Parish Membership:

Individuals and families are considered members of the parish if they are formally registered, are active and contributing to the mission and needs of our church community. By “registered” is meant that we have an updated record of the individual’s or family’s membership in the parish. To register, simply fill out a registration form available from the parish office. By “active” is meant that the individual or family attends Mass weekly and on holy days, and participates in other parish activities according to need, desire, interest and availability. By “contributing” is meant that the individual or family supports the parish financially through the use of contribution envelopes, and/or offers their time and talents to the parish in service to its needs.

Individuals and families who are not registered, active and contributing will find it difficult to obtain some parish services, such as a letter of eligibility if asked to be a Godparent at baptism or sponsor for Confirmation. Additional fees are levied for other services such as baptisms, weddings, enrollment in the regional school and, starting next September enrollment in the religious education program (“CCD”).

Fees For Services:

The purpose for instituting additional fees for certain services is simply an issue of fairness. Canon 222 of the Code of Canon (Church) Law states: “The Christian faithful are obliged to assist with the needs of the Church so that the Church has what is necessary for divine worship, apostolic works [education and various other ministries] and works of charity and for the decent sustenance of ministers.”

There are over 2500 households registered in our parish, and we expect there may be several hundred unregistered ones. Yet, we receive support from only approximately 700. That means that approximately one third of registered households support the parish, while the overwhelming majority do not. Is it fair that a family who supports us throughout the year should pay the same fee, say for a wedding, as a family who does not? We don’t think so!

However, these fees are not gifts for the priest conducting a service. All additional fees for education are applied to the respective program (regional school or religious educational/”CCD”). All others are applied to the parish’s building fund. Of course, the pastor may wave any fee for those suffering financial difficulties. Please schedule an appointment with him as soon as possible. Otherwise, you can avoid these fees by being certain to be registered, active and regularly contributing to the parish’s needs.

Come into the Parish Office during business hours:Monday-Friday
8:30am - 12Noon and 1:00-4:30PM

Godparents (Baptism) and Sponsors (Confirmation)

Before you ask someone to be a Godparent or sponsor, or before accepting this honor, please consider the following:

Godparents and Sponsors are persons of faith who so exemplify what it means to be a member of the Church that they inspire (or hope to inspire) the one they are sponsoring and will support that person in his/her journey of faith. To be considered eligible, certain conditions must be met, which is why the Church insists that a certificate of eligibility, obtained from the prospective Godparent/ sponsor’s home parish, be provided prior to the celebration of the sacrament.

The applicant must be formally registered in a parish. If we don’t know you, how can we testify that you are eligible? Furthermore, the applicant should make his/her own request. While there may be legitimate extenuating circumstances, ordinarily parish staffs are suspicious about the seriousness of an applicant’s intentions if someone else is making the request for them.

Applicants must be fully initiated, practicing members of the Church, at least 16 years of age. That is, they have received the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation and regularly attend Mass. The pastor can dispense from the age minimum, provided that the applicant meets these sacramental requirements.

Where we run into the most difficulties is if the applicant is married. We cannot issue a certificate of eligibility to a married person if the marriage is not valid in the Catholic Church. For a marriage to be valid a sanctioned Catholic priest must have performed it or, if celebrated outside the Church, with a formal dispensation granted by the local Bishop. Civil marriages or those performed by non-Catholic religious officials without a formal dispensation are not valid in the Church.

For the applicant in an invalid marriage to receive a certificate of eligibility, the marriage must first be convalidated by a renewal of vows before a sanctioned priest and two witnesses. If either spouse had a prior marriage that ended in divorce, regardless of where that first marriage took place, the Church must formally annul the prior marriage before a convalidation can be celebrated.