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Free time is a precious commodity in a fast-paced
society, which is why each of us needs to look beyond our own
personal situation to the larger church community. Good stewardship
means that we share our time, talent, and treasure as we are
able. Please volunteer to help as your talents allow.
Liturgy/Worship
This ministry supports, plans, and enacts all the production
elements critical to the priest’s celebrating the Eucharist.
All liturgical participants should radiate a sense of purpose
as we prepare to worship. The various functions within this vast
ministry are responsible for providing and performing as sacristans,
greeters, ushers, lectors of the Word, community leaders, lay
eucharistic ministers, bread bakers, choir/musicians and altar
servers. The ministry also decorates the worship space and coordinates
the liturgical requirements with the pastor throughout the year.
Faith Formation
Religious education programs are held Sunday mornings before
Mass and begin with an understanding that we are special to God
and belong to the community of people who try to live in His
love. It continues with the sacramental preparation for Eucharist
and Reconciliation and learning about the life and teachings
of Jesus and the history of the Church. High school students
look at moral decision–making and begin a two-year preparation
for Confirmation. The program includes activities that reach
out to members of our parish, our community, and to the homeless
in a large, urban area. It strives to increase our awareness
of and benefit to our twin parish in Haiti.
The adult ministry aims to foster the faith development of adults
as they strive to grow in their relationship with Christ. There
are two main aspects of this ministry: Adult Ed/Adult Faith
Formation, which offers programs that provide opportunities
for discussion and/or instruction about the various facets of
Catholic belief; and Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults,
which seeks first to inform inquirers about the Roman Catholic
faith and, secondly, provides a process for preparing adults
for entry into the Catholic Church.
Youth Ministry
The youth group participates in socials and educational and service
activities in conjunction with their religious education classes.
They explore religious themes in the media and visit monasteries
and other places of worship to understand the elements common
to religions and to gain an appreciation of other traditions
through direct interaction with them. Service opportunities include
volunteering at a soup kitchen, attending a week-long work camp,
organizing holiday gift collections and helping the elderly.
Parish Life
The Parish Life ministry promotes the spirit of community within
the parish and fosters a welcoming, hospitable atmosphere for
members and guests of our church. Parish Life sponsors many events,
including Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation celebrations,
funeral receptions and parish dinners.
Pastoral Care Ministry
The focus of the Pastoral Care Ministry is to bring the presence
of Christ and the community of Francis de Sales to the sick,
homebound, dying and bereaved of the parish and their families.
This ministry provides comfort and spiritual support to those
who find themselves in weakened physical, mental or spiritual
conditions.
The ministry offers the Eucharist to those unable to attend Mass
and prays for and with the sick and their families. The members
accompany the pastor, help him with funeral preparations and
offer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick as a communal
service twice a year.
Training for this ministry is a must and a strong support group
is in place for the ministers who carry out this very important
mission of Jesus Christ.
Justice and Peace
The purpose of this vast ministry is to serve human needs, give
issues a human face, reflect on social causes and principles
of faith, and transform social structures. This ministry is made
up of several subcommittees: Food Pantry/Social Services Interface,
which maintains the food pantry and supplies food to the Department
of Social Services on both a scheduled and demand basis. The
ministry also provides food for people within the county on a
direct basis after a consultation with the Department of Social
Services. Members deliver food baskets at Thanksgiving and Christmas
filled with donations from our generous parishioners; Hands
Across Mathews, which is a county-wide organization that
meets monthly. It serves many needy citizens who are not eligible
for government help; Legislative Advocacy looks at issues
and represents the parish during advocacy days at the Virginia
Legislature; Right-to-Life conducts meaningful projects
in the parish that call attention to the rights of unborn babies,
support homes for baby survivors and focus on life issues from
conception to death that keep in mind a “consistent life
ethic.” It also encourages participation in the annual “Right
to Life March” in Washington, D.C.; and the Haiti Twinning
Project. Francis de Sales is one of three parishes in the
Richmond Diocese that sponsors a charitable outreach to the people
of St. Michael’s in Boucan Carre, Haiti. The town is in
a remote mountainous area where several thousand people live
without adequate housing, electricity, clean water, medical care
and the ability to earn wages that cover basic needs. There are
460 children in school in Boucan Carre; through the generosity
of our parishioners, we provide food for each child to eat lunch
each day—their primary meal. We also provide school uniforms,
school supplies, shoes and basic health care items.
We have sponsored, in part, the installation of a water system
that brings spring water to the village, a part-time doctor,
a pharmacy and a truck. |
