St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church

Mission Statement

Called by God our Father, compelled by the Gospels, and guided by the Canons of the Roman Catholic Church, we the community of St. Joan of Arc stand with welcoming arms as a beacon of hope to ALL.

Strengthened by The Holy Spirit, we grow our faith by encouraging our parish family to participate in liturgical, educational, social, and outreach ministries.

Centered in Christ, we live the Kingdom of God by ministering with love to those with spiritual, physical or emotional need.

The Parish Pastoral Council

The parish pastoral council continuously develops and articulates a deep and mature understanding of the identity and purpose of the parish.  It reflects the unique personality of the parish as it evolves, using the mission statement developed by the pastor and parishioners.

The pastor and parish pastoral council strives to ensure that the parish is carrying out its stated mission and the pastoral needs of the parish are met.  These include Word, Worship, Community and Service.  The pastor and council enable and encourage the broadest participation of parishioners in evangelizing, both within the parish and the larger community.  It accepts the responsibility of hearing all voices in seeking to discern the will of God in the local community using scripture and the voice of the Church as their guide.

 Because parishes are dynamic communities, flexibility is essential in the ministry of the parish pastoral council.  Flexibility means “openness to all present reality.”  People change, council membership changes, staffs change, ministries change, and the larger community changes.  For example, we see an increase of other Catholic cultures in our parishes, our growing ethnic and cultural diversity.  The continuing implementation of the vision considers:

• The personality and style of the pastor, members of the council, the parish staff, and other parish leaders;
• The ministries that are in place;
• The uniqueness of the parish;
• The relationship of the parish in its cluster or LPA;
• The needs of the larger community.

The parish mission statement contains guiding words, which are kept current, adjusted to reflect changes in the makeup of the parish, the spiritual needs of parishioners, the relationship to other parishes in the local planning area, and the changing needs of the larger community.  As always, this mission statement should reflect the best insights of scripture and the living voice of Jesus’ Church.   Members of the parish pastoral council are expected to model living and working as followers of Jesus who share faith and strive to develop mutually supportive relationships.  Therefore, whenever a new pastor is appointed to a parish is appointed to a parish, the standing councils (both pastoral and finance) cease.  It is the responsibility of the new pastor to reconstitute the existing councils or conduct a new election of members within one year of his appointment.