Pastoral Council

This weekend, after each mass, a member of our Pastoral Council gave a witness to the work that has already been done for our Parish by the Pastoral Council. The text of the speeches follow. The Church of Saint Luke is accepting nominations now for Pastoral Council. Please consider to join our Parish Council or select someone who is fit for the role. Nominees to the pastoral council must attend two discernment meetings on October 14 and October 21 at 7:00 The ballot box will be located in the sanctuary in the Church. Please fill out the nomination form on the back of the bulletin, cut or tear it out and place the ballot in the box. Thank you!

Martin Diorio

Good afternoon.

As most of you are aware, we are in the process of accepting nominations for the Pastoral Council. Three years ago, I was asked by Father Quinnan to join the council and it has been my honor and privilege to have served as Vice Chair. Our first task was to develop a mission statement to guide us in our work which can be found on the front of our bulletin. Members of the council were asked to read the book “Divine Renovation” along with its workbook as a resource. I believe that that the subtitle of this book clearly defined our task- bringing our parish from maintenance to mission. We are all aware of the challenges facing our church today from declining attendance and participation to an increasing secular society, The council has begun to address strengths and weaknesses in our Worship, Evangelization, Discipleship, and Community as well as threats and opportunities. Over the past three years, we hope you have experienced the results of our work including Alpha and Connect groups, Life in the Spirit, Faithful Neighbors, Greeters, Sunday Café and St. Theresa of Calcutta ministry to name a few. However, our work is far from over. As a psychologist, I believe that one’s sense of belonging is essential to one’s emotional and spiritual health. It is vital, then for you, as a parishioner to have a sense of belonging and, consequently, ownership in where our parish is headed. It is with this spirit, that I ask you to consider nominating yourself or fellow parishioner for the Pastoral Council.

In his beautifully written letters in the bulletin ( no, he didn’t ask me to say that), Father Quinnan has outlined the job description for members of the Pastoral Council. I want to highlight the importance of members coming from all groups within our parish community. My experience on the council has been that each member has contributed their unique gifts and talents in working toward our goals. The time commitment is minimal but the spiritual rewards have been immense. We ask for your  prayers that the Holy Spirit continue to guide the Council in its mission to be become disciples of Christ.

I would be happy to answer any questions after mass. Thank you and God bless all of you and the Church of St. Luke.

Ana Rivera

Good Morning my fellow parishioners

My name is Ana Rivera. I have been a member of St. Luke’s for 31 years. A member who came to mass on Sundays and went home when mass ended. I never had any connection to anyone, I also taught CCD and that was good. 3 years ago I became an active member of St. Luke’s. I accepted a nomination to become a Parish council member, or a participant of the Divine Renovation of our church. Divine Renovation is a wonderful book we read a council. This book encouraged us to look at our strengths and weaknesses as a parish. We studied, worship, evangelization, discipleship and community. We identified some challenges like declining attendances, who is the stranger in the pew next to me, what is the church mission and do I belong here? As well as other challenges. The parish council we hope have provided some solutions such as Alpha and connect groups, greeters to welcome everyone to the parish, community cage to come and meet the stranger in the pew next to you, St. Theresa of Calcutta for any parishioner needing help, Life in the Spirit, and Faithful neighbors ministry to name a few. But my fellow parishioners, we are not done, there is still more work that needs to be done. It has been an honor for me to serve as a member of the parish council. I strongly feel that this is my place, my church, a place where I belong and a part of a parish moving forward.

So my friends, I ask you to ask yourself do I want to be a part of where my parish is headed? Do I want to be an active member of my parish? Please pray on this, nominate yourself, or a fellow parishioner as a Pastoral Council member. In today’s Gospel, Our Lord says “Ephphatha” – be open.

Thank you for your time. If you have any questions, I am happy to answer them. God Bless!

Anthony Stevens-Arroyo

You know me as cantor and commentator. You may not know that three years ago, I had the honor of being elected for three years as a member of St. Luke’s Pastoral Council. Well, my term is up and it is an election year. I confess that I will not be the first 80-year-old to decide not to run again. That means I have to convince one of you to become a member.

The purpose of the Pastoral Council has been spelled out by Fr. Quinnan in the parish bulletin and you can find theological explanations online. But I have often found that things are clearer when you know what they are NOT. I ‘d say that the Pastoral Council is not like the Board of Directors of a bank where they spend time figuring out how to make money and avoid being sued. It is also not like a school board where some members think their job is telling others what to say and not say or what books to read or not to read.

Since football season has begun, allow me a sports’ metaphor. The Pastoral Council is like a meeting of coaches. The head coach asks the assistant coach of the linebackers how the guys are defending a screen pass. Then he asks the receivers coach when they want to send a man in motion. The head coach hears from everyone about the team assessing the challenges presented and before settling on a game plan. Having everyone work together is the key for the head coach knowing what buttons to push on game day to move the ball down the field.  

Two things were part of almost every Pastoral Council meeting I attended. The first is feedback. Just like the assistant coaches brief the head coach, the council gives Father Quinnan feedback: we need more orange cones in the parking lot; Thursday won’t be a good time for parents with kids in Stroudsburg high school because of the parents’ meeting that night; people at the 8:00 Mass prefer the hot breakfast. Quality feedback like this from many different sources helps the parish make overall good and practical decisions.

The second function is service. At the council meeting, I heard things like: “Somebody has to pick up the flowers. Somebody has to set up the tables and chairs. Somebody has to turn on the coffee-maker.” Just think: if you join the Pastoral Council, you could be somebody!

I know some of your excuses, because I made them myself three years ago. “I am not holy enough for the council. It’s all I can do to get the family in the car and go to Mass on Sunday.” Another one is: “I never went to Catholic school. All that Latin is Greek to me.” And the big one is: “I don’t have the time.” The Pastoral Council requires an average of two hours each month. But honestly, those two hours are about the same time as it takes to go to the movies, watch a game on TV or play bridge with the ladies. If you have any of these excuses, I’m here to tell you the Pastoral Council needs people who know they are not saints yet, who don’t speak Latin, and who are always busy helping others.

Well, my time is up. If you are convinced that we need good people on the Pastoral Council, raise your hand. Don’t be shy: raising your hand is a form of Catholic yoga. OK. Here is what you have to do: fill out the form with your name and contact information and place it in the box of nominations. Better yet, fill out the form with the name of another person you think should be on the council. That’s what happened with me. I didn’t want to be on the council, but other people nominated me and I felt that God was asking me through them to serve.

Filling out the form is not a death sentence. You will be contacted about making a retreat of discernment to see if you fit with the council and the council fits with you. Even if you don’t join in the end, the retreat is a special journey for your soul. You will see how once guided by the Holy Spirit, ordinary people can achieve extraordinary results for God and for St. Luke’s Parish. All this is the reward for simply putting a name on a paper. Don’t miss this chance to do something for the greater glory of God.