One of the things we celebrate in the Easter Season is the birth of the church,the body of Christ. The Risen Jesus did not appear in private revelations but to a community of his disciples. His words to them were “Peace be with you” followed by the commission to “Preach the gospel to all the nations and know that I am with you always!” Here at St. Bridget’s, the mission of the church is to proclaim Christ belongs to all the baptized. As your pastor, I have a responsibility to gather our community to hear God’s word and celebrate the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. That responsibility is not exclusively mine, however. I collaborate in that with our Parish Staff and lay leaders from our Pastoral Council. Sharing responsibility with the laity who represent all of you is very important to me.
Pardon the delay, but I want to take this opportunity to thank two parishioners who have ended their long service on our Pastoral Council. I am deeply grateful to Connie Edwards and Jerry Martin for their contributions to our parish as PC members. They stayed with the council through several pastors and brought valuable wisdom and perspective to me as I began my service at St. Bridget’s. They remain active in our parish, especially by their faithful presence at Mass.
I am also grateful to the following parishioners who have agreed to join the council: Joe Rinaldi is a long-time member of St. Bridget’s who regularly attends our 5:00 pm Saturday Mass. He once served on the parish staff as the coordinator for youth ministry. Shannon Hull and her husband Troy are relatively new members of St. Bridget’s who attend our 9:30 am Sunday Mass. Their children are students at ASB, so she knows many of our school families. Shannon has a background in marketing and hosts her own podcast. Thank you Joe and Shannon for bringing your gifts to the work of our Pastoral Council!
A final word of thanks to those who continue their service on the council: Mike Wietholter (Chair), Tim Vinopal (Vice Chair), Ilaria Hare Heiderich (Secretary),Manon Cypher, Arun Matthew, Beth Toomey, and Julie Henling. Their names are in the bulletin with contact information for the council leadership. Please feel welcome to reach out to them and as always, myself with your thoughts, questions, concerns, or suggestions about the life of our parish.