Greetings! My name is Fr. Brian Cokonougher. I am very honored to be serving as the Moderator of our Family of Parishes, which is made up of St. Malachy, St. Ronald, St. Paul of Tarsus, and St. Thecla. I will be writing an article each month to help everyone stay informed about what is happening in our Family of Parishes. As you are hopefully aware, back in July of this year our four parishes became a Family of Parishes, which means that we are a group that shares resources to advance the mission of the Church: “Our goal is to make our parishes places where individuals and families can encounter Jesus anew, grow as disciples, and be equipped to be witnesses the Risen Christ. The current health and economic crises have accelerated the process of renewing the way our parishes are organized and structured. In addition to the already problematic priest shortage, we now have fewer material resources to keep our mission active. Archbishop Vigneron, in consultation with clergy and lay advisors, has determined that now is the time to act.” (familiesofparishes.org). Our Family of Parishes is served by four Family Pastors: Fr. Brian Cokonougher, Fr. William Herman, Fr. Joseph Gembala, and Fr. Jerry Slowinski; one Family Parochial Vicar: Fr. Bryan Shackett; and three Family Deacons: Dcn. Marc Rybinski, Dcn. Timothy Maxwell, and Dcn. Thomas Houle. While all the clergy continue to primarily serve at our current parish, we are now all assigned to all four parishes in the family, so that we are available to assist one another, to collaborate on events and programs, and to support one another in the day-to-day ministry of the parish. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Please pray for the clergy of our Family of Parishes and know of our prayers for you. Next month, I will begin to tell you about the amazing staff and volunteers who are already serving in leadership roles in our family of parishes. God Bless

Fr. Brian Cokonougher