Dear Sacred Heart Parishioners,
What follows is one of the first fruits of the renewal movement of our Parish, a re-imagined Sunday bulletin. I say first fruits because this tangible work is the direct result of our first town hall meeting last November that initiated our renewal project, but it is only the first of a number of things to follow. At the end of that meeting, several parishioners stepped forward and asked if they could be involved with the renewal effort. One of those parishioners specifically asked about working on the bulletin and now, just a couple of months later, we have this new and improved bulletin!
This is just the tip of the iceberg. Other parishioners stepped forward as well and they have all been working together to put together a proposal for parish governance. This group worked weekly through the holidays and presented a proposal to me just before the Epiphany. I must confess that I was astounded by the high-level professional leadership and project planning expertise of these volunteers in our Parish. The Holy Spirit has gathered many amazing gifts in our community. I was so impressed I approved the concept on the spot and asked the group to come back to me with a proposal for how it could become a reality. In late-January this team presented a working group charter that proposed specific tasks and deadlines to make the concept a reality. I approved the project plan and timeline. This team, now known as the Parish Renewal Project Working Group, meets weekly on Wednesdays at 6:30 pm to work on the project. Anyone in the parish that would like to help is invited to reach out to the group at: renewal@sacredheartgr.org.
In the coming weeks, we will provide specific updates on various aspects of the renewal, including an update on our commitments to each other on the Renewal of Fidelity Commitment Forms that were handed out at the town hall meetings or mailed to your home. Permit me to say a word about how important the forms are for the ongoing planning and organization of our renewal. Without them, we would have to fly blind and the fewer we receive, the less we are able to predict the kind of plans we can feasibility put in place for all we hope to accomplish. Please make every effort to return your forms as soon as possible. If you need a new form, please contact the office. We ask that you make every effort to return your forms by Ash Wednesday so that we have as complete a picture as possible to share on the Second Sunday of Lent, which will be our next update. Already from what I have seen, I think you will be excited to see what we can accomplish. Please join me in prayers of thanksgiving for the generous return our many parishioners have made of the gifts God has entrusted to them. Also, please continue to pray that the Holy Spirit guides this effort through his seven-fold gifts.
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Fr. Robert
