It's all about us! Almighty God might be in the background, er, somewhere. This is the message we get from the mission statement of St. Mary's parish in Brampton.

"We, the members of St. Mary’s community, believe that we have been called through Baptism to live the Good News of Jesus Christ, under the patronage of Mary, our Mother. We accomplish this by proclaiming the Word, celebrating the Sacraments and reaching out to others. St. Mary is a vibrant parish. Many of our parishoners serve our parish community by sharing their gifts and talents through a variety of ministries."

Notice how many times our friends use a variable of the first person plural. Only about five times. The repetitive intonation of the word "we" sounds like music to our ears. It is likely the people in charge at St. Mary's are good, sincere people, who are trying to serve God and the Church in an honest way. Let's not hold it against them if their mission statement is not progressive enough. What can be more effective in making progress than teaching that the church is it's own source of being? Progress indeed.