There is a family spirit at St Mary’s, as in every Catholic parish. That is to say, a Catholic parish is rather like a home to which everyone belongs and in which everyone is valued. There are no distinctions, as St Paul taught. That being the case, all are encouraged to share their gifts, whatever their nature. The degree of involvement and commitment is high at St Mary’s.
Prominent examples at St Mary’s are the commitment
- of those who, every Monday morning, clean the church,
- of the altar servers,
- of the large number of parishioners who share the responsibility of proclaiming the Word of God in the Liturgy,
- of a similarly large number who serve as Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist,
- of the Parish Catechists, and
- of members of the St Vincent de Paul Society
Other examples include the support of those
- who serve as members of Parish Committees, such as the Parish Council, the Finance Committee, the Justice and Peace Committee,
- and the Social Committee which time and again organises Christmas and Summer Fairs, Celebrations of the Passover, and the like.