2 minute read
The Parish Council: Supporting Our Pastor And The Mission Of Our Faith Community
When we think of who is “in charge” of parish life at St. Leo’s, we probably first think of Fr. Don Buhrman — and rightly so! But there is also an important group here at our parish that advises Fr. Don and is there to represent the parish as a whole — the Parish Council.
The group meets on the second Tuesday of the month in the evening and consists of members of all ages.
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“When I first got on the council, it was so eye-opening,” says Nichole Bubak, the newly elected Chair of the council. “I had no idea that all of this stuff went on in the church and no idea how many people were involved. I was so surprised by how much the church does for the community. The list is ongoing.”
For example, Nichole was so excited to learn about all St. Leo’s does to reach out and support the community of Grand Island.
Nearly three years ago, Nichole was thinking that she wanted to get more involvedat St. Leo’s, but she wasn’t sure how. One day, Fr. Don called her and asked if she wanted to serve on the Parish Council. She didn’t know it at the time, but she had been nominated by her childhood neighbor, Steve Todd, who passed away shortly after. Nichole wasn’t entirely sure what the Parish Council was, but since she wanted to get more involved, she accepted the position. Since becoming involved as a council member, she has learned a lot.
“We are here to support Fr. Don and serve as a valued opinion to him to help build up our church,” Nichole says.
The Parish Council starts their meetings by reviewing the St. Leo’s mission statement: “As a Vatican II Church, we strive to provide uplifting experiences where people gather to be nourished, to be given new hope, to be challenged by the Gospel and to be re-energized so that they can return to the world to fulfill Jesus’ mission of loving God and loving humankind.”
Council members go through our parish’s various ministries and events to make sure everything is working together to fulfill the mission. They are there to be the “eyes and ears” of the parish.
Nichole has enjoyed getting to know more about St. Leo’s through the Parish Council. In addition to everything she has learned about our parish, she has gotten to know so many new people. She is thankful she can give her time and talent to the Parish Council.
“I just want to show other people that are busy with kids that there are ways to be involved here,” Nichole says. “No matter what you do, big or small, we are all contributing to this community.”
Nichole grew up at Resurrection Parish here in Grand Island. She and her husband, Nick, have been members at St. Leo’s for eight years. As a parent to three young girls, Nichole wishes to thank her fellow parishioners for helping make St. Leo’s such a welcoming parish.
“This is a great community to belong to,” Nicole says. “Everyone is so friendly. People always tell us they love to see little kids at Mass.
Nichole Bubak with her husband, Nick, and their three girls. Nichole is the newly-elected Chair of our Parish Council.
