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St. Leo Parish Commissions

At St. Leo, the life of the parish is structured around eight commissions—Ecumenical and Interfaith, Facilities, Liturgy, Pastoral Care, Social Justice, Stewardship, Faith Formation and Food Connection. Each commission, under the guidance of its pastoral staff liaison, is responsible for reviewing and evaluating the various ministries within their programs. The commissions receive input from the parish both to initiate new ministries and to terminate outdated ones.

The Faith Formation Commission

The St. Leo community seeks ways to deepen our Christian faith through a variety of formation ministries. We embrace our Roman Catholic identity in this Jesuit parish following in the footsteps of St. Ignatius. We understand faith formation is a life-long journey which nourishes our Spirit in community.As a Eucharistic, Servant and Pastoral community, we invite, reach out, and look inward as we deepen our faith experiences. Through faith formation experiences, we seek to become disciples and authentic witnesses to the message of Jesus Christ within ourselves, in our families, and in our varied communities. What are the deepest values that inform our ministries? The Faith Formation Commission listens for those values that most fully guide formation experiences. Core values that have emerged include:the experience of trust and relationship in community encountering mystery and sacredness engaging our story-telling, retelling and interpreting the word of God celebrating our Catholic tradition in sacrament, liturgy and prayer living faith with a preferential option for the poor the practice of discernment-listening deeply for the will of God Our hope is that as you experience the faith formation ministries either as minister or seeker, adult or child, you will feel engaged, inspired and sense yourself as part of the whole in this community. Commission chair: Kevin Kane. Staff liaison: Dotti Krist-Sterbick 253-272-5136 ext.110.

The Food Connection Commission

The Food Connection Commission is the Advisory Board for the St. Leo Food Connection. A formal ministry of the parish, the Food Connection is the largest single-site food bank in Pierce County. The Food Connection has an annual cash budget of over $400,000, plus donated food and volunteer hours valued at over $2 million annually. The Food Connection Commission assists the Director with strategic planning, fund development, and community outreach efforts, as well as efforts to strengthen the Food Connection’s relationship to the larger parish community. We meet monthly and members are encouraged to serve on one sub-committee as well. Commission Chair: Barbara Bartolatz-Littrell.Staff Liaison: Kevin Glackin-Coley (Food Connection Director 253-383-5048 ext. 102)

The Liturgy Commission

The Liturgy Commission undertakes long-range planning and program evaluation and monitors the liturgical life of the parish. Liturgy Commission Chair: Carola Wittmann. Staff liaison: Bob McCaffery-Lent, 253-272-5136, ext. 112.

The Pastoral Care Commission

The Pastoral Care Commission assists the pastor in meeting the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of the Body of Christ. Each member of Pastoral Care, whether staff or trained steward, is committed to serving with love and integrity demonstrated by the life and ministry of Jesus. Chair: Rita Kowats. Staff liaison: Colleen Mulligan, 253-272-5136, ext. 103.

The Social Justice Commission

The mission of the Social Justice Commission - rooted in Catholic Social Teaching and informed by the larger mission of St. Leo as a Jesuit parish - is to live out the Gospel mandate to help realize God’s reign of peace and justice. To this end, the work of the commission has three integrated efforts: education and engagement of all parishioners, whenever possible, in works of justice; integration and collaboration with others in the works of justice and charity; and facilitation of engagement and collaboration between parishioners and other neighborhood groups toward strengthening the quality of life for all residents of the Hilltop neighborhood. Commission chair:and Barb Gorzinski.Staff liaison: Mary Bradford 253-272-5136 ext. 102

Stewardship Commission

The mission of the St. Leo Stewardship Commission is to foster a spirit of recognition that all gifts come from God and we are each called to share and return the gifts of time, talent and treasure with which we have been blessed. This model includes the areas of hospitality, lay ministry, and sacrificial giving. Chair of the Stewardship Commission: Carol Guenther. Staff liaisons: Theresa McDermott-Erskine 253-272-5136, ext. 107 and John Vance 253-272- 5136 ext 109.

The Ecumenical and Interfaith Commission

The Ecumenical and Interfaith Commission works to help the parish pro actively collaborate with other faith traditions in prayer and action. Commission members support Associated Ministries and its projects and are active in the Interreligious Roundtable, also sponsored by Associated Ministries. Members explore the ecumenical and interfaith activities of other congregations. They work to remind homilists at St. Leo to include ecumenical and interfaith concerns in the Prayers of the Faithful and provide educational opportunities for parishioners. Staff liaison: Mary Bradford, 253-272- 5136, ext.102.

The Facilities Commission

The Facilities Commission plans for the construction, renovation, repair and maintenance of the physical facilities of the parish campus. The Commission works to effectively implement those plans in order to support the mission of St. Leo Parish. Chair of the Facilities Commission: Kathleen Dommer. John Vance, staff liaison, 253-272-5136 ext 109.

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