St. Patrick's Parish Esker - Dodsboro - Adamstown

Some months ago, St. Mary's Parish held a Volunteering Sunday.
A member of the Pastoral Council spoke at all the Masses one week-end and threw out a general invitation to the congregation. This invitation was an invitation to be part of one of the many ministry groups that make up the parish infrastructure. That day proved a great success and we added several people to most of the ministry groups.

A similar exercise is about to be conducted in St. Patrick's Parish.
On Saturday/Sunday 28th/29th a member of the Pastoral Council will speak at each of the weekend Masses with a similar invitation addressed to the whole parish community.

In St. Patrick's, there are a variety of active groups and ministries offering a diversity of areas in which parishioners can become involved. New blood in ministry groups is essential if a parish is to continue to bloom and grow. Ministry groups should ideally reflect the composition of the parish; they should have a gender balance, a diversity of ages and they should reflect the diverse ethnicity of our community.

We especially welcome those from the new areas of the parish. For each of the groups some training and preparation will be provided and the extent of the commitment clearly explained. An information leaflet on each of the ministries will be available in the main porch. You are invited to take one or more of these home, and to give the matter some thought. If you then feel ready and willing to join one of the ministry groups you can complete the form on the back of the leaflet and return it on the following weekend, February 4th and 5th February. A box will be provided in the main porch for the forms.

Perhaps you have never had any involvement in the past, this could be your opportunity to change that. You can choose from many ministries e.g. Reading the Word of God at Mass, administering the Blessed Sacrament at Mass and to the housebound, preparing families for the baptism of their children, working with the bereaved at their time of loss in preparing the funeral liturgy, join a church cleaning group etc. etc. There really is something for everybody.

Philip Curran
Parish Priest St. Mary's & St. Patrick's Parishes, Lucan