Partnership Agreement with All Households

On the part of St. Luke's Parish

We, the parish leaders, speaking on behalf of all, make the following promises to you as a household:

• We promise to make the Sunday Worship Experience the single most important focal point of parish life. We'll prepare for it carefully and help you as a household to be well disposed for it, ready to participate, and actively engaged in the rites.
• We'll welcome you to our Sunday Worship Experience regardless of your age, ethnic background, physical state, marital status or spiritual needs. We'll maintain an open door and an open heart to you, and we'll offer you a share in the grace of Christ, which fills this church.
• In order to be a true partner, we promise to offer opportunities for the adults in your family for grow in their own personal faith life. Our invitation for you to join the Alpha course is one way for you to have meaningful faith conversation in your life.
• We'll offer you a quality Faith & Family program for your child/ren always keeping in mind the following goals: Helping children and teens develop a lifelong, personal relationship with Jesus. Ensuring that children of all ages have the best possible experience at St. Luke's.
• We promise to offer occasional family activities for your entire family as another way to support YOU, the parents, in developing and fostering that relationship with Jesus within your family .
• We promise to be a resource centre for your household, making available the materials that best meet your needs, including books, videos, music and web sites.
• We'll also help you as a household find ways to serve the ill, the poor, the rejected, and the suffering. We'll help you become aware of the needs of the local community in which you live.
• In general, we're here for you, to help deepen and affirm your faith and your Way of Life.

As a Household of Faith, we will promise:

• To complete to the best of our abilities the Faith & Family program established by the parish. This could include workbook completion, participation in pastoral activities, children’s liturgy for my child/ren, zoom gatherings, parent meetings, etc.
• To offer more love to one another through the exchange of love notes, gifts, and other signs of affection. We'll try to pay more attention to one another, caring for each other, and offering each other both privacy and companionship.
• To spend time, at least once a month, quality time as a family, (with the TV off), talking, playing games,etc. Generally, just being together and enjoying each others’ company.
• To share one significant household meal each week, even adding a bit of romance to our table (candlelight, wine and flowers). We'll try to cook together, linger for a while at the table, and clean up together.
• To work for reconciliation if there's a quarrel within our household, using words such as "I am sorry" and "I forgive you."
• To take a moment to decide together how much money we can afford to give for the needs of your faith community (parish) and the care of those who are in need.
• To do at least one thing to improve the care of the earth on which we live. This might include recycling, picking up trash, going for a hike, or caring for a garden.
• To be present and active in the St. Luke's Sunday Worship Experience as often as possible for us. After Mass, we'll continue to observe Sunday as a "day off" from regular life.
• To encourage each other to pray daily, and to provide means within our household to make that possible, such as prayer books, sacred spaces, occasional quiet times, and signs of our faith. Every night before bed we'll offer one another a simple blessing: "Good night. God bless you. I Love you."
• To contribute some of our free time for the needs of the parish itself. As time allows us to, we'll also volunteer time for parish programs, or other needs of the neighborhood or community.