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Minutes of the Pastoral Council
Members Present: Lisa Alfano, Barbara Corcoran, Edimar Cruz, Marie Hayes, Neon Lawrie, Father Michael Sequeira, Lisa Standish, Miguel Torres, Ann VanderMaelen Members excused: Dan Diana, Henry O’Neill, Julio Riera, E.C. Schroeder, Tom Shugrue, Tim Wells Also in attendance: Andrea Tuthill, Bill Viggiano REMINDER: If members of the Parish Council cannot attend the meeting, please call Ann at her work number (388-3844). The meeting opened the meeting at 7:10 pm with a prayer. Old business Presentation by El Camino representatives Six representatives joined us to describe the Neo-Catecumenate process call “The Way” or, in Spanish, “El Camino”. This program begins with 15 sessions of presentation and discussion (2 sessions per week) which begins to form the community. Once the 15 sessions are completed each member is asked to commit to the community, following the guidelines of a weekly meeting on Wednesday evenings, and a Eucharist celebrated on Saturday for the community members. Also, there is a monthly retreat for the community (full day on a Sunday). Council members asked a variety of questions regarding the structure of this program, and the ability to alter the structure to better fit our needs. They implied that the structure is fixed as it has been demonstrated to be the most effective in forming a strong, committed community of believers. They indicated that they are willing to begin whenever Fr. Michael and our Council call upon them. They recruit participants by making announcements at Mass, and also by making home visits in the parish and in the community. They propose that the first sessions be done in English, and that if there is interest there could be a second enrollment the next year in Spanish. Discussion by Council members and Fr. Michael produced a significant number of questions and concerns. The value of this type of program as an outreach activity and as a means for increasing spiritual growth was acknowledged, however, the requirement of a separate weekly mass for this community is impossible to provide at this time, given Fr. Michael’s time constraints. The possibility of hiring a priest for this purpose was discussed, but the feasibility of this idea is questionable. We tabled the discussion until the next Council meeting. In the intervening time Miguel agreed to talk to members of the Hispanic community who had originally requested this program for St. Mary’s to discern their continuing interest.
Other Items carried over from previous meetings The Council continues to need new members. Some names have been submitted, but each of us is called to recruit new members by talking about Council participation as we see people at Mass. Eight new members are needed for the coming year. The Pictorial Directory has been submitted to the printer. Matt Corcoran hopes that a proof will be ready within the next few weeks, and that the 500 copies we have requested for the initial printing will be available by the end of September. Council members will be needed to assist Matt in distributing these copies when they are available. Ann VanderMaelen has contacted Beverly Fagan about the proposal that she take on the role of Parish Historian. Beverly’s response was not available on the evening of the meeting, but she has since indicated that she would be happy to serve on a committee but that she would like others who are also knowledgeable about the history of St. Mary’s to serve along with her. Announcements- The Parish Picnic will be held on September 18th from noon to 4 p.m. There will be a joint meeting of the Finance Committee, the Stewardship Committee, and the Pastoral Council to discuss a proposal to hire a person to be a fund raiser for special projects at St. Mary’s. This important meeting will be on September 15th at 7:00 p.m. All council members are urged to attend. Fr. Michael’s announcements- Committee reports- Stewardship Committee Important notice: Due to a conflict with Fr. Michael’s talks on the Mass, the next Council meeting will be on Monday, October 3 at 7:00 p.m. rather than on Thursday, October 6th. The meeting closed at approximately 9:45 pm Respectfully submitted, St. Mary's Parish Council Members Present: Lisa Alfano, Barbara Corcoran, Edimar Cruz, Dan Diana, Marie Hayes, Neon Lawrie, Henry O’Neill, Edwin Schroeder, Fr. Michael Sequeira, Tom Shugrue, Miguel Torres, Ann VanderMaelen Members excused: Tim Wells, Lisa Standish Members absent: Julio Riera, Sister Maireny Soto Rojas Also in attendance: Bill Viggiano, Andrea Tuthill REMINDER: If members of the Parish Council cannot attend the meeting, please call Ann at her work number (388-3844). The meeting opened the meeting at 7:05 pm with a prayer. Announcements Council members are reminded that we should plan to greet parishioners before Mass and attend Mass as a group on the first Sunday of each month. Thanks to those of you who did so last weekend, at the 7:30 mass on July 2nd. We need new members. At the present time we have 2 openings. When Council elections come up in the fall we will need to recruit several more, so council members are asked to talk about council to those they know, to pray about this, and to mention any prospective members to Tim Wells. Changes in the Family Connections program were made because of lower than expected attendance and lack of volunteers. It was agreed that there would be two family picnic days- July 17th and August 7th. The St. Mary’s website address is now StMarysclinton.com. There will be a Pastoral Council page for the website. We can use this vehicle to present our minutes, post notices about the need for new members, etc. It was suggested that there be a pulpit announcement to the parish, publicizing the website and inviting parishioners to use this source of information to learn more about the parish. Old business Pastoral Directory Matt Corcoran presented an update on progress of the Parish Directory. The directory is near completion with a final proofreading necessary. Matt hopes to issue the directory by the end of July. He is trying to locate a few businesses to place ads in the directory in order to offset the costs of production. At this point, approximately $1700 is necessary for the parish to break even on the directory. Jim O’Halloran, a local printer has agreed to help with the printing. As agreed to when the project started, those parishioners who had their pictures taken will receive a free directory. Those who did not will be charged $5 a directory. Matthew proposed an initial print run of approximately 350-400 copies. The Parish Council agreed to help with distribution after masses. The Council also agreed to help with proof reading by making proof copies available for parishioners to check their names and addresses after masses on July 12th. The Council postponed a decision of how to handle additional print runs and future updates until after the directory is distributed. Father Michael’s fall plans Father Michael presented some of his ideas for fall parish programs. They included:
The Council discussed Father Michael’s proposals and supported his efforts in the first two programs. The Council preferred a series of different discussions or lectures for the week of spirituality that would allow as many people as possible to attend. Regarding the third program, the Council raised several issues and concerns. First the Council supported the idea of home visits, but thought they required significant planning with a clear message to deliver. In creating such a program there needs to be adequate time to train the people making visits including practice visits as well as plenty of publicity. The Council proposed that the visits be conducted in February, providing adequate time to recruit and train people doing visits, as well as publicize the program within the parish. Stewardship Bill Viggiano updated the Council regarding the Stewardship appeal made in June. At the end of the fiscal year in June, year-to-year collections were down $15,600. The stewardship appeal was made the weekend of June 11-12, with pledge cards distributed at masses. To date 394 pledges were received. Approximately $9200 a week was pledged for $479,000 a year. Normally approximately 20% of the offertory consists of cash. If this holds true for the next year then we should expect approximately $11,000 per week for $598,000 over the year. There are still pledges trickling in.
New business Religious education and Youth ministry Andrea Tuthill, the new Director of Religious Education presented what she is working on since she started in June.
Committee reports Building & Grounds Finance Committee The next meeting is Thursday August 4th. The meeting closed at approximately 9:30 pm Respectfully submitted, ### |
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| St. Mary's Parish Council minutes from June 2, 2005 meeting. Members Present: Barbara Corcoran, Edimar Cruz, Dan Diana, Marie Hayes, Neon Lawrie, Henry O’Neill, Edwin Schroeder, Tom Shugrue, Lisa Standish, Ann VanderMaelen Members excused: Lisa Alfano, Tim Wells Members absent: Julio Riera, Sister Maireny Soto Rojas, Miguel Torres Also in attendance: Bill Viggiano REMINDER: If members of the Parish Council cannot attend the meeting, please call Ann at her work number (388-3844). E.C. Schroeder opened the meeting at 7:05 pm with a prayer. E.C. will distribute his notes from the May meeting where Father Michael made a presentation on Stewardship and the current financial status of the Parish. Announcements The Parish Council will attend the Spanish Mass at 6 pm on June 4th. Andrea Tuthill starts June 15th as Director of Religious Education. A religious education committee consisting of Ann VanderMaelen, E.C. Schroeder, Tim Wells, Hank O’Neil, Margo Burke, and Tom Shugrue will serve for at least the next year. Old business Pastoral Directory Ann and Bill V. reported on progress of the Parish Directory. The directory is currently laid out, and awaits proof reading of names, addresses, and email addresses. Matt Corcoran is attempting to find businesses to pay for ads. It was decided to move to July’s meeting questions regarding directory maintenance and additions of new parishioners.
Father Michael’s presentation Father Michael followed up his May presentation with his ideas as to how he wants the parish to grow during the next few years. Father noted the progress that was made during the past few years including seven masses instead of 4, the new Visitation hall, renovated parking lot, and a renovated Church Hall. However Father Michael is concerned with the slow and steady decline of mass attendance and parish participation. In contrast to the decline of attendance, the number of request for services such as baptisms, weddings, CCD, etc. has steadily grown. Many people receiving these services have made no contribution to the parish, whether time, talent, or treasure. In response Father Michael presented a new policy. This policy states St. Mary’s is a tithing parish, and it is expected that each family contribute at least $10 a week, or $520 per year as well as time and talent to the parish. If a parishioner does this, then would not have to pay a fee for CCD, baptism, wedding. In order to support these requirements, a new position, Stewrdship Minister would be created. This person would be responsible for encouraging stewardship of time, talent, and treasure. In addition they would oversee the various parish committees and the ministry fair as well as meet new parishioners and conduct home visits. In the fall Father Michael is planning the following activities:
The Council discussed Father Michael’s ideas regarding stewardship. After extensive discussion the Council unanimously approved the motion “to support St. Mary’s policy for all parishioners with regards to Stewardship.” The Council also discussed Father Michael’s proposal for a Stewardship Minister. It was noted that this position could be either paid or unpaid, and full or part-time. The Council unanimously approved a motion to support Father Michael’s efforts to fill the position of Stewardship Minister for St. Mary’s. New business None. Committee reports Hank O’Neil reviewed some of the activities that Building and Grounds is currently working on. These included replacing the oil tank and sealing the parking lot. Hank also reviewed the status of plans for building a new vestibule. The Parish has received a variance from the town, architectural drawings are complete, and four contractors are interested in bidding. However, due to the Parish’s current financial shortfall, Hank recommended that the Vestibule project be delayed for approximately a year. After discussion the Council unanimously passed a motion to table the vestibule project until a later date. The next meeting is Thursday July 7th. The meeting closed at approximately 9:30 pm Respectfully submitted, ###
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If you would like to voice a question or concern regarding the Parish Council proceedings, we would like to hear from you. Please email your thoughts to steward@stmarysclinton.com, or simply call the parish office. |
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