Our Parish

Dear Friends in Christ,

We have a new mission statement. After prayer and reflection, I have approved the following mission statement for our parish. It speaks of what we already are and what we strive to be as a Catholic faith community.

Mission Statement:

Holy Disciples Parish is a Roman Catholic community where we form faith, develop and deepen prayer, build up parish life and ministry, cultivate the love of God, and proclaim Jesus Christ, crucified and risen from the dead, who is the hope of all humanity.

1. Forming Faith. This is the reason and mission of every Catholic parish. It fulfills the Gospel mandate from Christ himself: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19-20). Our parish will always be a place where discipleship is the number one priority. We form faith and disciples by being obedient to the teaching of Christ and His Church and through frequent reception of the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist and Confession.

2. Developing and deepening Prayer. We build a parish when we build our spiritual lives. Prayer, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, is the “raising of the mind and heart to God.” Prayer is our life! Prayer changes us and readies our souls for Heaven. Through Eucharistic Adoration, reading of Sacred Scripture, and the Holy Rosary we increase our prayer to increase our love for God and desire for Heaven.

3. Building up parish life and community. The fruit of our love for God is the love for one another. Here we see the foundation of parish life and vibrancy: community. Truth be told the Christian life is one of pure communion. Our fellowship and encounter with each other in building a community shows that a parish is not just a place where we congregate. Rather, a parish is a family that gathers, with God, in communion with each other, embracing and going forth to encounter even more people.

4. Cultivating Love. Responding to the two great commandments given to us by Jesus Christ: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39). Our goal to cultivate genuine Christian love rests on our love for God. Our parish commits to always being a place where the love of God is manifested, firstly in prayer, and secondly, in witness to all people, especially those in most need.

5. Proclaiming Jesus Christ. As a Roman Catholic Parish, we boldly proclaim Jesus as Lord. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and that reality is celebrated and lived out in our parish. Everything we do is rooted in the lifesaving Gospel of Christ. It is clear to all who enter our doors, that we proclaim the one who sets us free, the one who is the splendor of all truth: Jesus Christ.

My brothers and sisters, I hope that as we move forward, these five missions of our parish will become part of your own spiritual life. We have much work to do. Thank you for being part of this divine mission to save souls and bring about the goodness of God: in our parish, in our homes, in our families, in our workplace, in our community, in our schools, and most importantly in our hearts.  A blessed Lenten season to you all!

Peace and joy,

Father Glen

Holy Disciples Parish Website