The Pastoral Associate is responsible for guiding the parish community into an active and ongoing personal relationship with Jesus. Embracing the New Evangelization and the parish vision of making missionary disciples, in helping others come into a more intimate understanding of the Catholic faith which will grow and be lived out their entire life - wherever they are on their faith journey (active members, inactive, or unchurched).
Responsibilities:
Evangelization
• Helps shape, formulate, create a budget, and direct activities that fulfill the parish’s vision for lifelong growth in faith.
• Offers regular support, encouragement, and presence to volunteer ministers and promotes ongoing evangelization opportunities.
Formation
• Guides the parish’s Formation programs from birth through adult to form missionary disciples.
• Guides the formation of catechists to be evangelists and researches ways to reach segments of our parish with new models of accompaniment..
Liturgy & Sacraments, Stewardship, & Christian Outreach
• Supports the clergy and Music Director by providing guidance and recommendations to ensure our Sunday experiences and other liturgical expressions draw people to encounter Jesus in the Eucharist as well as create a dynamic and inspiring worship community.
• Supports the Sacraments Coordinator to ensure that every family, couple, and individual who seeks and receives the sacraments of matrimony or baptism or a funeral has an exemplary experience from the moment of the initial inquiry to the completion of the liturgy.
Supervision
Supervise and create a healthy staff environment for paid and volunteer staff.
Qualifications:
• Proven ability in developing a vision and implementing initiatives designed to create an evangelizing parish culture.
• Must have a broad understanding of and ability to articulate Church teaching regarding evangelization, catechesis, prayer, sacraments, stewardship, and ecclesiology.
• Demonstrates a spiritual maturity, defined as a practicing Catholic in good standing with the Church who is faithful to the Magisterium, consistent in one's prayer life, regularly receiving the sacraments, and able to speak of one's relationship with Jesus.
• Working knowledge and understanding of the New Evangelization.
• Understands the cultural challenges impacting the faith of youth, millennials and young families, as well as knowledge or experience in ways to address these challenges.
• Strongly prefer a master's degree in pastoral ministry, religious studies, theology, religious education, or related field, or commensurate ministry experience. Minimum 5 years experience.
• Ideally is fluent in Spanish or at least demonstrates experience working in a multi-cultural environment.
Please forward your resume, letter of interest, salary requirements, and referrals to:
Rhonda Stokes at rstokes@charlestondiocese.org