By Lois Rogers | Correspondent
Carol Pisani, who has served in Church ministries for 30 years, began a new chapter in that ongoing journey recently when St. Peter Parish, Point Pleasant Beach, welcomed her as pastoral associate for Lifelong Faith Formation.
In that capacity, Pisani, already a familiar face around the parish as the wife of Roger Pisani, the director of music and liturgy, said she hopes to “reach out to all generations,” from children through young adults on up.
She called the new position a reflection of the growing realization that “when it comes to faith formation, we are never done.”
The possibility of connecting with all ages and being able to walk among them is a wonderful gift, she said. “It opens the door to helping people connect to each other where faith is concerned in all different stages of life. I really feel the Spirit is leading us in this direction. More people are staying connected to opportunities to connect to the sacred throughout their lives.”
Pisani, who was married in Sacred Heart Parish, Mount Holly, holds a bachelor of arts degree in theology from Caldwell College, Caldwell. She began her ministerial journey when her two now adult children were very young and attending Catholic school.
During that time, she was invited to help in religious education by one of the Sisters of Mercy and the rest, as she describes it, “became history.”
Within six months, Pisani went from being a volunteer to in charge of the program when the sister was suddenly reassigned. The event was a pivotal one, she said. She went on to complete a bachelor’s degree in theology and ultimately earned a master of science in Church management from Villanova University, Villanova, Pa.
She served for 16 years as special assistant to the president for Mission and Values and director of the DePaul Center for Mission and Ministry at the College of St. Elizabeth, Morristown.
“Most of my beginning work was in religious education” said Pisani, who added that she looks forward to taking up that mission once again.
This year, she will lead 29 catechists and volunteers in enriching the faith of 320 religious education students as well as overseeing the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and adult faith formation ministries.
Pisani said she considers joining her husband in ministry at St. Peter Parish an affirmation of a “vision” that began evolving in her heart years before. “I do believe we are all on a lifelong journey of formation,” she said.