Saint Cyril
Of Alexandria Church
153 Penn Boulevard,
East Lansdowne, Pa 19050
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
Cardinal Rigali has granted approval for all the schools in our cluster to begin a Formal Self-Study. Blessed Virgin Mary, Darby; St. Alice, Upper Darby; St. Philomena, Lansdowne and St. Cyril’s will each conduct a separate Self-Study to determine how each parish can effectively offer quality Catholic education to the children of the parish.
Committees to study each of the schools will be formed in the near future. It is our hope that once the studies are completed, each parish will have a clear picture of its strengths and opportunities. What the conclusions of each parish will be remains to be seen. What the future holds will not be known for months to come.
Please pray for the success of our own Parish School Self-Study. We know that
we have an excellent school. We simply need to have a clear vision of how we can
best provide for our children in the future. May God bless our efforts as we
continue to seek the best way to educate our children about the wonders of God
and His world.
Click here for
more information.
March
29, 2004
Parish Council Meeting
In Attendance:
Father Kearns Mary Kate Harris Jim Gray
Mary Kate Kleinberg Anne Marie Nance Bill Nestor
Mary Lou Love Joanne Leonard
Father Kearns opened the meeting at 7:10 p.m. with a short Prayer Service.
The minutes of the February 9th meeting were reviewed and approved. Two handouts were distributed: The Parish Pastoral Council Goals and the Pastoral Plan Sheets.
Report on Finances
It was reported that local bills are being paid, but not the diocesan bills at this time. At the present time, it appears we will lose less money than last year. The auditor had positive comments after her visit. Contributions have increased with the tithing program. We will try to formulate a budget for next year. Father would like one person or a committee to get us on a more even keel.
Report on Family Visitation
Joanne Leonard reported that the second Outreach meeting took place on March 3rd with eight families in attendance. Out of 100 phone calls, 22 families had initially accepted the invitation.
Characteristics of a Vital Parish
Out of the six goals that the council decided were the most important for the parish to achieve, Father asked us to select one goal and work on formulating a Pastoral Plan. The goal selected was the first, Cultural Diversity.
The goal is to include various cultures in the celebration of the Mass. The different cultural groups were identified: Pakistani, Indian, African American, Haitian and Vietnamese. Our objective through this celebration will be for us to be a “Welcoming Community.”
What is the First Step?
· Identifying what cultures are present in our parish. Mary Kate Kleinberg will generate a list. The target date for this is April 12, 2004.
What is the Second Step?
· Contact identified communities and invite them to a Multi-Cultural Mass. Also, ask for their participation in the Mass; i.e., lectors, a procession to bring up the gifts, etc. Mary Kate Kleinberg and Anne Marie Nance will make calls by May 15th and invite the identified groups to a Mass on Sunday, June 6th at 10:30 a.m.
What is the Third Step?
· Father Kearns will do liturgy and training by the end of May.
Oversight and Evaluation
· Mary Lou Love and Mary Kate Harris will take on the responsibility of advertising this event in the Parish Bulletin. This may also solicit responses from interested people who may not be registered in the parish but who attend Mass on a regular basis. It was suggested that a list of parish organizations be made available in the pews for any of these people who might be interested in becoming more involved in the parish.
As a result of the above discussion, The Pastoral Plan was completed and is attached to the minutes.
Other Business
There was some discussion about the new basket collection procedure. Also, one of the members shared comments from some parishioners regarding the receiving of the wine at Communion. At this time, the wine will still be distributed from a chalice.
The next meeting was set for Monday, May 24th, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. The meeting adjourned at 8:10 p.m. with a concluding prayer from Father Kearns.
Beyond the family, the most common Church experience for Catholics is the parish. In the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, every parish is being invited to strive toward Renewal. A Pastoral Council, a consultative body which advises and assists the pastor in areas of pastoral concern, has been established in every parish. Through the Parish Pastoral Councils, parishes are engaging in Parish Pastoral Planning. (3 steps)
The Parish Pastoral Council adopts a Mission Statement through which the parish expresses its identity as a community of faith and sets broad goals.
Called by God
to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ,
we, the parishioners of St. Cyril of Alexandria,
extend our hearts and minds to a vision of Unity
that will draw us into sincere relationships with each other
which will fill us with hope for the future.
Let us come
together enthusiastically,
preparing and participating in the Sunday liturgy and all the sacraments.
Let us share
our gifts generously,
offering our talents to the parish,
through formal organizations and informal gatherings.
Let us echo
Christ's message of love, peace, justice,
compassion, understanding and forgiveness.
Let us teach
the Good News of Christ
in matters of faith, morals and values.
Let us reach
out to serve all of God's people:
the proud, the humble, the rich, the poor,
the advantaged, the disadvantaged, the strong, the weak,
and those who are alienated from the Church.
We pledge to find God and serve Him in all persons.
This is our vision for the future of our parish.
We believe that
"all that happens to us is working for our good
if we love God and are fitting into His plans." (Romans 8:28)
We invite all to join us in our mission.
Parish Self-Study is a prayerful, reflective process in which a parish through its Pastoral Council assesses how effectively it is carrying out its mission. The final results of the Parish Self-Study are the Pastoral Council's Recommendations. The Council then studies ways in which these Recommendations can be implemented in the parish.
As Parish Pastoral Planning continues, parishes of a particular Cluster (St. Cyril is in Cluster 63 along with Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Alice, St. Laurence, St. Louis, and St. Philomena) are called together in a process of Cluster Pastoral Planning. The Regional Vicar gathers representatives from this group of parishes (members of the pastoral councils) to reflect prayerfully and dialogue about the vitality of the Church in that area. He leads the group in a collaborative process to evaluate whether the parishes, programs buildings and organizational structures in a given cluster are of the necessary number, type, and variety of the Parish Pastoral Plans of that cluster. The product of the Cluster Pastoral Planning is the recommendation to the Regional Vicar, for presentation to the Archbishop, of a five-year pastoral plan for the parishes in that cluster. This plan would include organizing and coordinating ministerial activities within the cluster for a more effective expression of Church in the parishes of that cluster.