Insert to the Parish Bulletin for Sunday, March 8, 2020
Pastoral Council News: Nominations and Elections
The pastoral council is a group of appointed and elected members, drawn from among the parishioners and parish staff, who serve as an advisory body to the pastor. The council is committed to fostering active participation in the life and mission of Saint Elizabeth parish and to providing ongoing pastoral planning to ensure that the activities and programs of our parish are responsive to the spiritual and pastoral needs of our parish community now and in the future.
We are now accepting nominations for five vacancies on the parish pastoral council. Among the qualifications for candidates for election to the Parish Pastoral Council are:
∙ one who is at least eighteen years of age, a fully initiated Roman Catholic (having received the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist) and a registered parishioner at Saint Elizabeth Parish who worships regularly at Saint Elizabeth Church;
∙ one who is committed to growing in one's own relationship with Christ and with other disciples in the community of the Church;
∙ one who leads by example and supports wholeheartedly the universal mission of the Church and the particular mission of Saint Elizabeth parish under the leadership of the pastor;
∙ one who is willing to make the pastoral council one’s primary (not necessarily sole) focus in offering one’s stewardship of time and talent to the parish;
∙ and, one who seeks what is best for the parish as a whole, rather than represent the interests of any one subgroup, specific ministry or individual parish program.
If you or someone you know in our parish is interested in offering their stewardship service to the pastoral council, please pick up a nomination form on the table in the narthex this month. Self-nominations are welcome and encouraged. The deadline for nominations is Wednesday, March 25; the election will be held at the end of April. Questions may be directed to Father Mullin at the parish ministry center (610-321-1200).
Liturgical Life: Did You Know?
Why do we stand during the Gospel reading, but sit for the other two readings? The Church encourages us to celebrate Liturgy of the Word in a way that promotes attentive listening and reflection. The posture of sitting during the Old and New Testament readings is a way to be both attentive and reflective to the Word of God. For we believe that Christ "is present in his word, since it is he himself who speaks when the Holy Scriptures are read in the church." (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, #7)
Because of the unique presence of Christ in the proclamation of the Gospel, it has long been the custom to stand in attentive reverence to hear the Gospel. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal affirms: “The Gospel is the high point of the Liturgy of the Word. The Liturgy itself teaches that great reverence is to be shown to it by setting it off from the other readings with special marks of honor: whether on the part of the minister appointed to proclaim it, who prepares himself by a blessing or prayer; or on the part of the faithful, who stand as they listen to it being read and through their acclamations acknowledge and confess Christ present and speaking to them; or by the very marks of reverence that are given to the Book of the Gospels.” (GIRM, #60)
