You, dear reader, and I have another identity that needs to be expressed. We belong to a community of Catholic churches – St. James, Sacred Heart, St. Patrick. Each of these churches is distinct; yet there is a special bond between us that goes beyond our common Catholic faith. We share a common pastor and pastoral staff, we do many things in common, we support one another’s efforts, we constantly explore ways to combine resources to be more effective in ministry. We are a diverse community, and we embrace that diversity and rejoice in it, rather than perceive it as a threat. We are proud to be Catholic, in the deep sense of that word – “universal” – and this unity in diversity is woven deeply into our experience of faith as we live it in Gonzales and Waelder.

As a way to express this reality, we have chosen three interlocking circles, representing each of our three churches. Note that they are circles, not pyramids. While pyramids denote structure and hierarchy, circles denote community in which all are equally embraced and accepted, and able to share their gifts for the good of all. Part of each circle is outside the others, representing the distinctiveness of each community – the distinctions of language, history, cultural expressions of faith. There are places in which two of the three overlap, signifying things shared in common. The biggest area of the circles, however, share the same space, expressing our common humanity, our shared faith in Christ, our spiritual journey. The simple cross placed in the middle of that space expresses the force of unity that ties us together: we are sons and daughters of the same God through baptism, united in faith, sharing the same Eucharist, hearing and acting upon the same Word of God Sunday after Sunday.