Revised/reviewed July 11, 2000
This report first appeared in the July 9, 2000 Sunday bulletin
from the
Parish Council
Fiscal Year 2000
(July 1, 1999 – June 30, 2000)
The annual report has the following sections:
Fiscal Year 2000 witnessed important progress in furthering the mission of St. Charles Borromeo Parish. We strengthened the sense of community through the continued development of neighborhoods bringing the church into local areas to welcome newcomers and to reach out to those in need. Our Hospitality ministry prepared Thanksgiving dinners for low-income families and offered refreshments at parish and school events. C’YA marked eight years of service, and Gathering sponsored a “Prayer Ways” series devoted to the study and practice of praying. As part of our parish’s celebration of the Jubilee, CAFE coordinated the creation of a special banner and the production of “Jubilee Booklets,” that presented parishioners’ reflections on the five Jubilee themes of celebration, forgiveness, Sabbath, freedom and justice. It also provided enrichment opportunities, including Scripture discussions and a program on Islam. Special liturgies, coordinated by our Liturgy Planning Sub-Committee, and events, such as the Oktoberfest, the Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass and Fiesta, the Haiti Carnival, the St. Patrick’s Day Mass and Party and Fr. Mendez’s 40th Anniversary of Ordination, further united our diverse faith community.
With respect to social justice, we continued outreach efforts on behalf of our diocesan mission in the Dominican Republic and our sister parishes in Haiti. We also established the Philippine Medical Mission to provide financial, spiritual and material assistance for the poor in the Philippines. Closer to home, Borromeo Housing Inc. initiated plans to open a second facility—this one to meet the needs of teenage mothers and their children. Our “Circle of Caring” inaugurated the “Crisis Prayer Tree” and the “Mass of Remembrance” and provided additional forms of support in times of illness, death and bereavement. Our ministry to seniors prospered; we witnessed increased participation in the “Tea with the Pastor” program and expanded our care for the homebound through a new Eucharist service at Brighton Gardens. The parish’s Lenten Jubilee Justice lecture series focused our attention on debt forgiveness and non-violence while SALT and the Northern Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy advocated for these and other justice issues on Capitol Hill and in the state legislature.
In the area of education, our Minister of Religious Education (MRE)/Youth Minister and our Latin American Community RE Assistant guided our catechetical activities, which prepared 146 youngsters (including 79 from the Latin American Community) for First Communion and 63 for Confirmation. The MRE/Youth Minister also coordinated On the WAY and WAY and supported C’YA and VIDA, our Latin American youth group. A consultant, a seminarian and our Latin American Community RE Assistant led our RCIA program that welcomed 32 new members to our faith community at Easter. Our “Mom’s Ministry” increased its membership and expanded its program to weekly gatherings for mothers and their children.
The parish’s Stewardship Ministry oversaw the upgrading of facilities, including new paint for the Chapel and paving for the parking lot. It also enhanced the capacity of the parish database to allow for volunteer information input and shepherded parish finances, which registered a nine percent increase in first collection income.
Underpinning these and other activities were initiatives designed to boost our effectiveness in carrying out the parish mission. In this vein, we restructured our parish council by instituting a two-year term for all representatives and by establishing a Standing Nominations Committee that provided for the smooth transition of leadership. We also resolved the Neighborhood A representation question by amalgamating that area and Neighborhood B under the auspices of one parish council representative.
We further developed our annual planning and budgeting process by strengthening communication between the Finance Committee, the parish council and the pastoral team and by establishing a clear timetable for calendar and budget submissions. As a result, we produced an integrated and comprehensive Fiscal Year 2001 parish calendar and corresponding budget—designed with ministry, neighborhood and parish school input.
Key to the success of our efforts is effective communication with the parish. To this end, we published updates of parish council activities in the weekly bulletin and made available copies of our meeting minutes in the Library and on line. Further, we commemorated the second anniversary of the Parish Web site (www.stcharleschurch.org), whose success was featured in an Arlington Catholic Herald article, and finalized plans for a dedicated Parish Office e-mail address (office@stcharleschurch.org). We also held a Parish Christmas Open House to recognize and thank our volunteers and conducted Parish Town Halls in both the Spanish and English languages to identify ministry and facilities needs.
In response to these needs, the Parish Council and Pastoral Team established seven parish goals covering the areas of: facilities (Parish Community Center), volunteer involvement, liturgical planning, evangelization, multicultural awareness, program and budget planning and faith and daily life. Activities in support of these goals are described above; however, work undertaken related to facilities merits a further word here.
Empowered by our strategic planning efforts, our program/space needs analysis and the highly positive feedback from parishioners via the 1999 parish survey and the Town Halls, the parish launched a major capital campaign to develop a Parish Community Center. To date, pledge payments and contributions from the named gifts phase and our neighborhood receptions total $485,000. In addition, over 400 households completed cards volunteering time and talent on behalf of the “Build the Spirit” Campaign. Coordinated by Jane McCarthy, our Campaign Administrator, and Brigid Doherty, these volunteers are responsible for the creation of a Capital Campaign computerized database and for the preparation and collation of campaign materials and mailings, among other activities.
In the coming months, we will continue our fund-raising efforts for the Parish Community Center with an eye towards timely achievement of the Diocesan funding requirement that will allow us to begin solicitation of architectural/construction bids.
Your support for the Capital Campaign and all the parish’s activities is vital to our success. We will build on the solid foundation laid this year and advance plans and programs that respond to your needs.
In the area of hospitality, we will offer a Welcome Reception for New Parishioners and foster an ushering/greeting ministry at Mass. In addition, we will continue to promote liturgies and events that recognize and celebrate the cultural heritages of our parishioners.
With respect to education and enrichment, we aim to increase participation in WAY and On The WAY by 50 percent and initiate new programs for inactive Catholics and at-need youth. Further, we will expand opportunities for adult enrichment and Scripture and faith sharing.
Moreover, we will strengthen our core ministries and provide formation for ministry leaders and volunteers. In our parish neighborhoods, we will nurture the growth of neighborhood-based activities within the HOME (Hospitality, Outreach, Meditation/Prayer/Liturgy and Education) framework.
Active participation of our parishioners is at the heart of all our efforts. In this vein, we will mount the third annual Volunteer Fair to showcase the many activities and services offered by our parish and sponsor another round of Town Halls in English and Spanish to promote an open dialogue between parishioners, clergy, parish council and pastoral team.
It has been our privilege to serve the people of St. Charles over the past year. We ask for your continued prayers and look forward to your ideas as we seek to build the Reign of God’s love in our community.
Fr. Gerry Creedon
Mark Alves, Colleen Dykema, Fran Hobbs, Francis Morales-Gross, Allan
Rowley
Monica Beaston, Mike Grady, Phil Kiko, Janice Prisco, Charlie Sullivan
Anne Breslin, Carolyn M. Gretzinger, Mike McMahon
* * *
The St. Charles Parish Council, in conjunction with the Pastor, is a group of parishioners that: (1) represents the parish as a whole and, in the light of the parish’s mission, (2) develops a vision and identifies and evaluates overall needs and plans; (3) assists in the co-ordination of parish ministries and activities; (4) strengthens relationships within parish neighborhoods and reaches out to the greater community; and, (5) collaborates with the pastoral team within the guidelines of the larger Church.
Revised/reviewed July 11,
2000
This report first appeared in the July
9, 2000 Sunday bulletin