Learning and discerning together where God is leading us at this time and place.
As we prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our parish in 2027, we are excited to be undertaking a parish journey to help us discover God’s vision for us for the years ahead. The first phase of our parish renewal efforts focused on Discovery – listening to individual parishioner stories about our past, present, and future. Our current phase of Discernment is focused on coming together in community to “learn to discern” what God is calling us to be and do at this time and place at SMG. Using our hearts, minds, and imaginations, we will discover together God’s will for us and develop a vision for our parish for the years ahead.
This is a unique opportunity for all of us to experience the power of the Holy Spirit working through us in community. And for it to truly be a parishioner-led experience, we will need YOU and your input, so we invite you to take part in our small faith sharing groups to come together and share where you hear the Lord calling us.
PHASE ONE: DISCOVERY (2023-2024)
In 2023 and 2024, we asked parishioners to share stories of what brought them to St. Maria Goretti, what keeps of hem connected to the parish, of what God may be calling us to be and do in the future. These stories, and the opportunites to share and receive them, were a profound experience of synodality, of walking together with the Lord and with each other. Here are summeries for each round of story-telling.
OUR PAST
Our Parish Has Been a Welcoming, Caring, Family-Focused, and a Special Place for Our Children.
We heard you say that St. Maria Goretti Church’s energy and welcoming spirit has created a safe space in a comfortable atmosphere that allowed us to feel accepted and, ultimately, loved.
St. Maria Goretti has had a unique ability to minister to the spiritual needs of families through children’s liturgy, our Christian Faith Formation Program, and the inclusion of children at Mass.
Our Parish has Nourished Us in Many Unique and Diverse Ways.
We heard you say that the music in our parish has inspired you. The connection of Scripture to our everyday lives, through homilies and weekly bulletin writings, have been key pieces that brought you to St. Maria Goretti. These have created an environment for reflection, prayer, spirituality, and calmness where you can practice your faith and continue to grow throughout your life.
Our Parish has Celebrated Sacraments in a Personalized and Inclusive Way.
We heard you say you really appreciate that St. Maria Goretti has been open and welcoming to both parishioners and non-parishioners, with beautiful celebrations in times of joy and sadness. You said that you valued our parish’s dignified and compassionate treatment for those who search for meaningful baptisms, weddings, funerals, and other special moments in life.
Our Parish has Offered Help, While Protecting Dignity, to Those Who Seek It.
It is not always easy to ask for help. We heard you say that our Outreach Ministry has shown each family the kindness and dignity they deserve. Our food pantry has been configured such that our “neighbor” has felt as if they are shopping in a store and picking out the items their family needed. Our parish has offered special items for holidays, back-to-school, and clothing needs. Each member of our Outreach Team has shown, given and lived their love to every neighbor they meet.
Our Parish has Intentionally Built a Sense of Community and of Belogning.
We heard you say you valued the different ways St. Maria Goretti has come together not only as a spiritual community, but as a family, where all are welcome. You appreciated being spiritually uplifted during Mass through preaching and the talents of our music ministers. You have enjoyed the “just fun” stuff like parish picnics, Easter egg hunts, and fish fry dinners. And, you felt that we have connected with and contributed to the larger local community, outside our parish itself.
OUR PRESENT
I come to St. Maria Goretti Because I “Need” to be Here.
We heard our storytellers say that during the pandemic, many experienced a sense of loneliness and vulnerability because of the isolation that was thrust upon us. They longed to be reconnected through “face to face” interactions with fellow parishioners. Our storytellers shared how they so missed receiving the Eucharist, the spirituality of the in-person Mass, and worshiping with others. Watching Mass on TV was simply not the same experience.
For our storytellers, coming back to St. Maria Goretti was never a question of IF…it was only a question of WHEN. Coming back gave them all hope during those challenging times, by reminding them that they were not alone and that they were all going to get through this together. It provided a revitalizing experience and a breath of fresh air. St. Maria Goretti Parish feels like family, and everyone needs that support and sense of community. Reconnecting following the shutdown marked the first step toward a sense of normalcy, albeit a new and redefined normal.
We Still Grieve Our Losses of People and Structure.
We heard from our storytellers that, although they wanted to come back to in-person worship, for some, it was an anxious return. Fear of Covid was overwhelming, mainly because of our inexperience with anything of this nature. They understood the need for safety protocols of distancing, head-counting and masking, but it was still a very stressful time for many.
And during that time, they lost so much, mainly in the form of family and parishioners who have never been able to rejoin us. They still mourn those that they lost, especially those who passed away, so very silently, without the usual rituals that accompany end of life. These people are gone from our world forever, and they did not have much of a chance to say goodbye.
They also still miss others who used to worship with us. Some of these remain concerned for their health; some still prefer the televised Mass experience; some simply stopped attending Mass. For whatever reason, they have lost the connection to those people, that they used to see on a regular basis at our liturgies, and they mourn that loss as well.
For All of Us, Being Valued Matters.
So many storytellers spoke of how at St. Maria Goretti everyone is valued. Father Leo greets everyone who enters church with a warm smile. If he doesn’t already know your name, he’ll learn it and will remember it. They felt that our parish listens to and appreciates every child, teen, young adult, family and senior. They felt that we want to know everyone’s story and hopes for the parish. They felt that our parish wants to journey with all and to serve with all. They felt that those who come to our liturgies, leave feeling renewed and uplifted.
We Appreciate So Many Things Our Parish Does and Anticipate Ways to Grow Beyond What We Already Have.
They appreciate how our young children are involved in Mass. Their marching around the church with their instruments at 10:30 Mass, their Liturgy of the Word, their asking for Gods’ blessing at the end of Mass; their mad dash to get an apple from the Holy Family Table or ice cream from the truck on holidays….all these things make our children feel valued as members of our parish.
They appreciate seeing our teens involved in parish activities and would like to develop more activities for them to engage with our parish. They appreciate the Baptisms at Mass, in which entire families participate at the font and are welcomed by our parish family. They love our joyful First Communions, and our parish’s unique approach to preparing our Confirmation candidates through hands-on experiences. They appreciate the extraordinary care our parish extends to families grieving the loss of a loved one.
They appreciate the assistance of Fathers Leo and Niblick, particularly as they connect their homilies with real world experiences and make suggestions for reading materials, podcasts, music, and art, which enhance our personal spiritual growth. They appreciate our music even more after we lost it for those few months during Covid shutdown. They felt that our parish loves our music, our instrumentals, the incredibly beautiful singing, and the children’s choir at Christmas, making this a true multigenerational experience.
They love that we have strong parish ministries, which address all sorts of needs. They wish for more opportunities to get a larger part of our parish involved. They are hopeful that our ministries will always encourage new members and consider fresh ideas. They sense a need for more multi-generational events, that will build a healthy relationship between all our generations. They look forward to supporting each other and growing in faith together.
OUR FUTURE
We should expand our opportunities and settings for fellowship/socialization within and across age groups to build relationships that are life giving.
Parishioners shared that beyond worshipping together, we value being a community that socializes together. Many parishioners shared their desire for more opportunities to connect, both with others in their same age groups, and intergenerationally, with people from all age groups, coming together for a fun activity like bingo or a games night. Ideas ranged the gamut from potluck dinners to dances, and from mass on the grass to a karaoke night. Several suggested expanding our space to accommodate more areas for gathering – dreams ranged from a bigger vestibule to a recreation center!
We should provide more physical, mental, and spiritual support at all life stages .
Parishioners shared that beyond worshipping together, our church values being a community that is haven of support. We should expand our support to people dealing with life challenges such as illness, loneliness, conflict and loss as well as supporting our members during life celebrations such as the birth of new babies, graduations, and retirements. We should be a spiritual community – embracing and connecting all and growing together in our faith through scripture reflection, small groups, and through one-on-one support. We should tie our faith to our actions and support each other in all our stages of life from birth to our final resting place.
We should expand our service to others through collaboration with other churches and community groups.
Parishioners shared that beyond worshipping together, our church values putting our faith into action through outreach activities. We should expand our opportunities for service and collaborate more with other churches and community groups, including other Catholic parishes, Christian churches, and other faith communities – learning about each other and working together to make a positive impact on our local communities and world.
We should focus efforts on engaging younger members as more active participants.
Parishioners shared that beyond worshipping together, our church should also be a community that makes our younger members feel seen, known, and valued. This was the overarching theme we heard from almost everyone who shared! We should create new opportunities to engage our younger members, to meet their needs for community, socialization, and support and to engage them in the life of our parish. We should offer ways to connect with other members within their age groups but also connect them to parishioners in all the other age groups through new opportunities for service, outreach, and socialization.
PHASE TWO: DISCERNMENT (2024 – Present)