Blessings in the Lord Jesus.
The time has come for us to take another look at our progress as a parish toward activating our strategic plan and realizing our vision. We have a lot of achievements to celebrate thus far. For example, we are praying our parish prayer before all Sunday Masses, as well as many ministry gatherings. We are working with our leaders to become more deliberate about practising intentional accompaniment in our ministry relationships. We have also been assembling and training prayer teams to provide ministry for people at our monthly Surge event and are looking to expand this ministry. Thanks be to God, who continues to delight and to surprise us as He touches many hearts in our midst. Special thanks to the Parish Council, Finance Council, and Communications Team for producing this report. Let’s keep giving generously of our time, talents, and treasures to the parish, trusting that God will multiply our offerings by His grace in marvelous ways.
Sincerely in Christ, Fr. Tim, Pastor
Communicate progress under the strategic plan 3 times per year; Employ various communication methods.
Welcome to the winter issue of Momentum, Parish Council’s second of three reports this ministry year against objectives under our five-year strategic plan. Added to this issue is Finance Council’s year-end financial report for 2022 and budget for 2023.
It’s remarkable to see how the Lord has helped us over the past year to translate our renewed mission and vision into an achievable strategic plan. It’s equally remarkable to see how quickly we are gaining traction on many of our strategic objectives, as noted under each article title. Though Momentum shares some features with a newsletter, it is primarily a progress report to keep parishioners informed as we purposefully move toward our vision of becoming more missional over the period 2022-2027. Regular features will include a glory story and a ministry focus, so look for the articles on Jammie McKenzie’s faith journey and on our altar servers in this issue. You’ll also find updates here on various discipleship and evangelization initiatives, as well as our new human resources information system (HRIS).
Presenting the reports of Parish Council and Finance Council as two parts of the same document underlines the reality that the work of these two planning and advisory bodies is interwoven and mutually supportive. Parish finances support the mission of the parish, and as we carry out our mission and grow in our love for Jesus and our desire to serve Him, our joy in giving back to the Lord from what He has given us will also grow. Each step toward our vision is a step of faith, made in the confidence that the Lord will provide the means necessary for us to become the parish of our vision. But crazy as it may seem sometimes, the Lord chooses and uses us to accomplish His purposes. When we pray for Him to finance the vision, we’re really praying that He will open up our hearts and minds to fully embrace the vision and lead us to increase our giving as He enables us.
So, read this annual report as one continuous whole, rejoicing in the things that have been accomplished and the strategic objectives that are being met, and responding to the Lord’s challenge to give more to His work at St. Maurice. We can never outgive the Lord. Let’s trust Him for even greater things in 2023 as we continue to unfold our mission to KNOW GROW GO and explore ways of serving Him beyond our parish doors.
Your Parish Council
Communicate the ideal characteristics of a missionary disciple.
Jesus invites each person to follow Him (Luke 9:23), learn from Him (Matt 11:28-29), and love like Him (John 15:12) as His disciples. When we surrender our wills (to follow), our minds (to learn), and our hearts (to love) to the Lord, we will experience the abundance of life He came to give us (John 10:10).
This lifelong process of following Jesus is called discipleship, and it involves not just us but every person in our lives. Everyone has a right to receive the Gospel and follow Jesus, who commanded His Church to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt 29:19). Iit is our responsibility and joy to share Him with others (Phil 1:18).
Here at St. Maurice, we aim to form and guide every person in their lifelong journey of missionary discipleship. It is the end goal of our discipleship pathway, which we’re still developing. Although this journey looks different from person to person, there are attributes that are common to everyone who is maturing as a Christian. After prayer, research, and discernment, we’ve compiled a list, a sketch of sorts, of what a missionary disciple looks like. Combined with your yes to God, these dispositions and actions will allow Him to transform you into the man or woman He created you to be: one who loves Him and others. Let us know what you think of this list.
Avery Burrowes, Team Lead for
Discipleship and Evangelization
