Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As you have hopefully seen in recent bulletins and e-News, All Saints has been working with the Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI) over the last year. The initial fruits of this work, simply put, has been to get all of us (parishioners, clergy, staff, and parish ministries), unified by a clearly developed vision and well-defined pastoral priorities, to better enable hope and Christ’s abundant love to flourish within our parish, our local Dunwoody community, and the world beyond. And I’m very excited to present a significant addition that has come from this work: we have identified a Director of Mission and Evangelization whose task it will be to be dedicated to helping us carry out our dedication to being a Next Generation Parish.
Why now? We’ve seen so clearly through our time with CLI that Our Lord’s Great Commission was not a suggestion but a mandate. When He commanded His disciples to “go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19), He was speaking to every generation of the Church, including ours, here in this community, at this moment.
And a parish that exists only for itself is no longer fulfilling its baptismal calling. All Saints is called to be a sending community, a people who are formed, equipped, and emboldened to bring the Good News to every corner of our parish boundary and beyond.
The Director of Mission and Evangelization will continually discern and execute what the Lord is calling us to do. I am so pleased to share with you that Mr. Jesse Butrum, who till now has been our excellent and faithful Director of Youth Ministry, will take on this role.
For over 13 years, Jesse has served and formed our teens, creating a vibrant program that has been recognized across the Archdiocese. He has led countless retreats, summer camps, mission trips, Bible Studies, large and small group faith sharing initiatives. His passion for the Lord and for forming minds and hearts in the Gospel is incredibly evident. You can start getting excited about initiatives and offerings for all ages that he will bring to further our mission.
As a result, we are looking for a new High School Youth Minister. These will be impossible shoes to fill, but we know and trust that the Lord will provide. Jesse will continue leading our high school youth group for the time being, but we’d like to get him fully established in his new role sooner rather than later. Keep an eye out for the official job posting and please help spread the word!
Keep praying for our parish, that we might be who the Lord is calling us to be, and responding generously!
Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!
All you holy saints of God, pray for us!
Peace in Christ,
Fr. Michael Silloway
Pastor