We, the family of believers at St. Anastasia Parish, having been baptized into Christ Jesus, seek to develop a greater awareness of our mission as the People of God in union with our Holy Father and our Archbishop.  Accepting the challenge of the Gospel and realizing that each one of us has been called by the Lord, we commit ourselves: 

o       To worship God in spirit and in truth, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist and other sacraments of the Church;

o       To foster a personal relationship with Jesus Christ in order to welcome new members into our parish and to strengthen our local faith community;

o       To proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to all through word and deed;

o       To develop educational programs that will enable parishioners of all ages to grow in a knowledge of the truths of our faith;

o       To encourage the members of our local faith community to reach out to all those in need, especially the young, the old, the disabled, the infirm and the heavily burdened.

We pray to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit that, through the Immaculate Heart of

Mary, we may live lives of love and service as we continue on our earthly journey towards our heavenly home.
 

          During the past ten years, the parish has experienced an increase of 400 registered Catholic families and an increase of 2000 registered parishioners; however, weekly Sunday Mass attendance has declined from 38% of the parishioners to 31% of the parishioners.    During that same time period, student enrollment in the parish school has increased from 480 students to 720 students.

          Representatives of St. Anastasia Parish are participating in the Cluster 61 planning process for Catholics living in the following local communities:  Havertown, Broomall, Newtown Square, Bryn Mawr and Villanova.   Representatives of these parishes seek to address common problems in the local community and to share their resources with one another wherever that is possible.     At regularly scheduled meetings, the representatives of these parishes frequently address the following issues:  stewardship, youth ministry, and adult education.

          Aware of the issues identified by representatives of the parishes within Cluster 61 and cognizant of the pastoral needs identified by our own  parishioners, the members of the Parish Pastoral Council of St. Anastasia Parish have endorsed the following pastoral plan for St. Anastasia Parish:

• Since the Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life,” additional efforts are to be made to improve the Sunday liturgy by engaging the services of a well trained organist and liturgist, installing a new speaker system, training new cantors, selecting appropriate hymns, assigning greeters to welcome worshippers at the entrance areas of church, and inviting young people to fill minor liturgical offices at Mass.

• Greater appreciation and reverence for the Holy Eucharist are to be promoted by stressing the need for silence in church and by encouraging more people to make visits to the Blessed Sacrament.

• Communion “under both forms” is to be introduced at daily Mass and subsequently extended to selected Masses on Sundays and Holydays of Obligation.

• Baptism and First Holy Communion ceremonies are to be integrated into the Sunday liturgy so that more parishioners will be able to experience the beauty of these sacramental rites.

• The schedule of Masses at Christmas and Easter is to be expanded to accommodate the parishioners who choose to participate in the liturgical life of the Church only on these occasions.

• Personal invitations are to be offered to non-Catholic members of the local community to enroll in the R.C.I.A. (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) Program.

• A Pre-Jordan Program is to be initiated to make parents of newborn children more aware of their responsibilities as the “first teachers” of their children in the ways of faith.

• Members of the Legion of Mary and other members of the parish are to be engaged in making personal contacts with non-practicing Catholics as well as practicing Catholic who have recently moved into our parish.

• A greater appreciation of the parish as a community of faith is to be promoted by  scheduling spiritual, social, and service activities for:  senior citizens,  widows and widowers, parents of children in our parish, the youth of our parish, and single members of our parish community.

• The athletic program, the theater arts program, the service program, and the scouting program at St. Anastasia Parish are to continue to be further developed and promoted as a way for providing young members of the parish with a stronger identification with their parish.

• The parish facilities are to be expanded to meet the needs of a growing parish community.

• Opportunities for on-going faith formation are to be developed for the adult members of the parish community.

The activities of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, the Food for St. John’s Hospice Program, the AID for Friends Program, the SCRIP Program, the SPIFFY Program (Special people in Faith and Fraternity), the HOPE Program (transportation assistance to the elderly), the Outreach Program to the Homebound and Residents of Nursing Homes, the Altar Society, Little Children’s Church, and other similar organizations within the parish are to be recognized by the total parish community as an important way of fulfilling the challenge of the Gospel to “bear you one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.”