The Saint Joseph Parish Advisory Council is a diverse group of volunteers that strives to support the Clergy, parish staff, and numerous ministry groups that are the active hands and hearts of our parish community. It was formed here in 2018, as part of Father Rozman’s vision that every parish needs to be open to becoming the best-version-of-itself, transforming into a more vibrant, welcoming, and mission-focused Church at a time where many religious communities in the United States face huge challenges from the secular culture.
This dream of transformation was inspired by a book called Divine Renovation by Father James Mallon. In this book, Father Mallon details his experiences revitalizing several small parishes across Canada. And now this mission has spread across the globe. Citing the Catholic Church’s many writings on discipleship and evangelization, Father Mallon successfully transformed his churches into vibrant parish communities striving to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Our Pastor knew this could work here in Mechanicsburg and gathered various members of Saint Joseph to study the book, and begin to re-imagine how our clergy and lay people could partner in pursuit of this vision – to help our Church to grow and become a desirable place for all people to share in Christ. The Parish Advisory Council differs from other Church councils because it is not a legislative body. Its members aren’t involved in managing the parish finances or making leadership decisions for the church. The P.A.C. is strictly an advisory body comprised of twelve people at different stages in their lives, careers, and faith journeys. Council members represent the ideas, thoughts and concerns of the Saint Joseph Community. Its members bring these issues to the church Senior Leadership Team in pursuit of fulfilling the Parish vision of forming disciples committed to transforming the world through worship, personal growth, and service to others. The Parish Advisory Council gathers in Brindle Hall on the first Saturday of each month. They generally start with a light breakfast that promotes fellowship, and is followed by guided group prayer and reflection that invites the Holy Spirit to help guide the rest of the day’s activities. Saint Joseph Parish Advisory Council is an incredibly rewarding way to get involved. It gives you an opportunity to establish great relationships with people in the church while doing work that can help build your relationship with God. The only skills that are required are a desire to help, and a heart for service. If you’d like join the Parish Advisory Council activities, or learn more about what it does, see one of the council members who are listed on the P.A.C. section of the Parish Website, under the “Serve” heading. Also, feel free to send an email to the address on the front of the bulletin, or speak to one of the Clergy or parish staff.