Parish ministry fair helps implement the Pastoral Plan

IC photo/Laura Vallejo

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WEST JORDAN – “Let us not grow tired of doing good.” (Gal 6:9)

Saint Joseph the Worker parishioners have responded to the invitation of Father Javier Virgen, pastor, to “bring out the many gifts and blessings each of us have received from God our Father through the mercy of his son Jesus, and with the continued grace of the Holy Spirit.”

Fr. Virgen and members of the parish leadership have been working to implement the diocesan Pastoral Plan. Titled “Charting Our Course,” the Pastoral Plan was introduced by Bishop Oscar A. Solis in 2018; it is a five-year plan that has five pillars: faith formation, vocations, stewardship, Eucharist and Catholic identity, and dignity of the human person. Every parish in the diocese was asked to implement the plan in its community.

At St. Joseph the Worker Parish, “We took our Pastoral Plan and had a committee that started working on the five pillars that we thought our parish would use,” said Paula E. Terry, president of the parish’s Respect for Life committee.

The parishioners’ “prayers, efforts and stewardship are needed to bring this plan to fruition,” Fr. Virgen said.

As part of the effort, during the past few weekends the parish has held a ministry fair after the Masses, and parishioners have been signing up to participate in the more than 30 parish ministries that are active at St. Joseph the Worker.

The ministry fair helps parishioners “see the things that we want to do over the years to enhance our parish,” Terry said.

The ministries include Communion for the Homebound, Bereavement, Religious Education, and Divine Mercy Prayer Warriors. These ministries and many others are what have made St. Joseph the Worker Parish a home for parishioners, Fr. Virgen said.

“We are reminded that we, the parishioners, are the Church, the mystical Body of Christ,” he said.

Another purpose for the ministry fair was “for people to discern what they might want to be involved in at the parish,” Terry added.

“At Saint Joseph the Worker Parish, we believe we all have a place in the mission of sharing the beauty, goodness and truth of our faith with all in our community,” Fr. Virgen said.

During the ministry fair, tables were set up in the church vestibule after each weekend Mass. At the tables, the different ministries had sign-up papers as well as a representative of one of the ministries to welcome, explain and respond to any questions that the parishioners might have.

 “The response has been great,” said Gracemarie Belvedere, president of the parish’s vocations promotion ministry.

Getting parishioners involved in the parish is important now more than ever because “we are all stewards of God’s ministry; we need as community to come together,” Terry said.

“Our parish has a rich and vibrant history,” Fr. Virgen, said adding that the parish history reflects “not only our Catholic culture but it is also a reflection of our community. … It was our parishioners who worked with their hands and heart, who built our first church, and it is still parishioners who work with their hands and heart to continue to build our parish community.”

Inviting parishioners to help the community move forward with the parish Pastoral Plan, Fr. Virgen said that he hopes the people “will consider helping us to implement the goals, objectives and strategies of our plan by joining any of the committees for the five pillars identified in the plan or any of our new and existing parish ministries.”