Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church

Ministries

Parish Pastoral Council

The Pastoral Council has a threefold mission:

To conduct and maintain an inventory of the needs of the parish and the resources available to meet those needs.
To identify individuals having gifts, skills or ministry which they can share with the parish.
To plan and coordinate the creation, implementation and maintanence of a realistic Pastoral Plan that is life-giving to the parish.

In addition to the pastor, the Council is made up of parishioners who have participated in the Diocesan basic Parish Council orientation and training in the Shared Wisdom Model.

Meetings are normally held at 7:15 p.m. on the second Monday of the month. With the exception of executive sessions, meetings are open to all parishioners.

Parish Finance Council

The Finance Council provides advice and recommendations to the Pastor concerning the stewardship of the parish's financial resources, including conducting long-range financial planning to support the mission of the Parish.

Meetings are normally held on the fourth Wednesday of the month.

Liturgical Ministries

Altar Servers

The altar server ministry is open to boys and girls beginning in the 5th grade (or at least 10 years of age). The name "server" clearly points out what one does at Mass - serve God and God's people by helping the priest and assembly in their worship and celebration of the Mass.

Eucharistic Ministers

Eucharistic Ministers perform the extraordinary service of sharing the presence of Christ with all who receive His body and blood. Not only do they assist the priest in distributing communion with reverance and dignity at each Mass.

To be considered for this ministry, in addition to being a registered parishioner, an individual must be a faithful Catholic who has recieved the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist and who participates faithfully in the sacramental and liturgical life of the Church.

All Eucharistic Ministers attend a one-evening training session to become aware of the procedural aspects of their service. Upon completion of the training, ministers are commissioned by our pastor during Mass in the presence of their fellow parishioners.

Music Ministry

Music is an integral part of every worship service at Our Lady of the Lake. The music ministers strive to involve every parishioner in worship through the use of tunes and texts spanning the ages, from chant to traditional hymns and contemporary songs. The various choirs include the Adult Choir, the Handbell Choir, Children's Choir, and the Spanish Choir.

Fellowship and Social Ministries

Catholic Mother's Council

The Catholic Mother's Council was formed in 1988. Our group was formed to promote fellowship, spiritual growth, and cultivate Christ-centered friendships for the mothers at Our Lady of the Lake. We hope to accomplish this through serving each other and our church. We meet the first Monday of the month at 7:30 p.m. in the Holy Family Center. Babysitting is provided for a token fee (reservations requested). Most meetings include a speaker who addresses a topic of importance for Catholic Mothers. After the speaker, we attend to our formal business. Our group hosts a children's playgroup, family activities, and occasional mom's night out festivities. There also is a prayer request ministry for anyone facing a special challenge.

The CMC hosts several fundraisers throughout the year. The profits from these events go to support children's activities at OLOL. Fundraising activities include bake sales, a Santa's Breakfast and tamale sales. Through our Vacation Bible school committee, we provide many of the organizers and workers for VBS. We also sponsor a Jesse Tree during Advent, which provides gifts at Christmas for the less fortunate of our community.

Council of Catholic Women

Our Council of Catholic Women has been promoting spiritual growth, awareness of Christ as the center of life, personal and social enrichment and community service since 1977. Service projects include bingo at a local nursing home, blood drives, and funeral receptions for parish families. For enjoyment, trips and social activities are planned by a "Just for Fun" committee.

The CCW conducts fundraisers throughout the year, the most notable being co-sponsorship of Rockwall's annual Pumpkin Patch. Proceeds are used to purchase items needed by our church. All women of the parish are invited to attend CCW meetings which are held in the Holy Family Center on the fourth Monday of each month, August through April. Interesting and informative programs are presented, and dues are $5 per year.

50 Plus

Open to any parishioner 50 or over, the group meets on the 3rd Monday of each month at 10:15 a.m. in the Saints Peter and Paul Room. While the get-togethers are primarily social, they do sometimes include speakers. The group joins with the "Roamin' Catholics" from a neighboring parish to schedule occasional road trips, and they participate in quarterly Diocesan Senior Council activities.

Knights of Columbus Council #9337

They call themselves the Knights of Columbus - "Knights" to emphasize chivalriry's ideals of charity and support for Church and state, and "Columbus" as a reminder that Catholics had been the backbone and bulwark of America's growth and greatness from the very beginning. It is the world's largest lay Catholic Family service organization dedicated to works of Charity and Personal Service.

The goals of the organization are:

To aid one another in times of sickness or death, by means of a simple insurance plan so that their wives and children would not face abject poverty.
To strengthen themselves and each other in the Faith.
To strengthen families and family life.
To be a strong pilar of support for their priests and bishops.
To be of service to Church and community by coming to the aid of those most in need in society.

Regular meeting date: 2nd Thursday of each month at the Rockwall Rotary Hall, 408 S. Goliad (SH-205) at Lake Meadows.

Care and Crisis Ministries

Consolation

Members of this ministry will assist families in making arrangements for funeral services.

Nursing home Visitation

This team visits Catholic patients at the three area of nursing facilities.

Prayer Minsitry

This ministry is about praying for people when they need it most. Anyone with a prayer request is invited to include the request in the Book of Petitions located in the gathering area of the church. Requests are distributed to members of the prayer chain.

Adoration

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is possible at any time in the Eucharistic Chapel. Exposition of the Eucharist takes place on the first Friday of the each month from 9 AM to 7 PM.

Legio de Maria

The Legio de Maria is a group of men, women, and children who meet Wednesday evenings at 7 PM to pray.

Religious Articles Gift Shop

The religious articles gift shop, under the umbrella of the Council of Catholic Women, provides services to parishioners by offering a variety of religious goods including bibles, prayer books, rosaries, meals and baptismal, communion and confirmation gifts. Special orders are accepted for items not in stock.

Safe Environment Committee

At Our Lady of the Lake, we are dedicated to providing a safe environment for our children and youth and for those in special need. Compliance with the Diocesan Safe Environment policy (Safe Environment Policy) is an important objective for all staff members and volunteers. Please contact the church office for more information about this program.