Our Lady of the Woods Catholic Church - Lucie … · Our Lady of the Woods Catholic Church ......

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Our Lady of the Woods Catholic Church Parish Ministries And Resources ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________

Transcript of Our Lady of the Woods Catholic Church - Lucie … · Our Lady of the Woods Catholic Church ......

Our Lady of the Woods

Catholic Church

Parish Ministries And Resources

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Liturgical Ministries Altar Servers

Altar Servers assist the priest and assembly during parish liturgical celebrations. This is an important ministry both of prayer and service. Servers are called to be special, visible models of a prayerful spirit at Mass. Altar Servers must be registered members of Our Lady of the Woods Parish community and must have received their First Holy Communion.

Diaconate We are blessed with three deacons who minister to our parish. In addition to assisting with Mass and other sacraments, Deacon Roger Eberwein is our parish director; Deacon Patrick Jones has a brain injury and Internet ministry; and Deacon Andy McKee ministers to the sick and homebound.

Extraordinary Ministers of Communion The Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion serve the community of the faithful of Our Lady of the Woods by distributing the Body and Blood of Christ at Mass. To become an Extraordinary Minister you must be a registered member of Our Lady of the Woods Parish and be fully initiated in the Church. Candidates for this ministry will receive appropriate training and be commissioned.

Lectors Serving as a Lector is a unique opportunity to deepen one’s own faith through prayer and preparation, and to communicate that faith by making the Word of God come alive for the assembly. A Lector is expected to be a registered parishioner who is in full Communion with the Catholic Church, be committed to the Ministry of Word, and have a spirit of humility and service.

Music Ministry Our primary role in Music Ministry is to aid the gathered assembly in full participation in the liturgy. Our God-given gifts and talents are used to enhance liturgy through inspirational song and music. We commit our ministry to the work of the Holy Spirit as a tool for evangelization. All who have the musical talent and skills are invited to participate in providing the music for the liturgy. The ministry includes an Adult Choir, Youth Choir, Children's Music Program, and a Cantor Program. For information on participating in any of these groups, please contact the Music Coordinator — name and phone number are on the front of the bulletin.

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Sacristans

The responsibility of the Sacristans is to prepare the worship space for the celebration of Mass. The Sacristan ensures that all the liturgical ministers are available for their ministries, thus providing a fulfilling worship experience for the parish community.

Ushers The role of Usher includes seating parishioners and visitors, helping the handicapped feel more comfortable, facilitating the offertory collections, and distributing bulletins.

Prayer & Service Ministries

Administrative Volunteers (Office Angels) The people who volunteer their time in the office at Our Lady of the Woods are indeed angels. From answering phones to computer work, stuffing bulletins to counting our Sunday Offertory, they are the bedrock of everyday operations at OLW.

Their dependable commitment of time is a sign of their love for our church. Our Office Angels are so special that they earn their wings here on earth.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Perpetual Adoration is a Eucharistic devotion where members of the parish unite in taking hours of adoration before the Most Blessed Sacrament, both during the day and throughout the night, seven days a week.

The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. In seeking a life of holiness, Jesus is the food for our journey. To grow in holiness, we must continually recommit our lives to God.

Perpetual Adoration is a very fruitful opportunity for offering praise to our Creator, for giving Him thanks for our redemption, for making reparation for our sins and the sins of mankind, and for petitioning the good God for the constant help we need.

Capital Campaign Leadership Team Over 50 individuals in our parish have stepped up to share the enormous task of leading our parish through the task we are calling "Growing Church in the Center." With so many people involved, each task is pared down to the possible and the doable. We are blessed in so many ways by their donations of time and talent. Check out the first newsletter you received for more details about this awesome group.

Core Group - Pastoral Council The Core Group helps provide direction for the long- range planning process in conjunction with the five goals of the Pastoral Plan of the Diocese of Colorado Springs: Faith Formation, Evangelization, Social Justice, Stewardship, and Leadership Development.

The Pastoral Council is the planning body for the parish. It serves as a consultative body to the Parish Director. Council members understand, as representatives of the greater community, the importance of staying in touch with the entire parish, and are aware of present needs while looking to the future. Membership is determined each Spring through a discernment process and members serve for three years.

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Cursillo The Cursillo in Christianity is a movement of the Roman Catholic Church that is committed to spreading the Gospel message utilizing a specific method and strategy.

The Cursillo Movement, an agent of change, serves as a catalyst for the Christian transformation of society's moral and ethical values. This is accomplished through a unified national, regional, and diocesan effort.

Finance Council The Finance Council is the only ministry commissioned by the Diocese, appointed by the Priest or Parish Director, and approved by the Diocese. The mission of the Finance Council is to establish the budget for the parish and various ministries and to constantly monitor and adjust the budget as necessary throughout the year.

It is responsible for trying to ensure that the parish offertory meets the established budget and is also responsible for managing the entire fiscal needs of the parish, including investments and capital improvements in addition to the daily operating budget. Members of the Finance Council represent a wide cross section of the parish but generally have a very strong background in fiscal management and are widely recognized and highly respected within the parish community.

Florissant Small Faith Community The expanding demographics of Teller County call for a gathering of those who live in the Divide, Florissant, Lake George, and adjoining Park County areas. They meet at the Florissant Grange at 4 pm on the first Sunday of each month with a guest priest for Mass, potluck, and discussion period.

Hospitality/Funerals Ministry For funeral receptions and special events, the presence of our Hospitality Ministry creates a caring and easy way to gather by providing a light lunch or dinner for those attending. These wonderful parishioners respond with just a couple days’ notice and treat all present like honored guests. Our parish is represented graciously in this way.

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus is a group of Catholic men dedicated to the church that honors the Virgin Mary and holds dear the Mysteries of the Rosary. The Knights were founded by Father Michael McGivney on March 29, 1892 and, since that time, they serve God, the church, and the community through social and volunteer efforts.

Men’s Breakfast Group The Men’s Breakfast Group, which now meets at a local restaurant following Wednesday morning Mass, was originally formed several years ago to discuss the Mass and for general companionship. Over the years it has grown to as many as 20 men meeting to discuss specific topics, especially those related to the morning Mass. Deacon Andy McKee facilitates the meetings with handouts related to the Gospel and formulates questions for the men to discuss. Father Don usually attends and tries to answer questions and enlighten the group.

Men’s Group Many men of the parish meet on the second Saturday of each month to discuss various topics and issues related to the Catholic faith.

The group, which is open to all men of the parish, has no formal structure or membership dues but annually holds a retreat in the nearby mountains to re-dedicate their commitment to God and to allow for self-reflection and introspection.

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Although they do not perform volunteer work of any kind as a group, they do support various ministries with occasional contributions from member donations, and many of the men hold leadership positions within the church on other committees and ministries.

Prayer Chain The women's intercessory prayer group (Prayer Chain) has been actively praying for the needs of others since 1984. Members take turns collecting monthly prayer requests and mailing or emailing the requests to the other members. Current requests between the monthly mailings are promptly emailed to the members. The requests come from the needs of the members, our parishioners, visitors, and anyone else who asks for intercessory prayer. All prayer requests are kept strictly confidential. The women pray privately daily and only meet as a group for retreats. They are listed on the front of the parish bulletin as "Prayer Chain" with phone numbers to call with your prayer requests.

Rosary Making This ministry was started back in the 1960's to make cord rosaries for our summer visitors. It has now grown to making about 600-700 rosaries yearly. We have a team of women and men who are given supplies and then they make these rosaries on their own time.

These rosaries are given to our visitors year-round and also to the Children's Ark. Our visitors are encouraged to take these rosaries to pray along their travels.

St. Peter/St. Victor Mission Churches St. Peter Church in Cripple Creek was the first Catholic church in Teller County built on the highest hill in Cripple Creek in 1892. Because of the boom in population due to the Gold Rush, St. Victor’s was built in 1895 in the city of Victor. Our Lady of the Woods was actually a mission of St. Peter’s in 1954 before it became a parish in Woodland Park. Eventually, St. Peter/St. Victor parishes were merged and became mission churches of OLW. Masses are still held in both beautiful vintage buildings.

Steering Committee Members of the Steering Committee were appointed by the Parish Director. The committee’s goal is to facilitate the design of a new church for Our Lady of the Woods. The committee deliberately represents a broad cross section of the parish community in order to ensure that as many voices as possible can be heard in determining the needs and appearance of the new church.

Committee members have dedicated hundreds of hours to the goal of designing a new facility that is not only functional but is also groundbreaking in its commitment to green architecture and sustainable design (so that ultimately the church can operate "off grid" and be completely self-sufficient).

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Tithing Committee The Tithing Committee is charged with recommending how to allocate a percentage of our weekly collections. As mandated by the Bishop's Letter on Stewardship, we will offer the weekly tithe to designated groups, in order to share our gifts of treasure with our community (beyond our local parish responsibilities and functions).

After our local parish groups are supported, we use the following criteria to allocate the remainder of our funds:

1. Causes centered on gospel values. 2. Local agencies. 3. Organizations empowering others to help themselves. 4. Organizations demonstrating true stewardship of funds through financial accountability.

Community Outreach Ministries

Our Lady of the Woods has numerous organizations that assist our parish community, as well as the local community of Teller County.

Catholic Scouting Catholic Scouting allows youth to grow stronger in their Catholic faith through activities and service. Once a year, religious recognition medals are presented by the parish to those youth who have completed the necessary Catholic work required of their Scouting level.

Community Blood Drive The Penrose/St. Francis-facilitated Community Blood Drives have increased to six times per year. The Blood Drives began in the mid-80's when we needed a "guaranteed" minimum of 30 people donating. We met that requirement easily and increased to two drives a year, then three, then five, and finally the current six times a year, which we've been doing for the last three years. We average collecting 75-85 pints of blood at each drive, and have collected over 100 pints three different times.

The drives are held in the parish center from 2-7 pm on Thursdays 8-10 weeks apart. Parishioners provide dinner for the workers and homemade cookies for the blood donors. Most of the volunteer workers are also parishioners. The blood donated is from the general Teller County community, although we do have a large number of regular donors who are parishioners. Every pint of blood can be used to save up to three lives. We provide a very vital, life-giving service.

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Christmas Giving Tree Every December an enormous tree is placed at the front of the church. The only decoration are tags with wishes for Christmas — socks, boots, a doll, a warm jacket, playing cards, etc.

Parishioners generously take one or two or more tags, purchase the gifts, wrap them, and return them under the tree.

Families who are experiencing difficulty for a number of different reasons are each blessed a little more on Christmas by our good people.

Community Cupboard Longtime OLW member, Greg Schilling, was a founding father of Community Cupboard, as he was of Help the Needy and the Clothes Closet. Officially opening its doors in May of 1987, Community Cupboard has been in continuous operation for the last 20+ years with Kathy Blough as its director the last 13.

Community Cupboard offers residents numerous provisions to help bridge a sometimes temporary gap in everyday needs. Our Lady of the Woods congregants have embraced this operation as an opportunity to share their abundance with others and to actively practice their belief in social justice.

This ministry gives thousands of pounds of food and toiletries to Community Cupboard each year. In 2007, we contributed 1,660 pounds of food for a monthly average of 138 pounds. During the first seven months of 2008 congregants have given an average of 180 pounds per month.

Cripple Creek Rehab Center Ministry This center, located in Cripple Creek, is a skilled nursing facility and drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. It serves the Cripple Creek and Victor area.

Our ministry is to bring pastoral care to the residence once a week during the year.

Grief Support Group Nothing is more natural than grief, no emotion more common to our daily experience.

Though we may never wholly overcome the sorrows we’ve endured, we can confront them with mercy and self-acceptance that smoothes the path to healing. The Grief Support Group strives to provide a safe environment for support as we journey together toward healing.

Habitat for Humanity of Teller County This is a ministry of local churches who participate with other organizations to build simple, decent, affordable housing for families in need.

Habitat for Humanity works in partnership with God and the people of Teller County in mobilizing people and financial and social capital to build and restore houses for people in need so that there are decent homes in which every person can experience God's love and grow into all that God intends.

Help the Needy “Until the great mass of the people shall be filled with the sense of responsibility for each other’s welfare, social justice can

never be attained.” Helen Keller

The mission of Help the Needy is to provide basic human services and advocacy for those in need in our community, in collaboration with other partners.

Help the Needy is a charitable, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that, since 1981, has been dedicated to helping Teller County residents in need who are doing their best to help themselves, and are truly in need of our support.

We provide assistance needed to maintain a reasonable standard of living. We do not want to take over your life, rather we want to assist you through the hard times. We spend money only as a last resort and look at many other options first.

Help the Needy offers a hand up, not a hand out.

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La Leche League

La Leche League (LLL) is a v o l u n t e e r s u p p o r t organization for moms who are breastfeeding their children. La Leche League International is a global organization with support groups on six continents and

is an internationally respected authority on breastfeeding issues.

Accredited leaders are experienced mothers who have breastfed their own children and wish to help other mothers do the same. Leaders provide support to mothers through phone contacts, at regularly scheduled meetings, and at community outreach events.

Ministry to the Homebound Faithfully and generously, this group visits those who are unable to participate at Mass with us due to illness or disability. They are called upon to bring communion to those who cannot be at our weekend celebrations.

Multiple Sclerosis Support Group The MS Group meets the second Tuesday of each month in the parish center. Facilitated by a medical professional, this group helps members support each other as they deal with MS in their lives.

Prospect Hospice Care Hospice provides in-home nursing care, therapy, and other skilled services to individuals of all ages. The program offers various supportive care to patients, their caregivers, the elderly, and the handicapped and looks out for their safety and support. Our Deacon Andy McKee works with Hospice.

Respect Life The Sanctity of Life extends from conception to the final moment. This parish ministry teams with the Teller County Pregnancy Resource Center in education, counseling, and raising funds. Members of our parish are also counselors for the Center.

SHARE Colorado Our Lady of the Woods is a host site for SHARE which is a nonprofit network (organized by Catholic Charities) that offers good, nutritious grocery products like frozen meats, fresh produce, and other grocery items at reduced cost through a volunteer-run, community-based distribution system.

SHARE's mission is to build and strengthen community through volunteer service. SHARE is for anyone who wants to save money on food (typically 30-60% less than grocery store prices) with no membership fees or eligibility requirements.

Every dollar spent with SHARE automatically helps to put food on the table for children and families in need as well as support dozens of community programs.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance In 2004, a VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) site was started here at our Lady of the Woods and at the Aspen Mine Center in Cripple Creek.

During tax season, the Our Lady of the Woods site operates one afternoon a week, while the site in Cripple Creek operates one or two Saturdays. The team of volunteers provide income-tax-return preparation for free for all people in Teller County who qualify for this service.

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Education & Evangelization Ministries

Various missions, retreats, and Bible Study classes provide opportunities to enhance our faith foundation, as well as offer opportunities to serve the Lord.

The Religious Education Program at Our Lady of the Woods strives to strengthen the faith of our students by giving them the opportunity to learn and experience God in their daily lives. Our Religious Education Program works with families to provide a strong Catholic Foundation for the children that will help them develop healthy lifestyles by recognizing that God is our Creator and Designer and, therefore, holds the key to a successful and meaningful life.

Our wonderful team of catechists provides faith formation which empowers our students in their commitment to God. We are always looking for new catechists to share their faith.

Adult Faith Formation The Adult Faith Formation Program at Our Lady of the Woods Parish reaches out to adults of all faiths. Some adults join us to enrich their Catholic faith while others choose to study the Catholic religion through their involvement in our RCIA program.

Bible Study Programs

Bible Study groups meet either Mondays from 9:30 to 11:30 am or Wednesday evenings during the school year in the parish center.

In the past the study groups have used the Denver Catholic Biblical School Program or the Little Rock Scripture Study.

Catholic Homeschoolers The Catholic Homeschoolers of Teller County Catholic Community meet once a month to share and support each other in their God-given role as primary educators of their children.

Faith Formation The ministry of Faith Formation supports the lifelong spiritual formation in the Catholic faith for adults and youth .

Faith Formation opportunities for youth include grade level classes for preschool through high school and other learning experiences such as Children's Liturgy of the Word, Marian processions, children’s plays, service projects, etc.

The Faith Formation office also provides catechist certification, formation, and child safety programs for all catechists.

Parish Library The Parish Library provides Catholic books, audio tapes, video tapes, and DVDs for the spiritual development of the parishioners, both adult and youth.

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Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) RCIA is a year-long process whereby we welcome new Catholics to the Church, assist Catholics who are returning to their faith or those who have never been confirmed. Persons who just want to learn

more about their faith or the church today are also invited to participate.

Sacraments Preparation Pregnant or new parents can attend an information class to prepare for the Sacrament of Baptism for their infants.

The ministry of First Sacraments prepares youth (seven years and older) and their parents/guardians for the reception of the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist. It also prepares youth (seven years and older) who, for whatever reason, were not baptized as infants.

The Rite of Christian Initiation catechesis for both youth and their parents/guardians prepares them for receiving all three Sacraments of Initiation at Easter Vigil.

Confirmation "By the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed." (Rite of Confirmation)

Confirmation is the second of the three Sacraments of Initiation. It perfects and completes the first Sacrament, Baptism.

The ministry of Confirmation prepares youth (15 and older) and their parents/guardians and sponsors for the celebration of Confirmation.

Youth Ministry Youth Ministry is the response of the Christian community to care for our young people. It also strives to share the unique gifts of our youth with the larger parish community.

This community places a high value on our youth — the church of today! There are a multitude of activities, retreats, and trips offered under the direction of our Youth Minister staff member.

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Social Activities Ministries

Coffee & Donuts Every Sunday after both Masses in Our Lady of the Woods parish center coffee, juice, and donuts are served by many different volunteers of our community.

All are invited to join us in an extension of our Liturgical celebration — by celebrating each other.

To volunteer to serve or to clean up, just find the sign-up sheet by the donuts and pick a date.

Waffle Breakfasts A scrumptious waffle breakfast is served by the Knights of Columbus once a month in the parish center.

The funds raised are returned to the parish by the Knights through maintenance projects and hospitality at special events.

Monthly Pot Luck Dinners During the year, the parish joins together on the second Saturday of each month (following the 5:30 pm mass) for a Parish Potluck to help nurture parish life.

There are no potlucks during the summer months.

Soup Suppers During Lent simple Soup Suppers are offered each week of our Lenten Journey.

This brochure highlights many of the more

than 50 exciting and rewarding ministries at Our Lady of the Woods.

Please contact the church office for

more information about all the ministries serving our parish community.

Our Lady of the Woods

116 S. West St. P.O. Box 5590

Woodland Park, CO, 80866

Phone: 719-687-9345 FAX: 719-687-0893

Email: [email protected]