Worship Commission: Sharing the Hope

My name is Carola Shepard. I joined St. Ignatius over 25 years ago and started volunteering almost immediately. I began by occasionally making coffee and bringing treats for Hospitality and eventually graduated to regular commitments and leadership roles on a variety of teams and ministries. Recently, I realized that all my work at St. Ignatius has involved outreach to the larger parish community:  fundraising, welcoming new parishioners, direct service to individual parishioners, organizing events, recruiting other volunteers, stewardship, etc. While all that has been very satisfying and hopefully useful, I really knew little about the central experience of my parish life:  the Mass itself. 

And with that thought came another insight:  that the heart of our community was our joint presence at the liturgies and that my own faith was rejuvenated by participating in an old and sacred rite. Of course, church events like picnics, lectures, retreats, service projects, and holiday fairs are all opportunities to get to know one another and to grow as Catholics. Ultimately, it is the experience of the Mass that binds us together. 

What drew me to volunteer for the Worship Commission was the chance to learn about how our liturgies are planned and organized -- especially as we seek to make them meaningful, welcoming and a keystone to our sense of community. I joined the Worship Commission six months ago and have greatly enjoyed the topics and discussions around them. Most inspiring is the team's commitment to make our worshiping together come alive for all parishioners.

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