Pastoral Council Update – December 2024

December 12, 2024

As this year comes to an end, the Pastoral Council would like to update you all on our continuing efforts this past quarter. Since our last update in September, we’ve had the pleasure of welcoming Fr. Chris Muñoz to our parish, as well as two new Council members: Susi Boss and Ruben Hernandez. Ron Janak and Janie Mireles were re-elected to the Council, and Ashley MacShane was voted in as Chairperson. Departing Council members are Azucena Chu and Ricardo Garcia; we are so thankful for their service this past year.

Our parish Festival was a huge success! Special thanks to our Festival Co-Chairs, James Sulak and Sandra Lynch. We had a great turnout and sold over 1,200 truck raffle tickets. Feedback was very positive regarding the relocation of kids’ games and increased parking. We will continue to evaluate the event to see how we can make next year’s Festival even better. Thank you to everyone who contributed to its success.

As a Council, we remain focused on establishing Standing Committees and aligning ministries and organizations closely with those committees. Strengthening the bond between ministries and committees will help unite the parish under a shared vision and create more opportunities for collaboration across all levels. Our primary focus has been reviving the Stewardship Committee, which will begin meeting in the new year.

Several of our committees held successful events during the past quarter:

The Evangelization Committee welcomed Fr. Krikor Gregory Chanin for an Advent Evening of Reflection. This presentation was simulcast in Spanish and received an excellent response from attendees.

The Family Life Committee celebrated All Saints and All Souls Day with living Saints, cemetery tours, and games. They also hosted the Advent Wreath Donuts event, featuring special guests, the Salesian Sisters. The Sisters offered a beautiful Advent reflection while participants built Advent wreaths out of donuts, learning the symbolism behind each wreath element.

Looking ahead to the new year, we have more exciting updates:
The Building Committee will assess the needs for the future Family Life Center.
Plans are underway to provide a playground for the children of the parish. More details will be shared in our next quarterly update.

We wish each of you a Merry Christmas and a joyful New Year!

The Parish Council
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Pastoral Council Update – September 2024

September 16, 2024

Since the last Pastoral Council update in February 2024, the Council has continued to work towards cementing the Standing Committees and aligning all ministries closely with one or more committees. Creating a strong bond between ministries and committees will further unite the parish in its vision and foster more collaboration across all levels of the parish.

We are continuing to finalize the new parish photo directory with the guidance of our interim pastor, Fr. Mark. Approximately 365 families had their photos taken for the directory out of the 1,800 families registered. The submission of the directory was delayed until our new pastor, Fr. Chris, was named and his photo taken. The current expected delivery date for the directories is December 2024.

In August, several Pastoral Council members attended Pastoral Council training administered by the Archdiocese at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church. This was an opportunity to prayerfully evaluate our goals as a Council and assess the potential of our parish. All the members ended the day feeling renewed and inspired to serve our St. Joseph parish community. We will continue the training over the next several months, focusing on our mission and the needs of our parish.

In July, the Pastoral Council began planning and conducting an election for four new Council members, with the election scheduled for September 14-15. The Council informed the parish in late July about the timeline of events, candidate requirements, and voting procedures. The first meeting for the new members will be on October 21.

Additionally, the Pastoral Council had a table at the parish-wide Ministry Fair in August, where we had the opportunity to speak with several parishioners about their concerns and issues. Other topics discussed at our monthly meetings included the safety concerns regarding the main entryway to our church grounds and potential alternatives, the need for a playground for our young families, and the importance of updating the parish Master Plan. We recommended the formation of a Parish Building Committee to address current and future needs, as well as a Stewardship Committee.

In closing, we will continue to represent the common good of the parish, fostering unity and community in all parish activities. We also look forward to welcoming Fr. Chris as our new pastor and shepherd. We hope to see you all at our parish festival this October.

The Pastoral Council