Parish Narrative
The fundamental purpose of the St. Josaphat Parish is the cultivation and promotion of the catholic faith through the core values of catholic education, service to the surrounding community and spiritual stewardship.
We, the parishioners of St. Josaphat Parish, are a welcoming community of believers who are called to cultivate faith-based families, educate future Catholic leaders, serve others as Jesus taught, and share our many blessings with those around us. Through the example set by St. Josaphat who struggled to maintain unity in a fractured time, we aim to look beyond the physical walls of our parish to the surrounding neighborhood and beyond to educate and serve those who are most in need.
The spirit of faith, community, service and hospitality defines our parish. We are called to be owners of our parish community through our involvement in all aspects in parish life. As owners we encourage one another to care for and better the direction of our ministries, services and finances. We encourage parishioners to ask themselves: Am I taking ownership for your parish experience? Am I caring for its well-being? Am I seeking opportunities to leave the parish better than when I arrived?
One of our greatest strengths is the robust spiritual preparation of the St. Josaphat School and Catholic Youth Education programs. We hope to extend that same enthusiasm for religious understanding to the entire parish by being examples to one another of Christ's teaching. We are eager to succeed in our role of developing the catholic leadership abilities of our parishioners wherever they are on their faith journey.
As a community we are guided by our missionary spirit. As stated in the Gospel according to St. Matthew, "Amen I say to you, certainly, if you will have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it shall move. And nothing will be impossible for you." As a relatively small parish, we aim to make a big impact in the service to the surrounding community through works of feeding the poor at our very door step, and providing comfort to the stranger in our midst. We endeavor to instill works of charity and justice in the foundation of our parish culture; in this we share the joy of our faith.
As a parish located in Chicago we are acutely aware of the tension of living spiritual lives in a secular world. We are aware of our personal and parish blessings, but know we are called by Christ to do more. As a community we will be dedicated to offering the opportunity to share our time, talent and treasure out of love and gratitude for God's gifts through parish programs and support for personal dedication. With an aging facility and a relatively small congregation, so too are we called to care for the gift of worship space, so that others may grow their personal faith and our church family.
Our parish community, a place to come home to, welcomes all who enter our doors. We strive to be a center for creative education that reaches all those thirsting for knowledge of the faith, wherever they are on their spiritual journey. We seek to be missionary disciples through our actions and service in our parish, in our neighborhood, and in our city by serving the marginalized and neglected among us. Pope Francis challenges all of us to dream of great things. We dream of an active, vibrant parish that continually challenges itself to look beyond its four walls to educate and serve others by living our missionary vocation.
We, the parishioners of St. Josaphat Parish, are a welcoming community of believers who are called to cultivate faith-based families, educate future Catholic leaders, serve others as Jesus taught, and share our many blessings with those around us. Through the example set by St. Josaphat who struggled to maintain unity in a fractured time, we aim to look beyond the physical walls of our parish to the surrounding neighborhood and beyond to educate and serve those who are most in need.
The spirit of faith, community, service and hospitality defines our parish. We are called to be owners of our parish community through our involvement in all aspects in parish life. As owners we encourage one another to care for and better the direction of our ministries, services and finances. We encourage parishioners to ask themselves: Am I taking ownership for your parish experience? Am I caring for its well-being? Am I seeking opportunities to leave the parish better than when I arrived?
One of our greatest strengths is the robust spiritual preparation of the St. Josaphat School and Catholic Youth Education programs. We hope to extend that same enthusiasm for religious understanding to the entire parish by being examples to one another of Christ's teaching. We are eager to succeed in our role of developing the catholic leadership abilities of our parishioners wherever they are on their faith journey.
As a community we are guided by our missionary spirit. As stated in the Gospel according to St. Matthew, "Amen I say to you, certainly, if you will have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it shall move. And nothing will be impossible for you." As a relatively small parish, we aim to make a big impact in the service to the surrounding community through works of feeding the poor at our very door step, and providing comfort to the stranger in our midst. We endeavor to instill works of charity and justice in the foundation of our parish culture; in this we share the joy of our faith.
As a parish located in Chicago we are acutely aware of the tension of living spiritual lives in a secular world. We are aware of our personal and parish blessings, but know we are called by Christ to do more. As a community we will be dedicated to offering the opportunity to share our time, talent and treasure out of love and gratitude for God's gifts through parish programs and support for personal dedication. With an aging facility and a relatively small congregation, so too are we called to care for the gift of worship space, so that others may grow their personal faith and our church family.
Our parish community, a place to come home to, welcomes all who enter our doors. We strive to be a center for creative education that reaches all those thirsting for knowledge of the faith, wherever they are on their spiritual journey. We seek to be missionary disciples through our actions and service in our parish, in our neighborhood, and in our city by serving the marginalized and neglected among us. Pope Francis challenges all of us to dream of great things. We dream of an active, vibrant parish that continually challenges itself to look beyond its four walls to educate and serve others by living our missionary vocation.
Developed by the Parish Transformation Team, 2015
