Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church, Waldorf Maryland

Parish Organization

Overview

A Parish operates through Councils, Committees, Working Groups and Ministries. The pastor tries to bring all the groups into one harmonious unit; if he succeeds, he has created a good parish! Groups focus on specific tasks, but always with accountability. There are two Councils--finance and pastoral--that together oversee, manage, and sometimes direct all parish activity.

The Finance Council oversees the financial assets and interests of the parish in a professional manner. Its members are skilled in keeping accounts and issuing reports in a professional manner. The annual reports to the Parish and the Archdiocese become the test of how well the records were kept. The OLHC Finance Council has six members, each serving for a three year term, or as long as he or she is willing to serve. The chairperson takes responsibility for calling meetings to review parish accounts. The Accounting Team includes the Ushers who take up and secure the collections; the team that counts and deposits the money; the person who pays the bills and payroll taxes; and those who record contributions, revenues and expenses. The Finance Council interacts with St. Peter's School on school subsidy issues. OLHC also has one member who sits on the St. Peter's School Board.

The Parish Pastoral Council oversees all other functions of the parish. The Council has 15 members, one third (i.e., five) being elected each year for a three-year term. The Council operates under the leadership of a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and four Commissioners. The role of the Commissioners is to keep the members informed on the operations of the parish. Parish organizations can be grouped into five categories (Commissions), i.e. Administration, Liturgy, Education, Christian Service, and Community-Building. The parish organizations are listed below under their respective Commissions. In order to function effectively, Commissioners must be well informed on all parish activities within their particular purview. A Commissioner may call together a small committee to study the scope and quality of parish operation and may also initiate new programs. An active Parish Council has a sense of the whole parish and a sense of responsibility for its operation. However, a good Pastoral Council is always learning.

The Parish Council meets every second Thursday of the month at 7:00pm (September - June).

The Parish is associated with the Knights of Columbus Dr. John Henry Griffin Council #2293. [more info] [close]

Knights of Columbus Dr. John Henry Griffin Council #2293

Serving areas around Waldorf, Maryland since 1921, Dr. John Henry Griffin Council #2293 has a membership of 198 from four parishes: Our Lady Help of Christians, St Peter's, St Mary's, and St Michael's. The Council meets on the second Tuesday of every month at Huntington Recreation Center in Waldorf at 7:30pm and on the fourth Tuesday of every month at St Mary's Church in Bryantown at 7:30pm. Council #2293 is an active member of the Fourth Degree with the Calvert Province, Archdiocese of Washington District, St Thomas Manor Assembly #382 which meets on the first Tuesday of the month at St Ignatius Church in Port Tobacco. The Council also sponsors the Dr. John Henry Griffin Ladies Auxiliary and the Cardinal Hickey Squire Circle 4914.

Our members help our communities and people in need in many ways, to include fund raising activities for educational scholarships, Seminarians, and other community-based charitable organizations like the Special Olympics, The Arc of Southern Maryland, the Body of Christ Farm Community, and the Spring Dell Center. Annually, the Knights and their families conduct food drives for local pantries within southern Maryland. Simply put, the Knights assist those in need with charitable contributions and donations of time. Cumulative figures show that during the past decade, the Knights of Columbus has donated nearly $1.4 billion to charity and provided in excess of 69 million hours of volunteer services to support charitable causes. While impressive, these figures can be even greater if more men and their families are involved in our good works.

Questions and requests for information concerning the Knights of Columbus, the Council, Ladies Auxiliary, or the Squires may be directed to kofc2293@verizon.net.