19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Parishioners,

The strategic plan that was written about two years ago continues to guide the direction we are following in our parish. One of the aspects of that plan was the desire to develop new leaders in the parish. We are passing the torch from one generation to the next. The World War II generation, as it is often called, is fading away. That generation offered leadership in our society at large and in the church as well.

This is the case here at Sacred Heart. Many of our ministries are coordinated by older people who have been providing leadership for years. We appreciate the efforts of these ministers, but due to health concerns and other inevitable difficulties that go with aging we must find new leaders or we risk not having the vibrant parish we would like. Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials need to step forward.

People cannot lead unless they feel empowered and trained. Because we understand this we began a new leadership training process this weekend. This Saturday current parish leaders went through the first session. A group of parishioners and myself have worked for several months to develop this day for leadership development. The people who attended this Saturday will critique what we have designed and we will make improvements.

The hope is that we can have a day of training a couple of times of year to give parishioners confidence in chairing committees and entering ministry. The laity are called at Baptism to collaborate with the ordained in the mission of the church. Without this partnership, we will not have the energy we need to build the Kingdom of Jesus here in Moline.

I would ask all parishioners to pray for the Parish Council’s efforts to build up the ministerial skills of the laity. If this endeavor is successful it will be a great blessing to our parish.

Blessings,

Fr. Mark