Dear Disciples of Christ at Holy Spirit, St. Helen’s, and St. Mary’s,

Saint John Paul II
Christ our Savior Catholic Church
Our Lady, Queen of Peace

These are the potential names for our merged parish being submitted to Bishop McClory for his discernment. Let us pray the Lord guide our Bishop to select the name the Lord wants for our parish family.

These three names, listed in order of preference, were discerned through a process involving all of you and our Transition Team/Provisional Pastoral Council. As you recall, everyone in the parish was given the opportunity to submit potential names for the parish that will result from the merger of St. Mary and St. Helen into Holy Spirit. This will result in a parish (with the name Bishop selects) with two worship sites. One at Holy Spirit and another at St. Helen. I (Fr. Ian) reviewed the names submitted to make sure they met the requirements of Church law and the Diocese. I admit it took me some research to verify that some of the names were legit. These names were then given to the Transition Team for their personal prayer and discernment.

At the first meeting of the Team, we spent considerable time considering the names. Key in our discernment was evaluating them according to the standards set by Father Tom. He wished the new name to reflect values of: Unity, the unique qualities, commitments and mission of each parish, a sense of family, and Missionary Discipleship. This process led to a clear decision to present these three names to our Bishop.

Saint John Paul II: He is a modern Saint yet also a bridge between the, “the old and the new”. It was St. John Paul who truly started implementing the Second Vatican Council. His life and pontificate were marked by calls for unity on all levels of society. St. John Paul II epitomizes the values of our parishes such as Hospitality, Peace and Social Justice (our commitment to the poor and those in need by such things as St. Mary’s Soup Bowl Dinner, St. Vincent De Paul, the long commitment of St. Helen, now shared, to Red Cloud Indian School). He had a tremendous commitment to strengthening and uplifting families and he called for the New Evangelization now being realized in the call to Missionary Discipleship.
Christ our Savior Catholic Church: This name clearly states who we are as disciples of Christ and the Gospel of Salvation we preach. We are united together in Christ above all other things. A disciple is a member of His family called to unity and love. The mission and commitments of our parishes are all directed towards Christ. A Missionary Disciple must first be a humble disciple of Jesus seeking salvation for his or her self and then for all others.
Our Lady Queen of Peace: This beautiful title of Mary unites us all together as the one family we are with her as our heavenly Mother. Our popes, certainly from St. John Paul II to Pope Leo today have actively preached the need for peace. A peace that has Christ as its source and center. We are called to be joined together in the peace of Christ to be genuine witnesses to the world as Missionary Disciples.

Fr. Tom and I wish to express our gratitude to everyone who submitted a name and especially to the Transition Team for their committed prayerful discernment. The team members are: Mitchel Bolda, Joe Dolniak, Jerome Grabelle, Patricia Huerta, John McGinley, J.R. Mitsch, Michotte Montgomery, Shelley Neis, Carson Roeske, Rosie Jancich Stefanelli, and Jane Wohler. Karen Yankauskas sits on the team as Pastoral Associate and Fr. Ian as Facilitator.

Peace and Blessings, Fr. Ian