Our Parish Mission

Dear St. William Parishioners,

God bless you! In August of 2024, the Parish Leadership Team attended the Amazing Parish Summit in San Antonio. The PLT is a team that I chose that supports me, the pastor, directly when it comes to visioning for the parish. We are modeled after the Amazing Parish leadership principles in which we pray, reflect and execute the vision of the parish.  It was there that we were invited to reflect on what is most important in the mission of our parish. We pondered that invitation and came up with three anchor points, which are to: 1) facilitate an encounter with Jesus Christ, 2) foster commitment to our parish family, and 3) unite people in mission. We have reflected on these points with our PLT, parish staff, and most recently with our ministry leaders during our annual ministry leader’s retreat. These three points are to give clear vision to the parish so that together we can fulfill the Lord’s mission at St. William. Now, I would like to explain each anchor for your prayerful reflection. 

To facilitate an encounter with Christ is about the paramount mission of the Catholic Church, which is to evangelize. How do we prayerfully lead others to an encounter with Christ? Is the environment at St. William conducive for anyone who visits our parish to encounter Jesus? Now we cannot make someone fall in love with the Lord, but we can make the introduction. I think of my personal encounter with Christ in 2003 that changed the trajectory of my entire life. I pray that all people could have that life-changing encounter at our parish. We can be the instruments of that grace.
 
To foster a commitment to our parish encompasses the engagement of our parish through our time, talent, and treasure, as well as through the consideration of how to help the parish use them wisely for the good of all. Many times, people bounce from parish to parish without a commitment to any of them. It is important that we commit ourselves to our parish in the ways that we serve, give, and pray. All of us are important to the mission of St. William. How are we taking part?
 
United in mission means that we are being made and are forming disciples at our parish and beyond. Does our life reflect a life of discipleship to Jesus Christ which means to be an imitator of him to the best of our ability. Do we help make disciples at our parish, in our homes, and beyond? Our faith is to be shared and not hidden from the world. The light of Christ must precede us in all that we do. Is our life for his glory?
 
These anchor points are crucial as they are the lens that all ministry life in our parish will be filtered through. Our hope is that all staff-led ministries, existing ministries, and any future ministry will reflect these points. Now I know that it is a work in progress, but we have to be on this journey now. The time of complacency is over. We are living in a world that St. John Paul II labeled the culture of death. We must be intentional about bringing about the light of Christ in the world of darkness. We cannot sit idly by while the world consumes the people we love. I pray you will join me on this journey of making St. William a parish that will facilitate encounters with our Lord that will change lives and get people to heaven. God bless you!
 
Ad Jesum per Mariam,  
 
Fr. Francisco Rodriguez III
Pastor