A Message from Fr. David, April 24, 2022

Annual Appeal 2022
The Finance Council and I are delighted to share with you that St. James has reached our 2022 Annual Appeal goal!

Thank you for your generous support of this important annual appeal. As you are aware, the annual appeal goal is guaranteed, which means if we do not reach our goal in funds collected the shortfall would have been added as an expense in our Fiscal Year 2023 budget. And because we have exceeded our goal, the extra funds will be used to refinish the wooden exterior church doors in time for this summer’s 20th anniversary of the church building.

FORWARD IN FAITH – Continuing the Conversation
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 7 months since our Forward in Faith Listening Sessions. The objective of the Listening Sessions was to invite parishioners to one of two in-person sessions at which the parish
leadership (parish staff, Pastoral Council, Finance Council, and myself) were present, or participate via an online survey or a paper survey. Both the in-person listening sessions and survey were meant to provide
an opportunity for the parish leadership to hear parishioners’ assessment of the state of the parish. The process was facilitated by an external consultant, Dennis M. Corcoran.

While the in-person sessions and survey feedback echoed a positive outlook and showed the love parishioners have for Saint James Church, the overall participation was low (approximately 8% of registered
parishioners). As such, the parish leadership and I would like to offer another opportunity for parishioners to provide feedback not only on the state of the parish but also on your hopes and dreams for our future.

For the next 3 weekends (April 23-24, April 30-May 1, and May 7-8) members of the parish Pastoral Council will be available in the narthex/gathering space after all the Masses (Saturday and Sunday)
to hear from you.

Take some time to reflect on the following questions and share your thoughts with a member of the Pastoral Council after Mass or via email (pastoralcouncil@saintjamesparish.org).

• How do we do as a parish sharing faith with others – both inside and outside the parish?
• Are our parish liturgies relevant, inspiring with welcoming participation?
• Does our parish have a sense of life-long formation and learning about our faith?
• How does our parish do at fostering a sense of unity – “many gifs one Spirit”?
• Does our parish reach out consistently to those in need, the hurting, disenfranchised, and poor?
• Is there a system of leadership in our parish that addresses the needs of the parish and clearly plans for a successful future?

Quote of the Week