LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION /
PARISH STATUS / GOOD STANDING
July 25, 2022
Dear Neighbor,
Thank you for registering as a parishioner at St. Thérèse of Carmel Catholic Church. The parish staff and community are here to help meet your spiritual needs, we want to help facilitate a rich experience of parish life and we look forward to getting to know you and your family.
Christian communities are founded on our common discipleship of Jesus Christ, which is lived out, in part, through the principles of service, collaboration, and good stewardship. That said, there is more to discipleship than attending Mass each Sunday. There is more to discipleship than ensuring your children receive the sacraments, though both are foundational to being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Our growth as Christian Disciples necessitates our involvement in parish life and getting to know our fellow parishioners. It requires us to offer the "first fruits" of our time, talent, and treasure, to help support the mission of the Church and to meet the financial obligations that come with operating the parish facility. We must all do our part, according to our means.
The parish is frequently asked to provide letters of recommendation, parish status, good standing on behalf of individuals or families for a variety of reasons, such as: sacramental sponsorship, enrollment in the Catholic Schools, marriage preparation, etc.... Such letters are objective, fact-based documents from the pastor to a fellow pastor or school principal that summarizes that individual's or family’s level of parish involvement. Generally, it documents regular attendance at Mass, a habit of contributing to the financial needs of the parish, a history of service in parish ministry and general involvement in parish life and the sacraments. The parish staff assembles the relevant facts from the information we have in our database.
Regular attendance is tracked through the reception of one’s weekly donation, using offering envelopes, standard checks or contributions given through an online portal. The suggested minimum offering is $25.00 each week, over a 52-week period. The reception of the sacraments is recorded in the parish database as they are celebrated here or as they are reported to us by other Catholic Churches. Ministerial involvement is tracked through our online, weekly schedule. These are the specific facts a church or school may request that we verify, and we can only report on the facts that we have.
As someone once said, it takes a village. It is important for your spiritual growth and the growth of our village for each parishioner to actively engage in parish life.
Should you need a letter from the parish for any reason, please contact the parish office for assistance. The parish staff is also available to help you sign up for ministerial service, to enroll your children in sacramental preparation, to enroll you in a trackable method of monetary contribution, etc….
Many thanks and God Bless,
Fr. Chris Tozzi, Pastor