Dear St. Angela Merici Parishioners,
One of the important ministry opportunities that a Parishioner can participate in is the various councils that help formulate long term plans for our Parish. One of these is the Religious Education council. This council helps to chart the path for our  various adult and youth catechetical programs such as Mother’s Day Out, Elementary Faith Formation, EDGE, LifeTeen, Beyond, OCIA as well as several Adult Faith formation opportunities. I would like to invite you to prayerfully think about joining the Religious Education council in hopes that you will be moved to discern for a position on the council.
1. What is Education Council?
A Parish Education council is the chief consultative body to the Pastor in the area of Religious Education. Consultation is a sharing of wisdom that enables the Parish to carry out its mission. The Education council discerns issues that impact the formation of Parishioners; prays, studies and discusses those issues; and recommends practical ways of addressing them. 
2. Why should a Parish have an Education Council?
By Baptism and Confirmation, the laity shares in the priestly mission of Christ and empowered to participate in decisions regarding the work of the church. As the “wisdom community” of the Parish, the council listens to the formational needs of Parishioners and exercises stewardship of the gifts of the Parish. The Parish Educational council participates in the responsibility of the Pastor for building up the faith and formation of the community.
3. How does a Parish Education Council operate?
The council meets once a month with the leadership to consider education issues. It listens carefully to the concerns of the Pastor, the Parish staff and others involved in the life of the Parish. Through prayers and discernment, it searches for  the guidance of the Holy Spirit to make recommendations to the Pastor through consensus. The Parish education council  normally meets each month for about two hours. Also, the council may have an annual retreat for prayer and reflection.  Regular attendance at meetings is critical.
4. Who should be a member of a Parish Education Council?
A council member should be at least 21 years of age, be in good standing with the Church, be prayerful, and care about the spiritual well-being of the entire community.  The council member is willing to learn about the church, have a sense of mission: to bring Christ to the people and people to Christ, and be involved in the life and activities of the Parish. A council member must be able to attend meetings on a regular basis.
5. How is a Parish Education council  formed?
A four-step process is employed to form the Parish Education council.  This process includes prayer, education, discernment, and commitment.
Step 1: Prayer: Each meeting of the council begins and ends with a prayer experience as we focus on our baptismal call to build the kingdom of God.  We ask everyone to pray for wisdom and openness for our Parishioners and our Pastor.
Step 2: Education: All Parishioners learn more about the purpose and norms of Parish councils through materials provided by the Pastor.  All Parishioners interested in the Parish Education council are invited to an Information meeting along with those who want to learn more about serving on the council.  Anyone can come or recommend someone to come to this meeting. 
Step 3: Discernment:  A Discernment meeting is held for those who attended the information meeting and are open to serving on the council and are invited by the Pastor.  The people in attendance consider the gifts and talents of each person and discern who is being called by the Holy Spirit to serve. Anyone wishing to be considered for discernment must attend the information meeting. 
Step 4: Commitment: The final step to the process is the commissioning of new council members during the weekend Masses. Then the work of the council begins with an orientation of new members, followed by gathering information about the needs and desires of the Parishioners so that the council can undertake the development of  recommendations for short-term and long-term plans. 
If you are interested in discerning to be part of our Parish Education council, please call the Parish Office or email our Business Manager, Crystal Iscovitz at [email protected].

We will be holding an interest meeting on July 26th at 10:00am-12:00pm. ​Please ​fill out the form below to RSVP!