Our Faith, Our Future

History:   In November of 2020 the St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish Long Range Planning Committee was formed at the request of Fr. Andrew and the Parish Pastoral and Finance Councils.   The members of the Committee represent a broad cross section of the parish, including new and longtime parishioners, lifetime members of Holy Trinity and St. Martin Parishes (before the merger), members of the Indonesian committee, and people bringing a variety of skills, talents, and perspectives.

 The committee is tasked at looking at the present state of the parish, future demographic changes within the church and locally, as well as our current and future needs.

Were you unable to join us for our Long Range Planning Community Updates?

Here are the summaries of what we talked about, just click on the buttons bellow.

Want to meet our team of men & women who are a part of the committee, below you will find a short biographies on the members of the Long Range Planning Committee.

Mr. Rob Harper-Facilitator

Rob is a resident of South Berwick, Maine.  He is employed at the Shipyard where he has worked for many years.  Rob is the only person who I have asked to serve on the committee who is not a member of St. Ignatius Parish.  Rob is a member of St. Mary Parish in Rollinsford where he serves as a member of the parish council.  I have asked Rob to serve as facilitator precisely because he is not a member of the parish and thus shares a love for our mission, without the influence of its history.  As a facilitator his role is simply to guide the discussion of the larger committee, but not to influence its recommendations in any way.  Rob is fair minded, independent, and judicious and will be a great help to our parish in this process.  I am most thankful for his willingness to help his neighboring parish in our discernment process.

Mrs. Dianne Carroll

 

Dianne and her husband Jim have been members of the parish for just over two years. Dianne is part of our Parish Council. She brings with her not only a fresh perspective, but also a deeply rooted professionalism.  Dianne has a practical common sense oriented look at life, with a value on the primacy of mission and faith.

Mr. Eric Potter

 

Eric, his wife Caitlyn, and their 2 children are lifelong parishioners of St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish and St. Martin parish before it.  Eric is the son of Steve and Donna Potter who are also lifelong parishioners. Eric is heavily involved with our youth ministry program, along with our young couples ministry, and the Knights of Columbus.  Eric brings with him not only an extensive knowledge of the faith, and the workings of the Church, but also a passion for its mission and teachings and a love of the Church.

Mr. F.X. Bruton

 

FX and his wife Cathy have been members of St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish since its founding, previously they were members of St. Martin Parish.  FX has a long history with the parish and has previously served as parish council president.  F.X.  has served the parish over the years in a variety of ways, most recently he was the volunteer legal council for our parish when we were initially blocked from putting up our new parish signs.  FX is also a grill master who helps with our parish picnic and tailgate efforts and the son in law of Roger and Ellen Berube who are longtime parishioners.  FX is fair minded and brings a knowledge of the legal world.

Mr. Kevin Cavanagh

Kevin and his wife Esther have been parishioners of St. Ignatius of Loyola parish since its founding in 2009.  Before that Kevin was a member of Holy Trinity Parish.  Kevin can often be found hard at work in the parish where he helps to lead efforts with the food pantry, as well as volunteering with the arts and environment team for Holy Trinity Church.  Kevin is fair minded, very balanced in his thinking and has a great ability to process through what needs to be done and how to do it.  Kevin is an engineer by trade.

Mrs. Ashley Murphy

 

Ashley and her husband Will live in Somersworth with her two sons Logan, and Billy.  Many of you may recognize Logan from the 9am Mass where he serves as a regular altar server.  Ashley and her family joined our parish 2 years ago. Ashley is on fire with her faith, she brings with her an enthusiasm that is contagious.  She is a champion of Catholic Education, and brings with her a wealth of knowledge relative to the exciting trends and opportunities in our Church today.  Ashley is one of the leaders of our frozen meal ministry and instrumental in our efforts to reach out to our local community. As a mom Ashley sees things just as they are, and brings attention to what is most important.

Mr. Phil Munck

 

Phil and his wife Nan are longtime parishioners and have been active in everything from Respect Life efforts, to the Parish fair, to the finance committee.  Before his retirement Phil worked in many areas of leadership including a stint as Somersworth Town Manager.  Phil brings a great institutional knowledge of the parish and the local community, as well as the expertise needed to understand the changing nature of our local community.

Mrs. Lisa Lefevbre

 

Lisa Lefevbre has been a parishioner of St. Ignatius for the last eight years.  Lisa and her husband Hank live in Rochester, but can see the Somersworth town line from the their front yard.  Lisa is highly involved in the parish and is most often seen helping Janet Jacobson with our religious education program, as well as coordinating our women's Walking With Purpose prayer group.  Lisa is an enthusiastic member of our parish and shows great concern and care for all members of our community.

Mr. Marty Pepin

 

Marty and his wife Joanne are lifelong members of the parish and have been active in nearly every aspect of parish life.  Marty brings with him not only a lifetime of membership in our community of faith, he also has a great understanding of the city.  Marty’s father, Romeo, was actually one of the first parishioners I met when I arrived in the parish and visited him in the nursing home.  Marty’s love for the city and for our parish make him a great resource for this committee. 

Mr. Eric Mommsen

 

Nicknamed “the voice of Somersworth” Eric Mommsen is a fixture in our local community.  When he is not found in his classroom educating the youth in our community he can be found serving as the announcer for local sporting events or volunteering with the Historical society.  Eric has great appreciation for and knowledge of the history of Somersworth and brings with him not only great institutional knowledge but also an attention to detail and process which assures complete and thorough results.

Ms. Fella Stevani 

 

Fella has been a member of our parish community for the past four years.  Before the temporary suspension of Bingo due to Covid-19, Fella and her brother Felix could regularly be found helping with ticket sales each Monday night.  Fella works in Internet Technology at a large area insurance company where she uses her sharp mind to solve problems.  Fella has a great sense of humor, and an incredible work ethic, she also is good at keeping people on task.  Fella is a member of our parish Indonesian community