God has blessed each of us with unique gifts and talents. As part of a parish family, we need all of our parishioners to share their time and talent here at St. Cyril so that each of us can contribute to making our parish the best parish it can be.
Please review the opportunities to share your time and talents listed below. There are many ways to participate in the life of our parish family. If you see something that interests you, there is a contact name and email listed for each ministry. If you call or email the contact for the ministry that interests you, that person can get back with you to give you more information. Our parish needs help from individuals, couples and families. If you have new ideas, contact the church office.
I invite you to prayerfully consider how you can be active in your faith community here at St. Cyril.
Rev. Jeff Hanley
Pastor
St. Rose and St. Cyril
Hastings and Nashville, MI USA
St. Rose Parish is always looking for parishioners who love singing and playing musical instruments to join the Adult Choir. The choir and musicians lead and enhance various Masses on weekends and liturgical holidays. For weekend Masses, the choir meets to rehearse 30 minutes before Mass begins. Rehearsals for holidays are published in the bulletin.
CCD is available for all children K-8th grade. Our formation program meets on Sunday mornings from 10:30 am to 11:30am from October through the end of April. Volunteers are need to serve as catechists and catechetical aides in the classrooms. Please consider joining this wonderful ministry and opportunity to grow in your own faith.
All volunteer positions require Virtus training:
https://www.virtusonline.org/virtus/reg_list2.cfm?theme=0
Mt. Calvary Cemetery is the only Catholic cemetery in Barry County and is owned and operated by St. Rose Parish. Volunteer members of the cemetery board focus on the care and maintenance of the grounds as well as the sale of gravesites. Catholic cemeteries are places for remembrance, forgiveness and healing. Our parishioners who are involved in this work are a special breed and they demonstrate lay ministry at its best when their fellow parishioners are grieving.
This committee meets to plan how to decorate the church for seasons, feasts and celebrations for the liturgical Church year. Members also install and maintain the decorations.
This ministry requires dependable individuals who pay attention to detail. People who are more comfortable providing service to others behind the scenes rather than in front of a congregation are encouraged to volunteer.
This ministry is open to parishioners who are practicing Catholics, are at least 16 years of age and who regularly attend Mass. Extraordinary ministers should be examples of faith, charity and service who live in a way that reflects love for and desire to serve Christ by serving others. These ministers assist the priest at Mass with distribution of the Body and Blood of Christ. Sign-ups for extraordinary ministers at weekend Masses are posted in the sacristy every three months and emailed to all ministers. If schedule conflicts prevent ministers from serving at their assigned Masses, they are asked to arrange for a substitute. All extraordinary ministers must be approved by Father Jeff before being scheduled to distribute the Blessed Sacrament.
This ministry provides the gift of food and comfort to our parish families who have lost a loved one. There are luncheons arranged for the mourners following funeral liturgies held at St. Cyril of Jerusalem. Many volunteers are needed to prepare various food dishes to be served at the luncheons, as well as volunteers to serve the meal and coordinate food donations.
St Rose has the Jail ministry which is a group of parishioners who visit the inmates in the Barry County Jail in Hastings on a quarterly basis. They minister to the inmates in a group setting by leading them in song and sharing scripture followed by some light fellowship. Members of the St. Cyril parish are welcomed to join us in this important ministry but the jail does require those that participate be at least 18 years old and are required to submit to a background check before being allowed into the jail.
The role of Greeters before each of our weekend Masses is to welcome all who come to St. Cyril of Jerusalem church with a handshake, kind word and a smile. There are three doors that need this welcome. Greeters arrive 15-20 minutes before Mass starts. The schedule is for three months at a time, sent out via email and posted at each entrance of the church. This ministry is for singles, couples and families. The commitment is small and sets a climate of welcoming as soon as people walk in the door.
The Knights of Columbus is the world’s largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded by Father Michael J. McGivney in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1882, it was named in honor of the mariner, Christopher Columbus. The order is still true to its founding principles of charity, unity and fraternity.
The K of C was formed to render financial aid to members and their families. Mutual aid and assistance are offered to the sick, disabled and needy members and their families. Social and intellectual fellowship is promoted among members and their families through educational, charitable, religious, social welfare, war relief and public relief works.
The Knights of Columbus has grown from several members in one council to 15, 342 councils and 1.9 million members throughout the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico, Poland, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Cuba, Guatemala, Guam, Saipan, Lithuania, Ukraine, and south Korea.
Our council meets the second Wednesday of each month at St. Rose and on the 4th Wednesday of the month at St. Cyril. Meetings begin at 7 pm.
All parish members are welcome and considered part of our Bible Study. We meet each Wednesday evening at 6pm at the parish hall. We also:
volunteer to prepare and serve refreshments for parish functions throughout the year
organize events throughout the year
take care of other things that come up throughout the year
This ministry is open to parishioners who are practicing Catholics, are at least 16 years of age and who regularly attend Mass. Lectors should be familiar with the Old and New Testaments and be confident enough to read aloud in public. They should be able to proclaim the scriptures with conviction and clarity. Sign-ups for lectors at weekend Masses are posted in the sacristy every three months and emailed to all lectors. If schedule conflicts prevent lectors from serving at their assigned Masses, they are asked to arrange for a substitute. All lectors must be approved by Father Jeff before being scheduled to read at liturgies.
The Parish Council is a group of parishioners who pray, reflect, and dialogue in order to help the Pastor in his role of governing and leading the parish. The Pastor consults with the Pastoral Council and seeks their advice regarding the spiritual life of the community. Members of the Parish Council are approved by the pastor and commit to attending meetings as scheduled.
Each September, we co-host a parish picnic for fun and fellowship. Events take place on a Sunday in September after 11 am Mass at St. Rose. There are many activities including children’s games, bingo, pony rides, a dunk tank, hamburger and hot dog lunch, music and many more. Many people are needed to work to coordinate various events and all parishioners are asked to participate in some way. The parish picnic is a wonderful way to get involved in the parish and meet some new people from both parishes.
The St. Cyril parish community believes in the power of prayer. If you, a family member, friend or fellow parishioner needs to be supported in prayer, please call Sue Dunham.
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is a process, not a program. It is a class designed for adults who are seeking full communion with the Catholic church. This class guides inquirers through the education, formation and rituals of entrance into the Catholic community. On a weekly basis, from September through April, those interested in learning about the teachings of the Catholic church come together to discover where God is leading them in their lives.
Various members of our parish community are on the RCIA team and lead different sessions to help class members explore and develop their faith, learn and grow into what it means to be Catholic and reflect on the conversion experience. If you are excited about being a Catholic and believe that sharing your faith with RCIA candidates and catechumens is a ministry that God is calling you to do, please schedule a conversation with Deacon Jim.
Sacristans serve the assembly by preparing all the physical elements needed for the Mass. They prepare the vessels for the Eucharistic Liturgy, put out appropriate quantities of bread and wine, assist the Presider and other ministers in vesting, ensure that the books are properly placed and ensure that there are enough Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, and Altar Servers for the Mass.
Sacristans are required to be at Mass a half hour before Mass begins to allow sufficient time to set everything up for the Mass.
Anyone interested in training for the sacristan ministry and serving as a substitute sacristan can contact the sacristan listed as a contact for the appropriate Mass time.
Due to illness or disability, some of our brothers and sisters are unable to be with us as we celebrate the Eucharist each Sunday. Approved parishioners take Communion and the Word of God weekly or monthly or occasionally to those who are unable to attend Mass because they are recovering from illness, are home-bound due to disability or are permanent residents in area nursing homes. If you are a positive, prayerful person, we need your help and compassion to serve these members of our parish. Commitment may be for a few weeks or ongoing as the circumstances and your schedule dictate.
Vacation Bible School (VBS) is an exciting fun-filled week of faith formation activities for children ages 5 through 12 years of age. It takes place for one week during the summer months. Volunteers are needed as small group leaders, musicians, arts and crafts activity leaders, snack and refreshment volunteers and creative workers of all ages to help plan, decorate and build our props for the week.
The Usher ministry is a loosely organized group of parishioners who gather the collection, assist with the procession of the gifts, seat people as needed and distribution of bulletins. Parishioners who are interested in this ministry should notice who the ushers are at the Mass they attend and ask one of the ushers if they can assist at Mass the following week.
Thank you to all our parishioners who have given of their time and talents to make these ministries possible.