Voting is now open in the Parish Pastoral Council election. Our Parish Pastoral Council (PPC”) is the seven-person group responsible for planning and executing the pastoral activities of our Parish. We are seeking three people to serve three-year terms, which will commence on June 15, 2022.
Three individuals were nominated by fellow parishioners: Tevin Williams, Alexandra Gupta, and Maria Lehman. Each candidate prepared a statement which appears below. Our Nomination Committee reviewed the candidates and determined they were all eligible to serve on the PPC.
Registered parishioners are invited to vote either online or via paper ballots:
- Online voting is open now, https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1SvmO-xnsmKhCFx2tW2n70NQJu0yJoF1gQwDIsXCqqvw.
- Paper ballots will be distributed at Mass starting this Sunday, May 29. You can place your completed ballot in the collection box at the rear of the church.
Voting will end on Monday, June 6 at 5 PM.
We have three candidates for three open positions, a situation that may be familiar to those who voted in the 2021 local elections. In our case, the candidates are three well-qualified, committed parishioners who are already actively involved in our parish and its ministries. We are grateful to each of them for volunteering to serve our parish on the Parish Pastoral Council.
Tevin Williams Candidate Statement
For the past three years, St. Charles Borromeo has been my church home ever since I first moved to New York City. I was a brand new convert to Catholicism in 2019 when I moved to the northeast, and I’m thankful that I did my research to find St. Charles. In the past just 2 years I’ve taken on the role of being the coordinator of Lectors and Eucharistic ministers, and it has been an honor to make sure this special ministry continues even as I took the helm as the pandemic raged on. Additionally, I lead the Catholic Professionals group to foster community among younger Catholics and also bring some of us to the table with our concerns with the church.
Just this year I was asked to serve on a temporary basis on the PPC: becoming the youngest, Black, male, LGBTQ+ member. As I have been nominated by some of my fellow PPC members to continue, I also personally am seeking to serve as a member of the PPC for a full 3-year term. I believe God spoke to me in choosing St. Charles of Borromeo, and I’m thankful that I have been here. Serving in this capacity will allow me to build community even more, and also learn to be a better leader. As the church continues to try to speak to more souls of the young people who are non-practicing Catholics, I want to be one of those voices at the table to speak to these issues along with a few other ones. I hope to be elected for a full term this cycle, and to continue to serve on the PPC.
Alexandra Gupta Candidate Statement
I am humbly writing to you today in hopes of having a chance to become a permanent member on the Parish Pastoral Committee. As many of you know I have been a part of the St. Charles family and community for over 25 years and I have a huge desire and passion to see the church and community flourish.
I feel I would be a great asset to the PPC. My expertise on the community, my ability to bring people together and my well balanced views on most topics would make me a great fit for the group. I would love the opportunity to help make St. Charles a bigger and better place than what it is already.
I’m grateful to even be considered as a nominee for the PPC and I’m even more grateful to Fr. Bill for always pushing me to do things out of my comfort zone. He was a major player in starting the young professionals group which he made sure I was a part of and now he is helping the young families group get off the ground which he has also made sure I’m a part of. Joining the PPC would be a great place for me to bring my knowledge from both groups.
I look forward to the next steps of this journey. Thank you in advance for your consideration!
Maria Lehman Candidate Statement
Maria Lehman hails from Bucks County, PA and has resided in Manhattan/Brooklyn for almost a decade. I’m 32 and graduated from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia with degrees in International Relations, Spanish and Latin American Studies. Presently, I am a passionate and motivated Cybersecurity Sales rep at Fortinet. I enjoy traveling near and far, learning new languages, biking Brooklyn streets, hiking scenic trails, continuing my Leonine fellowship and volunteering for the Sisters of Life in NYC.
I’ve been a parishioner at St. Charles for two years thanks to Father Bill swiftly introducing himself and asking me to volunteer for the Young Professionals committee. Alongside Tevin, I’ve actively helped cultivate young leaders in our parish grow in their journey to sainthood. The youth are the future of the Church. We are intellectually curious and diversity of thought is what draws me to our Young Professionals group. All of my decisions are formed because of my Catholic faith. Being a member of Saint Charles has benefited me greatly and I would like to see continued growth, joy and prosperity within the parish. However I am called to serve, I will.