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Committees

Parish Council

Minutes

Officers

The purpose of Saint John’s Parish Council is to involve the laity in decisions affecting the life and growth of the parish. The Council assists the Pastor in the administration of the parish by sharing its vision, experience, and perception of the parish community.

The Parish Council, with the help of committees and interested parishioners, formulates parish goals for each year. It shares them with the various parish committees and work with them to carry out these goals. The Council consists of the Pastor, one or more Pastoral staff members and six or seven members at large.

The Pastor, in conjunction with the Executive Committee, may appoint up to two members to insure a balanced representation on the Council. Appointed members may include: a Recording Secretary, a Youth Representative or Young Adult Leader, or Consulters.

Present Council Members are Father Rolo,  Melissa Rourke, Judy Scotto, Lois Castle, Paloma Saucedo, Steve Rodriguez, Jimmy Rodgers, Paul Scheib, Tim Coleman & Tom McNamara.

Council members serve a three-year term; new members are named each spring. New members begin their terms in July. At the Council Retreat in September, members discern the chairperson, the vice-chairperson, and liaisons for each Parish Committee. Council members can serve two consecutive terms followed by a year of ineligibility to serve on the council. Appointed members serve a one-year term.

Parish members are invited to attend Council meetings. If any parishioner has a request for the Council, it can be submitted to the Council Chairperson at least one week before a Council meeting. Minutes are published and available for review in the Parish office.

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Liturgy Committee

The Liturgy Committee is responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating parish prayer and worship in accordance with diocesan policies and directives. The priest’s role as presider at the liturgy requires that a priest serve on this committee.

Committee member offer recommendations for making the liturgical experience of our parish community more meaningful. They also share suggestions they receive from the community.

The Liturgy Committee recruits and provides the various ministers required to enhance our liturgical worship. The following groups are sub-committees of the Liturgy Committee:

  1. Ushers
  2. Lectors/Commentators
  3. Ministers of Holy Communion
  4. Altar Servers
  5. Environmental Decorations
  6. Music

Included in committee discussions are the seasons of Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas, New Year, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost, as well as holy days and feast days that occur throughout the church year.

Community Life Committee

The Community Life Committee strives to strengthen relationships between all individuals and groups within the parish in order to foster a truly hospitable and caring community. The Committee meets to plan parish activities and it invites others within the parish to work with them to fulfill the mission of the committee.

Some of the activities planned by the Community Life Committee include:

  1. Welcoming New Parishioners : Goal is to contact all newly registered parishioners and give them a welcome package consisting of parish and local information.
  2. Receptions and Social Events : Organize social events for the parish.
  3. Shrove Tuesday Celebration : Pre-Lenten dinner celebration (Fat Tuesday).
  4. Lenten Simple Meals - Held every Friday night during Lent. Each program consists of a meal and guest speaker.
  5. Pancake Breakfast - Usually in August every year.
  6. Annual Parish Picnic : Usually held on Pentecost Sunday (late May or early June) in Ridgeview Park after Mass in the park.
  7. First Friday Group : seniors who meet regularly for lunch the first Friday of every month.
  8. Eucharistic and Hospital Outreach : Visits and brings the Eucharist to the sick and elderly in their homes or nursing homes.
  9. Bereavement Hospitality - Provides food for the family after the funeral service.

The Community Life Committee regularly meets the 1st Tuesday of every other month in the Family Room.

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Human Concerns Committee

The Human Concerns Committee assesses and responds to the human needs of people with disabilities, the deprived, the neglected, the abused, and the oppressed in the parish, in the civic community, and the world at large. It promotes legislative advocacy, peacemaking, and other efforts to change social structure. Goals include raising parishioners’ awareness regarding the social dimensions of the gospel and encouraging members of the parish to participate in service activities.

The active ministries include:

  1. Clothes Closet - Located at the right as you enter the school facility (before the cafeteria). Open Thursdays from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm to pick up clothes. Drop off of clothes is preferred before or after Mass but available anytime. The clothing is distributed free of charge to all people, not just members of St. John’s.
  2. Food Pantry: The donation basket is located in the back of the church (to the right after you come through the main doors). Food is distributed at Thanksgiving and Christmas and as needed/requested throughout the year.
  3. CROP Walk: Ecumenical endeavor to provide funds to combat world hunger. The Walk is held early in the fall. Walkers solicit sponsors for the walk.
  4. CURE (Christians United Relief Effort)- Ecumenical Endeavor
  5. Homebound Meals - Sponsored by the Valley Program for Aging Services. Meals are delivered daily to seniors/shut-ins by various churches. St. John’s delivers three routes in October and one route in April. Drivers are always needed.
  6. Transportation - Ecumenical program sponsored by area churches. Transportation is provided to medical appointments in Charlottesville for those unable to provide their own transportation. St John’s month is April.
  7. Operation Christmas Child (Shoe Boxes) - Parishioners provide shoeboxes filled with gifts for children in third world countries to be distributed at Christmas time by Samaritan’s Purse. These boxes are filled in October.
  8. New Directions - Home for Battered Women and Children - Assist in obtaining furniture, clothing, and household supplies to help families who are being relocated by New Directions. Once a month a home-cooked meal is provided to the residents of the home.
  9. Thanksgiving Assistance - Provide food baskets for needy Parishioners and community members.
  10. Christmas Giving Tree - Parishioners provide an unbelievable array of gifts and food for needy families throughout the community. Gifts include new shoes, winter coats, complete outfits, and toys for the children, small household items and clothing for the adults.
  11. Rosaries - Meet the 2nd Tuesday of every other month to make rosaries to send to foreign missions.
  12. Cardinal House - Provide a weekly Communion service, a December Birthday celebration, and other activities as needed.
  13. Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center - Provide service and/or transportation as needed.
  14. Thanksgiving Assistance- Food is provided for the needy throughout the community.
  15. The Happy Time Club- a meal is provided once a month for patients who have had mental or emotional illness but are now back in a home environment. St. John’s provides meals in April.

Monthly donations are made to the following:

The Human Concerns Committee regularly meets the 1st Tuesday of every other month in the Parish Office.

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Prayer Tree

The purpose of the Prayer Tree is to pray for the requested needs of parishioners and to support each other spiritually, especially in the time of need. The commitment of this group is to say private prayers daily for the requests received.

The process followed is this: one volunteer receives a phone call about the prayer request and calls the next person on the list. The prayers are offered daily and there are no meetings by this group.

For further information, contact Rosemary Shimer at 949-8433 or Carolyn Lacy 949-7611.

Knights of Columbus

The Knights of Columbus order, Council 10760, has four distinguishing marks--Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism--and is a very active organization at St. John’s.

Some of the numerous activities of this organization include being ushers, counting the collection, assisting with repairs to the church property, making annual donations to the Religious Education program and to the Catholic Youth Group. In support of the church and the spiritual growth of the parish, the Knights present a Rosary to each of the First Holy Communicants, a holy water font to couples being married at St. John’s, a framed portrait of the Holy Family to those receiving the sacrament of Baptism, and a crucifix to each candidate for Confirmation.

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