Hello.  My name is John Lough, and I am the president of our parish council.  I would like to update you on what our Parish Council has been working on these past few months as we  emerge from the  devastating effects of the pandemic.
Our members began meeting virtually during the pandemic assessing our parish’s needs and working with Fr. Emiel in navigating through the challenges imposed by Covid. While some of our most obvious needs are financial…which of course include our visibly leaking roof…. the emotional toll due to sickness, loss and the spiritual challenges our parish has faced are more difficult to assess, articulate and ultimately more difficult to solve.  During the height of the pandemic when we were not able to worship in person, many parishioners joined with us in prayer via online Masses streamed into our homes.  While being far from a perfect solution, through the efforts of our dedicated priests, we were able to maintain our valued connection to the parish family.
Be assured that we have taken your needs seriously and know that our council members are focused, energized and committed towards moving forward and envisioning our parish as even more faith-filled than before and welcoming to all. To that end, we’ve organized our parish programs into six areas of focus: Faith Formation, Liturgy and Prayer, Ministry, Service, Evangelization and Fellowship and are looking deeply to what we are doing well in every category, analyzing where improvement is needed, prioritizing what is most important, and transforming our ideas into building an even stronger community of believers.  Our council leaders represent many cultures, age groups, and varied walks of life. All are motivated by the knowledge that the core mission of our parish is to serve and in doing so, to bring us all into a deeper relationship with the Lord.  
We are proud that our parish family has not only endured the pandemic with all its trials and tribulations. but we have stood strong.  Mass attendance is improving as we renew our Faith commitment and center our lives on what is most important, our growth as a Christian family of believers.  Many parish activities are experiencing increased participation. Our Family Life Ministry is flourishing as is our growing presence at Family Mass.  Our St. Vincent DePaul Society, thanks to the ongoing generosity of our parish family, serves the needs of many families in providing food, financial assistance when needed and sometimes just a listening ear and an open heart. Our Eucharistic ministers are now serving at Mass and bringing the Eucharist to the sick at our local hospital as well as to an Assisted Living Facility. Outreach to the homebound, senior outreach, an expanding CYO/youth program and a Parish welcoming guide for new parishioners are all on our agenda as we work together to develop even more plans for future expansion of these and other programs. 
We have the energy and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the will, to bring our plans to life. We invite your feedback. We welcome your ideas. We will only succeed if you join us in praying for the spiritual growth of our parish family so that we may be open to the continued workings of the Holy Spirit as He shows us the path we are to follow. Our vision for the future is that we, and others, may see Transfiguration as a community whose members truly live their gospel-led Christian beliefs. Stay tuned for more updates to come.  If you would like to contact us, you may e-mail us at transfigpc@gmail.com.

Thank you.