Dean Kick, the Council Chairperson, called the meeting to order at approximately 6:30 p.m.

Present:                      Father Bob Betz, Father Steve Varghese, John Bordak, Joe Dulka, Dennis Irwin, Dean Kick, Chris Kujawa, Rich Lussier, Kathy Mattke, Steve Raflik, Elaine Tessmer and Jen Trask

Excused/Absent:        Joe Amrhein (absent), Larry Haskin (excused), Matt Lemens (absent), and Sean Nuyda (excused)

Guests:                       Alice Berezinski, Jeanine Kuettel, Gregory Meka, Dan O’Heron and Marilyn Stewart

Opening Prayer:         Dennis Irwin distributed a prepared opening prayer which was read aloud by all.

Welcome/Review Agenda:

            Dean Kick welcomed the council members to the meeting and briefly reviewed the topics on the agenda.  Though Sean Nuyda is unable to attend tonight’s meeting, he did provide the necessary data for Dean to present a report regarding the Fun Fest.  Another council member suggested that discussion pertaining to the archdiocese’s policy of attendance by council members at these meetings be addressed.

Open Forum/Welcome of Guests/Visitors:

The above guests were welcomed to the meeting by Dean.  During the open forum, Alice Berezinski was critical of the inappropriate attire worn by a reader at a particular weekend Mass in August.  A council member added that some Eucharistic Ministers should also be included in that criticism.

Approval of Minutes of the August 2008 Meeting:  

There being no additions, corrections or deletions to the proposed minutes, upon motion duly made and seconded, the minutes of the meeting of August 28, 2008 were approved as prepared. 

Pastors’ Reports:

            Father Steve reported that he sees good spirit with this new school year.  The first Mass for the religious ed group at 16^th Avenue was well attended with a number of new faces.  He also indicated that at a staff meeting Judi Backes reported that there are 441 students and 253 families in this year’s program.  Of that number of families, 38 are new and 28 have returned after a lapse of two years.  There are 52 students in the confirmation class and 63 in the first communion class.  Father Steve further reported on the new school year, the blessing of the classrooms, and the communication.  He believes everyone is coming together and the communication is very positive.

            Father Bob indicated that there was a gathering last evening of parents at the school, there seemed to be a good spirit with all, and he heard good comments afterward.  There were 32 students who graduated from the school’s 8^th grade; 13 of those students went on to Catholic high school and the other 19 are in public school.  Only 7 are enrolled in the religious ed program.  Letters were sent to the others informing them of the requirement that they must attend religious ed classes at least one year before they can be confirmed.  Even students enrolled in a Catholic high school must attend at least one year of a parish program  

            Father Bob also reported that Sue Repa is working on a new committee which will welcome new members to the parish.  Audrey Ricard plus six other families will be visiting the new parishioners to perhaps drop off a gift, and they will also be given information pertaining to all programs in the parish.  This is an effort to be more hospitable.

He said the TOTs program is going very well; the two classrooms are both full.  Their summer program went very well and their after-school program is also going very well. 

Father Bob further said the two choirs are doing very well:  the adult choir has 45 members, and the children’s choir has 11 members and is looking for a few more. 

He reported that the parish now has three defibrillators (AEDs ), one at the church, one at the school, and one at 16^th Avenue.  These donations were the result of efforts by John Bukowski to earn his Eagle Scout award.  There will be more training in the use of the AEDs in the near future. 

Father Bob reminded everyone that the parish office must be contacted before scheduling any event to make sure there is no conflict for the requested date.

Contemplative Break: 

The question of the week appearing in the current parish bulletin was: “What is something in your life that used to bring suffering but now brings you joy?”  The discussion was led by Dennis Irwin. 

Committee Reports/Updates:  

            Copies of minutes of the following committees were made available to council members prior to this meeting:  Building and Grounds of 9/13/08; Human Concerns of 9/4/08; Life Long Formation of 9/4/08; Parish Life of 9/4/08; Prayer and Worship of 9/4/08; and the School of 9/4/08.  Also provided were a copy of the Weekly Collection Report for the months of July and August, and the parish’s Policy and Procedures (Purchasing Procedures) with the last revision of 9/9/08 (this document was later revised as of 9/17/08 as reported by Rich Lussier on page 3 of  these Minutes).

Prayer and Worship Committee.  John Bordak reported corrections in the printed minutes of this committee.  The first sentence of the second last paragraph on p. 1 should state “the Ushers Society donated money towards the purchase of three defibrillators.”  The third sentence of the second last paragraph on p. 2 indicates that the Council had a booth at the local NIGHT OUT celebration; the sentence should have stated that a suggestion was made that a booth be hosted by representatives of Divine Mercy Parish in next year’s local NIGHT OUT celebration.

Dennis Irwin indicated that, as an usher, he would like to get in touch with confirmation leaders regarding the confirmation scheduled for October 19^th in an attempt to get additional assistance with the ushering duties at the celebration.

            Life Long Formation.  Dean Kick said the RCIA program has only one person who is possibly interested in the class at this time and requested that council members call him if they know of other people who may be interested in joining that group. 

            School Committee.  Kathy Mattke reported that she attended a meeting and was very impressed.  They talked about evangelism, reaching out to other people, and getting more people involved.  She believes the committee and the Council are on the same page. 

            Finance Committee.  Joe Dulka stated that based on contributions received thus far as compared to the budget, we are down by about $11,500, and the variance from last year is about $12,000.  He doesn’t know yet if we should be concerned.  As far as the investments are concerned, yesterday’s loss (in the stock market) was wiped out by today’s gain.  Our equity in stocks is about 51% and the balance is in bonds and Treasury Notes. 

OLD BUSINESS:

Faith in Our Future Capital Campaign.   Joe Dulka reported that as of August 31^st, the total amount of pledges was about $628,000 and cash received was about $118,000.  The percentage of parish participation is about 16.2%.  The parish has received approximately $64,000 from the campaign so far. 

            Policy and Procedures for Purchases.  John Bordak briefly referred to the document with the last revision date of 9/9/08 that was distributed to council members.  It is for the staff and everyone else to know the procedures for expenditures.  The Finance Committee met on September 13, 2008.  There is a special requirement for any purchase that adds to the permanent value of an asset and has a cost in excess of $10,000; that purchase requires three competitive bids.  Rich Lussier added that this new Policy and Procedures document combines the two previous ones into one document which includes capital spending as well as other purchases.  Added to the document revised as of 9/9/08 is a new procedure that states that any purchase in excess of $30,000 requires a proxy from the archdiocese; this last requirement is listed as No. 7 on the bottom of the document dated 9/17/08.   Every committee will have guidelines from which to work. This document has been to the Building & Grounds Committee, the Finance Committee and now the Council.

Fun Fest.  Sean Nuyda submitted figures via e-mail to Dean Kick for reporting to the Council.  After payment of expenses for the Fun Fest, the total net income is $49,706.  There may be some additional expenses yet to be paid.  The net income is up from last year.  There was a drop in the number of volunteers for the festival this year.  Steve “Harpo” Janiszewski will return next year to chair the Fun Fest Committee.  Also important is the good news that Harpo’s health is much better.  Rich Lussier added that the number of raffle tickets sold this year almost matched those sold last year even though they could not be mailed out.

            Fall Fest.  Rich Lussier reminded everyone of the Fall Fest which is scheduled for October 26^th  and said we still need to drum up support for the festival.  Unaddressed envelopes with raffle tickets were placed in the lobby of the church ready to be picked up by parishioners after attending weekend Masses.  He thanked Dianne Angst and the office staff for doing a great job in organizing and assisting with the stuffing of raffle tickets in envelopes.  Rich said sponsorships of some of the larger sections of the festival were lost because of the present economy, and if anyone knows of any sponsors or providers of cash to be used toward costs of the festival, they should contact Rich.  Dennis Irwin said in previous years the Council provided a basket to be raffled off at the festival, and it was agreed by everyone that the same would be done this year; the theme for the basket will be wine and cheese.  Dennis will e-mail suggested items to be included in the basket; each council member can select an item from that list and bring it to the next council meeting.  Dennis will assemble the basket with contents.

NEW BUSINESS: 

            Architect Proposals/Proxy.    Joe Dulka mentioned that every council member received materials referable to the architect’s proposal (a draft of Planning Phasing prepared by Forms of Faith in August 2008; a list of 10 pertinent HDG projects; and a list of 7 pertinent Zimmerman projects including colored pictures of each).  Dennis Horbinski is both an architect and liturgical consultant; Zimmerman is also an architect; the two firms work together.  Joe said there is no set of definite plans, and no contact has been made with the City Planning Commission because that is the architect’s responsibility.  A booklet of completed projects by the firms was passed around for each member’s perusal and then returned to Joe.  The Building Committee’s next meeting is set for September 30^th.  Mr. Horbinski plans to have a meeting with the parish-at-large to get input from them.  There was discussion of the religious ed meeting rooms in the basement which will be designed similar to classrooms in a school, as well as a gathering space for breakfasts; again, no contact with the City has been made regarding zoning or rezoning since that is the architect’s duty.  The figure used for the renovation is $3 million, and that money will come from our resources.  The parish will be receiving money as result of the Faith In Our Future Campaign and other proceeds from the possible sale of the College Avenue rectory.  Cost for renovation of the interior of the church would be in addition to that $3 million figure.  Parish office space is not involved in these renovation plans.  It was further stated that we may do the renovations in different phases but it is a way to get down to two sites.  The architect knows what we want and what we need.  We are now at the second proxy from the archdiocese, which is seeking permission to hire an architect and develop financial planning.  They will approve the proxy if it seems practicable, and that allows us then to go ahead to the next phase.  The Council was in agreement with the dollar amount of the renovation and to seek the next proxy. 

            Council/Staff/Committee Chair Retreat.   Dean Kick was advised that the staff is agreeable to any date the Council chooses.  This retreat for council members, committee chairs and the staff will be more of a social get-together, communication with and getting to know each other, rather than a day of spiritual reflection.  The date chosen by the Council is Saturday, October 11^th from 9 a.m. to Noon and will be held at the Parish Life Center.  Father Bob will inform the staff of the date and time.  Dennis Irwin will make arrangements for a light lunch.

            Council Goals for 2008-09.   It was mentioned that evangelization was a very popular topic for goals of the Council, and it was hoped that the various committees would become involved with it.  At the Prayer and Worship Committee there was not much discussion about it, but at the Life Long Formation Committee there was discussion about the focus of the Spirituality Committee at the school and possibly combining the evangelization efforts with it. Some of the statements included in the discussion were that evangelization should not be put onto just one committee; it starts with the people in the pews; people should introduce themselves and welcome others in the pews before Mass; if people are enthusiastic about something, that will “catch on” with others; greeters at the doors have an impact on visitors; we must get to the youth of the parish and bring them in and make them feel as though they belong with us; if someone in the parish is ill, try to go to their home and offer assistance; evangelization is the fabric that runs through everything we do in the parish.  The new committee that will welcome new members in their own homes is evangelization.  Dean suggested that committee members, through the liaisons, be requested to come up with some ideas or suggestions for evangelization, and the Council will discuss them at the next meeting. 

            Attendance at Council Meetings.     The Secretary of the Council checked the parish constitution and bylaws regarding attendance at council meetings and found that two consecutive absences without good reason from meetings are grounds for removal from the Council.  Dean Kick said although we do not wish to remove anybody from the Council, he will make particular mention of this when sending out the agenda for the next council meeting.

OTHER NEWS, NOTES, COMMENTS AND/OR ANNOUNCEMENTS:

            Elaine Tessmer and Rich Lussier are still working on the bulletin board containing the council members’ names and phone numbers for the lobby of the church.

            A sign-up sheet for presentation of the Council’s report to be given at all Masses the first weekend in October was circulated before and during the meeting.

            The next council meeting is set for October 16^th at 6:30 p.m.  Pictures of the council members, dressed appropriately, will be taken at that time. 

Give Thanks.

Closing Prayer:  Dennis Irwin led the Council in reading the closing prayer that had previously been distributed. 

Adjournment:  The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.   

                                                                        Respectfully submitted,

                                                                        Marcy Gramza, Recording Secretary

                                                                        October 10, 2008