My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Welcome to Our Lady of Mount Carmel! My name is Fr. Richard Doerr and I am the pastor of our parish. With thanksgiving to God, I follow a long line of pastors who have guided our parish to be what it is today—a vibrant Catholic parish that is committed to Christ, His Church and her teachings.
Why be involved in our parish? Way back in the 4th Century it was St. John Chrysostom who spoke of the necessity of parish life. He said, “You cannot pray at home as in church, where there is a great multitude, where acclamations are cried out to God as from one great heart and where there is something more: the union of minds, the accord of souls, the bond of charity, the prayers of the priest.” In other words, we need Christ and we need one another!
As you can tell by our website, Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a busy place! As our mission statement says, our parish is committed to proclaiming the Kingdom of God and the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ through liturgical worship, religious education, stewardship and social justice. This is a tall order and demands the participation of all of God's faithful people that are drawn to parish membership. In other words, we need you!
Through our website, we hope to introduce you to our parish life and to let you know how you can become involved and also how you can receive support to live out your Catholic faith. Our parish staff works hard to find a place for everyone to grow in faith—from the smallest children through the adults of our parish—all are welcome! Please do not let our large parish intimidate you! When you take that leap of faith, know that our parish is filled with people like you with a desire for greater meaning in life through Jesus Christ!
The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that in the end, we have only one goal—holiness! Paragraph 2013 says, “All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity. All are called to holiness: “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect!” Let us walk together toward that goal!
In Christ's love and guided by Our Lady of Mount Carmel,
Fr. Richard Doerr