Saint Cyril Of Alexandria Church
153 Penn Boulevard,
East Lansdowne, Pa 19050

Beyond the family, the most common Church experience for Catholics is the parish.  In the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, every parish is being invited to strive toward Renewal.  A Pastoral Council, a consultative body which advises and assists the pastor in areas of pastoral concern, has been established in every parish.  Through the Parish Pastoral Councils, parishes are engaging in Parish Pastoral Planning. (3 steps)

    The Parish Pastoral Council adopts a Mission Statement through which the parish expresses its identity as a community of faith and sets broad goals. 

Parish Mission Statement

Called by God to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ,
we, the parishioners of St. Cyril of Alexandria,
extend our hearts and minds to a vision of Unity
that will draw us into sincere relationships with each other
which will fill us with hope for the future.

Let us come together enthusiastically,
preparing and participating in the Sunday liturgy and all the sacraments.

Let us share our gifts generously,
offering our talents to the parish,
through formal organizations and informal gatherings.

Let us echo Christ's message of love, peace, justice,
compassion, understanding and forgiveness.

Let us teach the Good News of Christ
in matters of faith, morals and values.

Let us reach out to serve all of God's people:
the proud, the humble, the rich, the poor,
the advantaged, the disadvantaged, the strong, the weak,
and those who are alienated from the Church.

We pledge to find God and serve Him in all persons.

This is our vision for the future of our parish.

We believe that "all that happens to us is working for our good
if we love God and are fitting into His plans."  (Romans 8:28)

We invite all to join us in our mission.

    Parish Self-Study is a prayerful, reflective process in which a parish through its Pastoral Council assesses how effectively it is carrying out its mission.  The final results of the Parish Self-Study are the Pastoral Council's Recommendations.  The Council then studies ways in which these Recommendations can be implemented in the parish.

    As Parish Pastoral Planning continues, parishes of a particular Cluster (St. Cyril is in Cluster 63 along with Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Alice, St. Laurence, St. Louis, and St. Philomena) are called together in a process of Cluster Pastoral Planning.  The Regional Vicar gathers representatives from this group of parishes (members of the pastoral councils) to reflect prayerfully and dialogue about the vitality of the Church in that area.  He leads the group in a collaborative process to evaluate whether the parishes, programs buildings and organizational structures in a given cluster are of the necessary number, type, and variety of the Parish Pastoral Plans of that cluster.  The product of the Cluster Pastoral Planning is the recommendation to the Regional Vicar, for presentation to the Archbishop, of a five-year pastoral plan for the parishes in that cluster.  This plan would include organizing and coordinating ministerial activities within the cluster for a more effective expression of Church in the parishes of that cluster.

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