St. Mary's Catholic Church & Missions at 313 West Main Street, Mount Olive, NC 28365 US - Parish Mission Statement, Goals, and Objectives

The Parish of St. Mary, Mount Olive, is committed to living the message of Jesus Christ in its fullness, in the lives of each and every parishioner and as a community of faith, in union with the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, founded by the same Lord Jesus. The parish is defined by boundaries, established by the Bishop of Raleigh, wherein we desire to announce the Good News by word and example to one another, to those who are not yet in full communion with the Catholic Church, and to those who have not yet been baptized into the Body of Christ. The unity of the members in Christ, who teaches, sanctifies, and shepherds, is made manifest in the profession of the common Catholic and Apostolic faith, regular celebration and reception of the Sacraments, and full communion with the legitimate pastors of the Church.

Goal # 1 (To teach)
To educate the faithful and others in the truth of the Gospel, as received and proclaimed by the Catholic Church.
 

• Objective # 1: We will continue an English-speaking adult education class in Mount Olive. (person[s] primarily responsible: pastor) (continuous)
• Objective # 2: We will inaugurate a Spanish-speaking adult education class in Mount Olive. (pastor) (August 2007)
• Objective # 3: We will begin youth ministry in the parish. (youth ministry committee) (beginning September 2007)
• Objective #4: We will continue to educate the people of the parish with regard to “sacred space” and the celebration of the Sacraments, in coordination with parish planning for a new church. (pastor, parish council, building committee) (continuous)

Goal # 2 (To sanctify)
To strengthen the bonds of communion with Jesus Christ through prayer and the faithful celebration and fruitful reception of the Sacraments.

• Objective # 1: We will recruit for and conduct a series of workshops for “liturgical ministries” (e.g., lectors, servers, extraordinary ministers etc.), training them to function in conformity with liturgical law (of the Latin Rite, as promulgated by the Holy See) and to exercise their roles for service and for their own spiritual growth. (pastor) (continuous)
• Objective # 2: We will provide for the bi-lingual education of Hispanic children and youth, so that common Catholic prayers and the prayers of the Mass would be known and understood by them in both Spanish and English texts. (pastor and catechists) (continuous) 2007-2008
• Objective # 3: We will provide regular opportunities for those couples not married in the Church to do so, and provide, in coordination with other local parishes, programs to encourage and prepare these couples to enter the Sacrament of Matrimony. (pastor, neighboring pastors) (continuous)

Goal # 3 (To shepherd)
To effectively provide for the administrative and temporal needs of the parish, and to demonstrate particular solicitude for the poor.

• Objective # 1: We will continue to conduct regular parish pastoral council elections in the fall at Mount Olive. (pastor and chair of pastoral council) (by November 2007)
• Objective # 2: We will continue to have regular meetings (at least 4 times per year) of a parish finance council and communicate the financial progress of the parish to the parishioner. (pastor and chair of finance council) (continuous)
• Objective # 3: We will increase parish offertory by 15% per year. (pastor and chairs of finance and pastoral councils) (continuous)
• Objective # 4: We will continue the process of planning for a new church and other facilities on newly acquired land (Hwy 117), and provide for continuous consultation and communication with the parish community regarding the same. (pastor, parish council, and building committee) (continuous)
• Objective # 5: We will plan for and begin the steps for funding the construction of a new church. (pastor and capital campaign committee) (begin by July 2007)
• Objective # 6: We will continue to maintain (computerized) parish registration of participating/practicing parishioners and provide for regular updates of the lists. (pastor, parish secretary) (continuous)
• Objective #7: We will hire and train a part-time parish secretary to assist the pastor. (pastor) (July 2007) Objective# 8: We will begin the work of a local (parish) conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. (parish, organizing committee) (July 2007)

• Objective #8: We will renew our commitment to work with the Mount Olive Area Ministerial Association and Wayne County Habitat for Humanity for the purpose of constructing safe and affordable housing for families in need. (parish council) (July 2007)