Renew My Church: Recreating a Vibrant Parish Community                             

Dear People of Saint Anne,

Last Wednesday, you received an eblast from me about the importance of renewal and the vision of Renew My Church.  Over the past few months, I have been meeting with Fr. Terry Keehan – Pastor of Holy Family in Inverness.  We have begun the process of discerning the best path forward toward a sustainable, vibrant and vital Catholic presence for our area.  Each of us has formed a Feedback and Discernment Team (FDT). The team includes myself, our associate pastors, our elementary school principal, and 10 parishioners from our parish community.  Details on their selection and responsibilities can be found below.

Based on the experiences of the past four years in the RMC project of the Archdiocese, it is clear that those on the FDT are called to exercise tremendous leadership, and I deeply appreciate their willingness to share their contributions in the meetings that will follow in this process.  Since Saint Anne and Holy Family will not undergo any structural changes, each FDT will focus on sharing and evaluating its own parish strengths, challenges, and opportunities.  This will build the base for creating a more vibrant Saint Anne faith community that inspires a culture of evangelization in each of our parishes.  In such a culture, parishioners feel a deep sense of belonging; experience a fresh encounter with Christ; and are inspired to share their faith boldly.  We must be good and prudent stewards of all the gifts we have been given by God, including key ministry leadership roles, programs, and activities that ensure our ability to support the faith lives of Catholics today and in the future.

There will be an opportunity for everyone in our own parish to learn about the details of those conversations, ask questions, and share their own points of view.  The purpose of our FDT is to draw close to the Lord as a community of believers in collaboration with Holy Family Church.  We will call upon the Holy Spirit as we prayerfully discern models of collaboration between our parishes. and within our parish so that we can effectively carry out the spiritual renewal and mission of the Church in our own community.

Let us pray that, above all, we allow the Holy Spirit to guide our thoughts, our words, our actions, and our decisions in this important work.  For more information, visit RenewMyChurch.org, or ask any member of the parish FDT.

Saint Anne Catholic Community Renew My Church Feedback and Discernment Team

In the Easter Peace of the Risen Christ,

Fr. Bernie Pietrzak