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Minutes of Parish Council Meeting Dennis Irwin called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
Present: Father Bob Betz, Father Ron Gramza, Joe Amrhein, Tracey Borzick, Joe Dulka, Gary Hamilton, Dennis Irwin, Dean Kick, Jerry Kromraj, Chris Kujawa, Rich Lussier, Steve Raflik, Dave Spitzenberger and Joe Zolecki
Excused: Chuck Frey and Sean Nuyda
Guests: Alice Berezinski, Julie Fleming, Gregory Meka, Marilyn Stewart and Carole Szczech
Opening Prayer: Gary Hamilton presented the opening prayer.
Open Forum/Guest & Visitor Comments:
Dennis welcomed the guests to the meeting and invited any comments from them. One stated that there is much congestion at or near the front center aisle in church because of the number of Eucharistic Ministers distributing communion at the Saturday afternoon Mass; the response given was that the Prayer and Worship Committee would be advised of this comment. Another asked if Council minutes are published any place; it was advised that they are on the parish web site; in addition, Dennis will check with Cathy Wendt about a possible glass encased and/or lockable cabinet or some other avenue for the availability of minutes for parishioners.
Review of Agenda:
Dennis reviewed the items listed on the agenda, and Rich Lussier indicated that the Long Range Planning Committee had recently met and it had a request to make of the Council.
Approval of Minutes of October 2006 Meeting:
It was requested that a change be made in the third paragraph, third sentence, fourth line of the Pastors’ Report (p. 2). The words “to go down to one site” will be changed to “to reduce the number of sites,” and the amended sentence will read: “It is hoped that a decision will be made by the Fall of 2007 as to whether to continue as at present, to reduce the number of sites, continue with the former St. John’s and remodel the site, or to build a new church.” There being no other additions, corrections or deletions to the proposed minutes, upon motion duly made and seconded, the minutes of the meeting of October 19, 2006 as amended were approved.
Pastors’ Reports:
Father Ron began by saying all council members should have received the priests’ evaluation forms by this time and hoped they would be completed and returned to the office as requested. He talked about the count of attendees at our weekend Masses being down, and said this is generally the same as in the archdiocese. He talked about some of the reasons that have helped in the balancing of the budget, e.g., downsizing of school staff, downsizing within the office staff and maintenance persons, the combining of various jobs and youth ministries, and eliminating help-out priests.
Father Bob talked about the present numbers in the Church being down, and likened it to the early Church which experienced persecution. The Church might go down further before it gets better, but God is always found in the future, and we should be part of the group that moves forward and plans for the future. He again said our parish and school are far ahead of others in the archdiocese in plans for the future.
Contemplative Break:
Gary Hamilton presented an opening prayer and then conducted this break by reading the Question of the Week appearing in the weekend’s bulletin: “What do we withhold from God?” Discussion and various interpretations by council members followed, and a closing prayer by Gary concluded this segment of the meeting.
Committee Report Comments:
Copies of minutes of the following committees were made available to council members prior to this meeting: Building & Grounds Committee of 11/8/06; Parish Life of 11/2/06; and Prayer & Worship of 11/2/06.
Joe Dulka of the Finance Committee indicated that while Father Ron talked about the budget earlier, the total expenses from July 1st to October 1st of this year are down by over $196,000.
Rich Lussier said the Long Range Planning Committee met the previous evening and talked about the church on Marquette and the Parish Life Center, and they will continue next month at the 16th Avenue site. It was suggested that the All Committee Meeting Night be transferred to the Parish Life Center beginning in February 2007 in order to save heating expenses at 16th Avenue; all committee members could meet in the dining room area and then each separate committee break off into separate rooms. This could not be accomplished in December or January because of the need to clean up and straighten out various rooms in the Center. All committee chairpersons will be advised of this location change. The Building & Grounds Committee, because it meets on a night other than the All Committee Meeting Night, would continue to meet in the parish office building.
Joe Dulka advised that the portable sign alerting traffic on Marquette of a pedestrian crosswalk from the parking lot to the church entrance has been received. After discussion of its weight and dimensions, it was decided that it would be moved via a cart down the church ramp and placed on the street by the ushers. After the conclusion of church services, the ushers will then return the sign and cart for storage to the church lobby or adjacent room. Regarding landscaping on the parking lot, Chris Kujawa said it is not too late in the season for planting trees and shrubs, and that project should be done by the end of the month. Responding to a question, he said all plantings are guaranteed.
Tracey Borzick referred to the minutes of the Building & Grounds Committee, particularly the paragraph requesting “feedback” on major decisions or recommendations made by the committee and which are changed without informing the committee; they know the committee is advisory but believe they should be informed immediately. A response given was that sometimes the time element must be considered, and in that case an administrative decision must be made quickly. The size and types of vigil lights as well as the responsibility for them was discussed, and that issue is still under study. Regarding time and talent, individuals registering for membership are requested to complete a questionnaire for their specific talents and those are added to the computerized list for use by various ministries; however, if a need arises for a specific project for the parish, volunteers can then be recruited through the bulletin. On Saturday, November 18th, outside work will be performed at the 16th Avenue site; this volunteer work at specific sites is always scheduled for the third Saturday of the month; in January the work will be performed at the College Avenue rectory.
On behalf of the Parish Life Committee, Jerry Kromraj reported that tickets for the Sisters Christmas Catechism performance are still available, and that a profit will be realized from the event.
No minutes were received from the Christian Formation Committee prior to the meeting, and Dean Kick will remind the secretary to forward them to the office for copying. From his notes, he reported that the CCYM program is going to seek grant money to help fund its program. Deacon Dave Backes will address their group in January and they are planning a family night in July at the 16th Avenue site.
NEW BUSINESS:
Archdiocesan Leadership Convocation – Reflections from Dennis, Rich, Tracey, Steve and Jerry. Steve attended the evangelization session; knowing the reasons why someone has left the Church, whether the teachings or theology of it or because he/she no longer attends with the parents, is important and should be addressed and discussed. Jerry said in his session everyone received a list of resources to read about evangelization; the speaker reminded them that everyone is charged with evangelization at baptism, that eye contact is very important when speaking with others about religion, and that any kind of response from a person may take a long time. Rich mentioned that a tape of the archbishop’s homily dealing with the combination of Jesus and the Church, one cannot be had without the other, would be beneficial for everyone to hear; one of the other things he remembers is that everyone has a calling for a particular ministry. The stewardship in the vineyard session was attended by Tracey, the lone person not involved in stewardship in a parish, and something recommended by them was an annual pastoral report to the parishioners listing total numbers of baptisms, weddings, funerals and other positive occurrences including photographs of ministries in action. Dennis attended the session on upcoming changes in the liturgy that will occur in the next couple of years; the changes are more exact translations from Latin to English, and will affect priests more than the congregation.
Vocation Teams. On behalf of the Parish Council, Joe Amrhein attended an archdiocesan session at St. Francis of Assisi Convent attended by representatives of many religious orders and of the diocese. He received printed materials from all who distributed them. It is believed that challenges to religious vocations are the parents. Joe said Father Lobacz, the diocesan representative in charge of vocations, would be giving a workshop on vocations at our school the week following this meeting. Joe has also been in contact with religious orders not represented at the session and they will be forwarding leaflets to him. The target dates for the vocation team are the first full week in January when Catholic World Vocations Week will be celebrated; the second date is February 4th, and the final is Good Shepherd Sunday. Various materials will be available for students and parishioners.
2006 Implementation Commission Directives. Dennis reminded everyone to be sure to read all the implementation commission report forms for District 15 he had previously e-mailed for further discussion at the January meeting. Some of the high points mentioned were challenges for every parish to increase weekend attendance by 20%, growing in holiness, strengthening parishes, fostering vocations, strengthening our school, and upholding our mission of charity and justice. Father Ron added that we should think about what we can do to welcome the Latinos and Hispanics in our community.
OLD BUSINESS:
Proposed Constitution and Bylaws Changes. With the concurrence of all council members, this topic was tabled until the next meeting.
Parish Council Nomination Committee. With the concurrence of all council members, this topic was tabled until the next meeting.
OTHER NEWS, NOTES, COMMENTS AND/OR ANNOUNCEMENTS:
A signup sheet for presentation of the monthly Council report to be given at all Masses the first weekend in December had been circulated during the meeting.
A Christmas social will be held immediately following a very short December meeting (Dennis will adjust the agenda for that month). Cookies and snacks are welcome.
Closing Prayer: Gary presented the closing prayer.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m.
Respectfully submitted, Marcy Gramza, Recording SecretaryDecember 14, 2006 |
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