On Wednesday June 20, 2007 St. Anastasia held its second Parish Assembly in Father Smith Hall. The Assembly gave the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) an opportunity to update 100 attending parishioners on the exciting developments that occurred since our first Assembly in June 0f 2006. 

The Parish Assembly is a unique part of the pastoral planning process under which Bishop DiMarzio charged each Parish to undergo an extensive planning process including members of the clergy, religious, and laity of each Parish to identify its own character as a community of faith and develop its own mission, vision, and goals. On the basis of guidance and suggestions received from parishioners who attended the first Assembly, the PPC created a Mission Statement and a set of goals. In the intervening year, the Council began to build a framework within which to accomplish the mission and achieve the goals. The second Assembly was seen as an opportunity to report to the Parish of the progress of the Council’s work.

Following a welcome and opening prayer by Msgr. Ryan, reports from three committees concerned with Parish Goals presented highlights of their activities and accomplishments of the past year.

The “Strengthening Catholic Education” committee reported on the process of creating a position called Director of Development position for the Parish, the efforts being made to seek feedback from CCD parents about the program, and the steps being explored to strengthen early childhood education. These activities are being carried out to support our education programs and foster greater family involvement.

The “Faith Formation” committee reported the numerous activities being planned to engage parishioners of all ages to nurture their relationship with Jesus. The first event planned is scheduled for October 20th at 10:00 a.m. in Father Smith Hall. The well known Tablet columnist and lecturer, Father Robert Lauder, from the Brooklyn Diocese will be speaking to us on this important topic. The committee also outlined a number religious, secular, and informational events meant to appeal to a wide range of parishioners to re-engage them in Parish-life.

The “Outreach” committee reported on their ambitious project to establish a Visitation and Support Network. The network will focus on the needs of the sick, elderly, and grieving. The committee has been hard at work assembling a small group of committed and compassionate parishioners that are going to perform these important tasks.

The Parish mission and goals were developed at the first Parish Assembly. Those goals were then translated into objectives, and committees of the PPC worked all year to see them through. This is an ongoing and continuous process and it was a pleasure to report back to the Parish at the second Assembly. The work is not done, however, and there are more challenges ahead. Dedicated and committed volunteers are necessary to meet those challenges and we encourage all parishioners to get involved in any way possible to make our vision for the future of the Parish a reality.