First Sunday of Advent, November 2021
Dear Parishioners of St. Thomas the Apostle,
After becoming pastor at St. Thomas, I desired to reintroduce a Pastoral Council to the parish. I listened and asked for the advice of individuals as to who should serve on this new council. I believe the Holy Spirit allowed me to select individuals who represent a cross-section of the community.
Catholic pastors consult pastoral councils in order to be better leaders. Pastors ask their councilors to investigate some aspect of the church, reflect on it, and recommend their conclusions. In brief, the work of the pastoral council assists the pastor in the pastoral planning of the parish.
Beginning in October 2020, the Pastoral Council began the prayerful process of developing a new Vision and Mission Statement for the parish. The last mission statement St. Thomas had was from the 1990s and focused on the building of the new church and school. Needless to say, it was a bit out of date and needed to have a fresh- and forward-looking focus.
A Parish Mission Statement is a concise expression of a parish's purpose for existence. It helps the parish identify itself as a community of faith and set broad goals. It responds to the questions: Who are we as a parish? What do we value? What do we seek to become as a parish community? The Parish Mission Statement is rooted in the mission of the universal church and that of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Over the coming year the Pastoral Council and as well as parish will help develop objects and goals as we formulate our Five Year Pastoral Plan. You will be hearing more on this matter in the months ahead and will have an opportunity to contribute to the process.
I ask that as we begin a new Liturgical Year, you take the Missions Statement and its accompanying value statements and prayerfully reflect on them.
I pray you have a blessed Advent Season,
Fr. Steve
Members of the Pastoral Council 2020 - 2021
Greg Chestnut - Chair of the Pastoral Council
Pat McFadden – Vice-Chair
Mark Sanders – Secretary
Christina Anastasia Frank & Justine Annunziato
Deacon Fran Phillips John Collins
Heather Fagan Kevin Kelly
Adam Nancarrow Maria Rizzo
Alycia Schlenk
Andrew Lowry – Principal, Ex Officio
Rev. Ed Ogden, O.S.F.S. – Parochial Vicar
Vision and Mission Statements
OUR VISION (What We Strive Towards)
A generous Catholic Faith community who is integral to the Mission of the Church, devoted to the Holy Trinity, making church matter, united in prayer, joyful in worship, nourished by Sacred Scripture, committed to our neighbors and to making disciples.
OUR MISSION (What We Do)
We will make disciples by joyfully worshipping the Holy Trinity, lovingly helping our neighbors in need, and warmly welcoming those who seek a home with our Lord.
Condensed
Make Church Matter: Love God. Love Neighbor. Make Disciples.
OUR VALUES (What We Hold Dear)
Catholic Education
We believe our Catholic School and Parish Religious Education Programs matter, are indispensable to our youth and our Parish, and are essential in making disciples.
[Dt 4:9, Prov 22:6, Is 54:13, Joel 1:3, Matt 19:14 or Lk 18:16, Eph 6:4]
Charity
Empowered by the Sacraments, we will demonstrate our love for one another as Christ loved us and will meet the needs of our Parish and our community by generously giving of our resources and intentionally returning to God a portion of what He has first given to us.
[Gen 14:18-20, Dt 8:18 & 15:7-8, 1 Chron 29:3-9, Ps 41:2-4, Prov 11:24-25 & 19:17, Mal 3:10,
Lk 6:38 & 21:1-4, 2 Cor 8:7-15 & 9:6-8, 1 Tim 6:17-18, Heb 13:16]
Grace
We will freely and encouragingly extend the Love of Jesus to everyone we meet, wherever we meet them along their spiritual journey, inviting them to be of one mind in fellowship with us.
[Matt 9:13, Lk 19:5-10, Rom 3:22-24, Eph 4:7, Titus 2:11-12, 1 Peter 4:10]
Prayer
We will intentionally devote time to improve our relationship with the Trinity through prayer and the reading and studying of Sacred Scripture, both individually and corporately. Our studying and teaching of Scripture clarify God’s Word and make it relevant in our daily lives.
[John 14:14, Eph 6:18, Phil 4:6, 1 Thes 5:16-18, Heb 5:7, Jam 5:13]
Worship
We believe church matters and will joyfully and reverently worship as one at the celebration of the Mass, where we are nurtured through the gift of the Holy Eucharist.
[Dt 5:12-15, 2 Sam 6:14-15, 1 Chron 16:29, Lk 4:8, 1 Cor 11:23-27 & 14:40]