Saint Francis of Assisi Parish
Summary of Pastoral Council Meetings

Provided below are brief summaries of recent Pastoral Council meetings.  More detailed minutes from Pastoral Council and Commission meetings can be found on our Pastoral Council Web page. 

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June 2008
Executive Summary of the June 3, 2008, Pastoral Council Meeting

 Before welcoming new council members, the council made special note of the principle that the needs of the parish community as a whole supersede the needs of any individual organization or commission when it comes to use of parish spaces (e.g., Tovet Room). Then we welcomed new members. Judy Trickey gave a summary of the results of the Generations of Faith survey (available on the parish website): positive comments increased; people appreciate focus on Catholic basics. Parents dropping off kids and not staying is becoming a problem, as are late arrivals. More details of the parish picnic (June 22) were discussed. We agreed to discuss how our pastoral council elections are held (and the structure of the pastoral council) in October, after Everett Hume shares information on different pastoral council models. Other items covered included an evening of spiritual reflection in September for members of the council and other parish volunteers, a possible speaker on social justice, the tag sale, and the aesthetics of the vinyl sign over the social center doors.

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May 2008
Executive Summary of the May 6, 2008, Pastoral Council Meeting

At its May 6 meeting, the pastoral council voted to change the dates of the council elections to the weekend of May 10–11 to avoid conflict with Confirmation. Two positions, on the Faith Development Commission and the Vocations Commission, have no candidates. It was decided to ask people to write in their names if they are willing to serve. Mike Hurst from the Bereavement Ministry spoke of his meeting with Mike Dupont from the diocesan offices and of the need of the council’s support for the ministry. Members volunteered to help in spreading the word about the ministry. The date of the pastoral council and volunteers’ retreat was announced as September 2, with further discussion to be held at the June meeting. In new business, it was confirmed that Vinny Flynn would speak on the Eucharist on May 7, and Rob Letendre of the Hospitality Commission announced the purchase of a new grill for parish use at events such as the parish picnic. A bequest to the parish that will enable the start of construction on the rectory was also announced, as well as the possibility of obtaining a pipe organ in the future. The meeting finished with more discussion on how to get the non-attending two-thirds of the parish to help in the support of the parish.

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April 2008
Executive Summary of the April 1, 2008, Pastoral Council Meeting

At the April Pastoral Council meeting, council members elected a new chair and vice chair: Paul Pierce and Debbie Fish, respectively. The council also discussed the logistics of elections for the vacancies on the various commissions, one each in Communications, Hospitality, Vocations, Faith Development, and Spiritual Life. Descriptions of the positions go out the weekend of April 6–7, nominations take place the weekend of April 12–13, and elections are to be held the weekend of May 17–18. In the interim, the chairs of the commissions get in touch with nominees to see if they are interested in standing for election. At the April meeting, Stan Wyman discussed the July 07–February 08 finance report, which shows expenditures still outstripping receipts. We briefly discussed possible ways to tackle this problem and decided suggestions were best taken up at the Finance Committee meeting on April 29.  

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March 2008
Executive Summary of the March 4, 2008, Pastoral Council Meeting

The pastoral council discussed the results of the time and talent survey, which Bill Bowen of the Communications Commission made available in an extremely useful interactive spreadsheet format. The council considered Beth Buczko’s draft mission statement for the proposed cancer support ministry and offered feedback on wording. The council also chose a tent to rent for the parish picnic and discussed making A-frame sign holders for in front of church. Judy Trickey brought up the World Day for Vocations, the topic of the next Generations of Faith meeting. The council agreed to do an Angel Tree-style fundraiser for Jessie’s House sometime in the summer. Dates were also set for the pastoral council elections (nominations on 12 April and elections on the weekend of 31 May–1 June). Stan Wyman, from the Fundraising Committee, mentioned that there were two pews left from the old church; these will be auctioned off for a fundraiser.

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February 2008
Executive Summary of the February 5, 2008, Pastoral Council Meeting

Our February meeting started with a decision about when to hand out the “Gifts of Time and Talent” brochures (weekend of Feb 9–10). We then had a brief discussion about possibly installing security cameras on church property, given incidents of theft from cars, but it was decided that the cameras were too expensive. Mike Hurst from the Family Life Commission gave an update on the Bereavement Ministry and received advice on how to spread word of its existence to those who could benefit by attending. Christine Schmidt of the Family Life Commission presented a mission statement for the Middle School Ministry. The date for the parish picnic was set (June 22), and we agreed that the church would solicit donations for Jessie’s House (a shelter for homeless families). Everett Hume, the liaison to the Diocesan Council, reported that across the diocese, only about 33 percent of registered Catholics are attending Mass. Stan Wyman announced that the Fundraising Committee would hold a Maple Fest fundraiser on April 5. Father Vern brought up the question of outside Catholic organizations soliciting contributions at our church; we agreed that after one such visit, an organization should wait three years before coming again.

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November 2007
Executive Summary of the November 6 Pastoral Council Meeting

The meeting began by recording dates for the December calendar. Judy Trickey, director of religious education, spoke about the upcoming “Lighten Up” event with Doug Brummel. Council members were asked to help publicize the event and to sell tickets, as well as to help with event setup. Rita Gallagher, from the Vocations Commission, spoke of the importance of praying for our seminarians, for the pastor, and for vocations. Bill Bowen of the Communications Commission started taking corrections to the “Gifts of Time and Talent” pamphlet that lets parishioners choose ways to contribute to parish life, and the council agreed to continue the work at our next meeting. Then other pastoral council commissions made presentations of commission goals, all of which aim to increase parish members’ involvement in parish life. Discussion touched on possible books that interested parish members read and then come together to discuss, the new bereavement ministry, and the problem of where to store supplies for parish events given that we use both the new church and the old church. Stan Wyman of the Finance Committee then spoke of the problem of the parish’s deficit spending: we must try both to raise more money and to cut expenses.

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