One of the tasks taken up by the parish council in its early years was to write a mission statement, one that could guide St. Peter’s into the future. Here, Jerry Conlon and Marlene Desmond, who were on the council then, recall the group’s deliberations:

Jerry Conlon: The setting of a mission statement for St. Peter’s was discussed at an annual retreat of the parish council in the mid-1970s at Missionhurst, in Arlington, Va. We were there for the day to make plans for the coming year. A number of topics were discussed but the only one that I recall with any clarity was the goal of establishing a mission statement.

There was general agreement that such a statement would be a good thing, to give focus to what we should be about as Christians living out the gospel in our neighborhood. We knew that we wanted words that would reflect that. However, arriving at the final wording proved to be something of a challenge. I recall Fran Voorde, the council president, standing at the front of the room at a blackboard with a piece of chalk as council members offered their words as to how best to express what we were all trying to say. I think that “Christ living in the community” came first. But how to say what this actually meant proved more difficult. Finally, the words “tangible manifestation” were settled on to state a commitment that was to be real in all spiritual, social, and physical aspects of parish life.

Marlene Desmond: My impression is that our pastor, Fr. Michael O’Sullivan, allowed [the creation of a mission statement] to happen, but that the assistant pastor, Fr. Robert Duggan, and Fran Voorde were the primary movers. Fr. Duggan taught me that we are a pilgrim church, ever evolving. We had weekend council retreats to come up with the mission statement. I remember some not feeling it was necessary, and some wanting to concentrate on other issues like abortion and Vatican II changes. But being a pilgrim church in this community, it seems that reflecting Jesus in a very tangible way was something we could do.

I remember being very convinced that it was not enough to be a “manifestation of Christ in the community,” that we had to be a “tangible” manifestation -- something real to be heard, seen, and felt. Some on the committee felt that was redundant. I strongly felt that a “manifestation” could be ghostly or just too much a reflection of the past. 

I am very happy whenever I hear the mission statement or see that phrase in it in the bulletin. 

Jerry Conlon: All of this was a reflection of the dynamics of the Church and the parish in the 1970s. There was an extremely high energy level and openness to experimentation at St. Peter’s during those years. The elected parish council was empowered by Fr. O’Sullivan to think outside the box and to be active in planning and carrying out the work of the parish. In some very real ways, it was a partnership.

A plaque with the mission statement hangs in the vestibule beside the swinging doors