Thank you all for the many ways in which you support our parish. The generosity of time and talent is always impressive, and certainly inspiring to others. It is also true that many of us have been in various forms of ministry, or volunteer, or do committee work for a long time, and that often wears on us as well. Many ministers and volunteers suffer from burn-out over time. The demands can become burdensome, especially when we feel that we are the only ones that do something and that the project or plan relies solely on us. Although that is almost always a miscalculated judgment such a view places an undue burden on us that is unwelcome and unnecessary. This can cause anger and resentment to become manifest. This works against the very ministry we are attempting to provide, making it even more stressful. Many of these issues are present, but we are ourselves unaware of them.
It is also true that many people would like to become involved in some way, but often feel that we have enough ministers or volunteers in place already and therefore do not step up. This creates a scenario where those who are doing something feel like they have to because no one else is doing it, while those who would like to help feel put off because there are people who are always doing it.
The sense of ministry that developed in the church in the immediate post VII period was to encourage ministry from all of the baptized, reflecting the theology of the “priesthood of all believers.” What happened, due to many different factors, was that for many involvement in these ministries became “permanent” when that was really never intended.
On one hand it is amazing that we have Special Ministers of Holy Communion in this parish who have served in this ministry for over forty years! On the other hand, that can be seen as a negative. It can signal to others that their service to the church is not needed. I appreciate the dedicated hard working ministers who have served this parish for so long. Our extern ministries – Bay Shore Hospital, Bay Shore Health Care Center, The Willows, and Anchor Care (formerly Regency Park) – require much attention and teams of Special Ministers of Holy Communion to complete the mission successfully and well. We need more people willing and able to go there on Sundays and Thursdays.
We also need more people to step up and serve as Lectors, Special Ministers of Holy Communion, St. Vincent de Paul intake and caseworkers, screen operators, altar servers, sacristans, ushers, religious education teachers, aides, and volunteers; youth group volunteers, etc. We will hold a parish Ministry Fair the weekend of June 1-2. Please check the bulletin for more details, and more will be announced in the coming weeks.
Attending such a fair is a good way to learn about the ministries first hand, and to be able to find new ways to get involved in the parish. The amount of time that one commits to a ministry depends primarily on the amount of time that one wants to commit to a ministry. One size of ministry does not fit all. Give us another look. Thank you!
This weekend Father JM is celebrating his 30th birthday. We all send our prayers and best wishes to him as he observes this milestone!