Beacons of Light

Now that we have begun the third year of Beacons of Light, let's look back to see many of the things that the Lord has done among us through our prayer and hard work.  May we give thanks for the wonderful progress we have made!   That progress includes:

• Building a common identity as Crescent Parishes, a name taken from the location of our parishes in relation to one another.
• We have a leadership team and Beacons of Light benchmarked leaders in place like Worship Director, Love in Action and Evangelization Directors.
• The leadership team is unafraid to admit mistakes and walk back decisions when better options are made apparent by God’s holy people in our parishes.
• An organizational chart as well as a positive and proactive approach to leadership, management, and goals that is unheard of in parish life.
• We share multiple staff members, and those staff members are fostering a wonderful unity of spirit among all staff members.
• Offices have been united through an integral phone system that is realizing great cost savings for all.
• Already, at a couple of our parishes, parish leaders are wrestling with difficult sacrifices with Christ-like courage and strength, furthering Beacons of Light in our parishes.
• An outstanding Beacons of Light Pathway Planning Team (PPT) planning unified activities for us including the Family Feasts and festival cooperation/collaboration.
• Worship Commissions have formed in our parishes and, like our pastoral councils, they are meeting both together and separately for prayer and common business.
• We have an outstanding united church bulletin for Crescent Parishes.
• Pastoral councils meet together every month.  I know of no other parish family that has this approach and I am most thankful to pastoral council members for the extra work this entails…and the unity it fosters.
• We have had numerous social and liturgical unities where parishes invite each other to events and offer meeting places such as the MLK Keep the Dream Alive Celebration.
• As an example of Love in Action, our newly formed Crescent Parishes Community Garden outreach ministry serves those in great need by providing local food banks with fresh, healthy produce and helping to build bridges of unity and collaboration among our community and Crescent Family. 
• All parishes are experiencing increased opportunities such as a wider variety of lifelong faith formation options including Bible, book, and video studies.
• Two of our parish offices have been unified, linking both staff and parishioners in greater measure and providing better service. All three offices that have been re-designated with signage as Crescent Parish Offices. 
• Crescent Parishes was one of five parish families to participate in a pilot program utilizing the Church's historical gift of synodality to help with the success of the unification of our parish families. 
• The Parish Leadership Team worked in a synodal way to inform, inquire and receive feedback from pastoral councils and the PPT regarding amalgamation or merging as the means to become one parish.  In turn, pastoral councils took that same approach with the people of God.  In January 2024, we reported on the recommendation of pastoral councils and PPT about whether Amalgamation or Merger is best for Crescent Parishes.   There was outstanding consensus that our parishes will become one through a process of merging, rather than amalgamation.  Merging parishes respects a sense of equality among parishes.
• The PPT and pastoral councils organized Town Hall/Listening sessions. Thanks to PPT and pastoral council members and to Bill Lennard and Kristin Kraft who led us in these events. I am most pleased with how the town halls went. A report about the town halls and specific feedback from participants is on our website. 
• We continue to have parish family gatherings including the Liturgy of Lament, which was an awesome spirit-filled and wise idea given to and executed by Deacon Royce, the Crescent Parish Family Mission, Combined Holy Week Mass of the Lord's Supper and Vigil. Thanks to pastoral council members who wear their nametags to Mass and who attend family gatherings!
• We created unity among our youth ministries with a vibrant summer youth program. We celebrated the sacrament of Confirmation together as Crescent Parishes and hosted the “Come to the Feast,” gathering to bring our parishes together for formation for First Holy Communion. We also celebrated Reconciliation together with second graders from across our parishes. 
• We have a parish vision statement: 

We seek to grow as disciples of Jesus and to follow His example of love and compassion. 
We welcome all to our diverse and unified Catholic community.  
We share vibrant celebrations of the Eucharist, engage in life-long faith formation, and offer ourselves in service to others. 

• Much has been accomplished by the Name Our Parish Committee.  PLT will be working over the summer to narrow the eighty-plus names suggested by parishioners to five.  In September, when parish life gets back into gear, PLT will request feedback from parishioners about those five names.  PLT hopes to have a name recommended to me by the end of September.