CALLED TO BE CHURCH

On Thursday, October 25^th our Local Planning Group, Holy Trinity, St. Bernards, St. Joseph’s, St. Mary –Waterford, St. Michael’s,

St. Rita’s/Sacred Heart, gathered in prayer to reflect on the mission of the Church as identified in our Parish Town Meetings. The

discussion focused on three questions. These questions and a summary of the responses generated are as follows:

1. How are the results of the discussions at the Parish Town Meetings connected to each other?

○ Primacy of Eucharist as the Center of Catholic Life

○ Focus on Service/outreach

○ Importance of faith

○ Scripture and Sacraments

○ Prayer

○ Forgiveness

○ Welcoming

○ Involvement by the Laity

○ Teaching

○ Passing on Faith through example

○ Community building through social activities

2. How are the results of the discussions at our Parish Town Meetings different from each other?

○ The basic values are the same. How we fulfill them differs among our faith communities.

3. What important conclusions can we deduce from this information?

○ We share the same heritage

○ We share the same faith

○ We believe in living and sharing our faith

○ We have a strong sense of Family

○ We are called to service to others especially those who are in need.

In Summary, what does it mean in our local planning Group to fulfill the Mission of Jesus?

With Eucharist as our primary focus, the people of Cohoes and Waterford share the desire to use our gifts to build on our Catholic

heritage. We do this by sharing that heritage through prayer & the sacraments, celebrations, continual growth in faith, and loving care

of all people. Guided by Sacred Scripture and the Holy Spirit, we strive toward our goal of being a sign of God’s loving presence for all

people