Dear Parishioners of St. Joan of Arc Parish,
As your pastor for the past six years, I am grateful for your support and friendship, and consider it an important part of my ministry, spirituality, and operational leadership, while learning more about our parish and its membership each day.
After prayerfully reflecting upon my time at St. Joan of Arc, I ask for the Lord’s continued blessings on our parish and my ministry here. I feel compelled to continue to challenge my talents to provide the most inspired leadership for our parish possible.
In light of that desire, let me share some important objectives that will hopefully guide me in my service to our parish. They are in no particular order, and each item carries with it an implied desire for the continued, prayerful and active support of our parishioners:
- Evangelization – bringing Catholics back to Mass and leading souls to Christ.
- Being a good steward; providing for our ongoing financial stability.
- Connecting the school and parish families as one community of faith.
- Experiencing a strong youth ministry – spiritually engaging our future.
- Further enhancing our worship space; enriching our liturgical experience.
- Leading our commitment to being a stewardship parish.
As we contemplate a plan for our parish, and considering the many facets of parish life, it is easy to become cynical and perhaps doubt what we can achieve in the face of so much uncertainty in the economy and perhaps in our own lives. I submit that we have the necessary talent to prayerfully commit to these goals. With your support, and the combined strength of our prayers, we will accomplish what is expected of us.
We are all blessed to work with the good people of our community and each day I pray we find ourselves capable of achieving all God requires of us. With this focus and a renewed sense of commitment, we will succeed in obtaining these goals.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support. May the Gift of the Holy Spirit on this Pentecost day continue to guide me in my work here at St. Joan of Arc and provide us with the means necessary to progress toward these six goals I have established for our parish.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Very Rev. Gregory R. Hite, VF
Pastor
