our daily lives, we give witness to our faith in Jesus and share His mission to realize the Kingdom of God on earth. Striving to keep God at the center of our lives, we rely upon God’s grace to live as faithful disciples of Jesus, our Lord.

Nourishing a Welcoming and Inviting Parish

Have you ever wondered who the persons sitting next to you at Mass each week are - and who they really are? Have you ever felt alone or even ignored in a time of great personal need? Do you have neighbors that might accept and benefit from the love of Christ and from sharing in the life of our parish community?

Although a good number of Saint Elizabeth parishioners are actively involved in living out their Catholic Faith at home, at the parish, and at work or school, many other parishioners experience little sense of belonging and engagement in the parish and in Catholic life as a whole. So we all have a tremendous opportunity to nourish a more welcoming and inviting parish and to enrich one another’s participation in the Body of Christ.

Naturally, this demands far more than simply saying “hello” or “welcome” to people in the church building. A genuine interest in others and an empathetic listening to their personal spiritual journeys is needed, together with a convincing personal witness to the centrality of Jesus Christ in our daily lives. The disposition and attitude that each of us extends toward others bespeaks who we are as disciples of Jesus and as a community of faith. Many people around us who are struggling through life might find hope and strength in Christ Jesus through our interest and care for them. May we continue to warmly welcome and openheartedly accept every person that we encounter at church and in our daily lives in the name of Jesus, our Lord!


Building a Community of Grateful Stewards

The call to Catholic Stewardship has been at the heart of our parish life since the founding of Saint Elizabeth in 2000. This call invites all of us to recognize the many ways in which God has blessed us and to respond in gratitude for these blessings by making a personal commitment to share our time, talent and treasure with others, both in the parish and in the world.

By the grace of God, Saint Elizabeth has grown into a vibrant community of faith in which many parishioners eagerly live out this commitment to Catholic Stewardship. More than forty-five parish ministries have emerged so far and each year we explore new opportunities to serve Christ and to advance His mission in the world through our stewardship service to others.

Because all of our lives are already filled with many daily demands, finding time to share our gifts is often very difficult. And while time is always a challenge, many parishioners may also feel lacking in the skills needed to take on leadership responsibilities in new areas of ministry. So the pastoral plan will include efforts not only to expand the variety of parish ministries, but also to develop new training programs for servant leadership. May all of us gratefully receive God’s gifts and share them abundantly with others, both within and beyond our own parish!


Growing in a Christ-centered Life through the Sacraments

How many times have you heard someone you know complain that he or she gets nothing out of the Mass? Have you expressed the same sentiment yourself? How long has it been since you experienced the merciful forgiveness of God in the Sacrament of Penance? How does the grace-filled Spirit of God given to you in the Sacrament of Confirmation shape your daily living as a disciple of Jesus Christ?

By our Baptism into Jesus Christ, each of us has been incorporated into a unique spiritual family - the Church. And it is in the Sacraments of the Church that we continue to encounter Jesus and are strengthened by His grace to live faithfully and responsibly as His disciples in the midst of our families, friends and neighbors, our work colleagues and local communities. As mature disciples, we are challenged to make decisions every day that reflect how much of our hearts we have given over to Christ and to the mission of His Church in the world. May all of us renew our Baptismal commitment to follow Christ and to draw nourishment and strength from the Sacraments on our spiritual journey to the Kingdom of God!


Knowing and Practicing our Catholic Faith and Traditions

Do you have unasked or unanswered questions about Church teachings on faith and moral living? Have you ever taken an opportunity to understand the Catholic Faith in an adult manner, rather than in the images and the expressions of the elementary catechesis you received in your childhood? How mature is your understanding of our Catholic Faith at this point in your life?

All of us are called to an ongoing faith formation through which we come to understand our Faith more fully, embrace our Faith more sincerely and practice our Faith more consistently. In today’s pluralistic and increasingly secular world of everyday living, it is even more critical for adult and young adult believers to invest some of their time and energy to prayerful reflection, studying the Word of God in the Sacred Scriptures, reading and openly discussing with others what the Church teaches and why. As the First Letter of Saint Peter reminds us: “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear.” (1 Peter 3/15-16).

May all of us continue to grow into a fuller appreciation of the gift of our faith in Jesus Christ, renew our commitment to put our faith into practice, and willingly share it with others!


Offering Compassionate Pastoral Care

All of us have encountered sick relatives and friends, lonely people who need someone to talk to, those unable to find employment, men and women struggling with addiction, families weighed down by conflicted relationships, and those who for whatever reasons have withdrawn from the Church. So many human hearts are aching!

In his public ministry, Jesus was particularly drawn towards people who are suffering in any way. In his own person Christ demonstrates the truth of Psalm 103: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. Our God is a compassionate God!

Extending compassionate pastoral care to others in need in not solely the responsibility of priests and deacons. Every disciple of Christ shares in His pastoral ministry by offering personal and spiritual support to those we encounter in everyday life. Saint Paul calls us to “put on the attitude of Christ” and to model our lives after the pattern of Christ in caring for the needs of others.


Calling Others to Christian Discipleship

Have you ever felt a call to speak to another person about your faith or the power of Christ’s love and been too afraid to do so? Has your faith become solely an individual spiritual journey rather than one of evangelization - that is: sharing your great gift of faith with others? How often do you think  “I wish that he or she knew Christ as I do? They would be so much happier handling the challenges of life.”

A personal invitation, supported by our own example of faith-filled and upright living, is the most powerful call to others to open their hearts to Christ and to experience His love in their lives. How we live each day as disciples of Jesus committed in service to others is a convincing witness to all whom we encounter. Through this combination of selfless service and personal invitation to others, we can expand the church of Christ in our midst, one person at a time. All of us share in the commission Jesus gave to his first disciples: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

Background to the 2017-2021 Pastoral Plan

As Saint Elizabeth Parish enjoys its 19th year, the Pastoral Council has developed a new pastoral plan. It is designed to guide our spiritual growth as disciples and as the Body of Christ in a highly complex and increasingly secular world.

This plan was conceived, prayed over and developed with reference to the 2011-2015 Pastoral Plan and the original Parish Mission Statement. These have been updated to reflect where we stand on our parish journey, with input from interviews and surveys conducted with a cross- section of parishioners. The new pastoral plan is intended to sustain and enhance our many positive attributes and ministries in service to God and others.

The 2017-2021 Pastoral Plan provides:

The pastoral plan builds on past accomplishments while strengthening our desire and commitment to become a more engaging, Christ-centered parish for everyone we encounter. Discipleship and stewardship remain foundational tenets for who we are and who we hope to be.

The six new pastoral goals reflect where our prayers, energies, financial and human resources are to be focused. Each goal includes a set of objectives that will guide the development of programs and initiatives at the parish.

We hope that you are excited and enriched by this pastoral plan as we move forward as a faithful stewardship parish. We pray that all our parishioners may hear Christ’s call to disciple-ship and respond to that call with a more faith-filled Catholic life. May God continue to direct us on our journey to eternal life with Him!

Father Thomas Mullin and the Pastoral Council

  1. Summary Document
  2. November 2016 Presentation
  3. Brochure
  4. Feedback Form