Leadership Discernment is the name of the process St. Mary Parish uses to determine who will serve on the various boards that advise and assist the Pastor and parish staff in fulfilling the parish's mission. These various boards include: - The Parish Pastoral Council
- The Christian Outreach Commission
- The Education Commission
- The Finance Commission
- The Worship Commission
Discernment is an alternative to parish elections for selecting members to serve on Pastoral Council and Parish Commissions. The discernment process invites those who wish to serve (nominated by themselves or others) to examine their gifts and talents through prayer, discussion and reflection, and then consider how they can best serve the parish community by using their unique gifts.
Discernment occurs once a year (usually in March), begins through one’s own prayerful preparation and continues through two communal sessions facilitated by a trained professional. Prayer by the entire St. Mary community is integral to the success of leadership discernment. In Jesus’ words: "It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain." (John 15:16).