From The Pastor - 10/11/2015

I was looking though some of the archives in our parish office recently and I came across the fact that in 2020 Saint Joan of Arc Parish will celebrate its 100th Anniversary. Masses were celebrated in Hershey and Waltonville before this (surprisingly under the titles of St. John the Evangelist and St. Lucy) but it was in 1920 that the parish was officially founded and the cornerstone for a church on Chocolate Avenue was laid. So, in four years or so we will celebrate our centennial. I think this is a great time to reflect on our past but, even more importantly, to look at the future ahead of us. Where are we going as a parish? What are the needs of our parishioners? What are we doing well? What needs improvement? I intend on gathering information about the future of our parish (population growth or decline; future school and REP enrollment; space needs and facility usage; spiritual and temporal goals, etc.) but what I ask of all you is to start the conversation now. What are our dreams for our future? Your individual opinions are important. But your shared wisdom is even more important…and useful! The one hundredth anniversary of a parish is not something to be ignored. The first 100 years will soon be behind us. What is our vision for the next 100 years.

Father Al