St. Stanislaus Parish

Pastoral Council Minutes

October 30, 2007 ~ 7:00 pm

1.       Bob Rogers called the meeting to order at 7:07 pm

 

Council members present: Linda Stroik, Teri Jenkins, Gary Tanko, Penny Wachowiak, Nancy Chinn-O’Reilly, Gene LaRose, Mary Ann Powell, Jeanne Retzke, Lee Falkavage, Bob Rogers, Dave Fletcher present in Fr. Al’s absence.

 

Council members absent and excused: Lori Stoltz & Gene Van Ryzin

 

Guests: Fr. Dennis Lynch

Ø      Fr. Dennis made a brief entrance and statement to the Council thanking them for their work as a Council, especially during Fr. Al’s absence from the parish. Fr. Dennis explained his role as Parish Administrator to the Council as well.

 

2.      Opening prayer led by Gene LaRose.

3.      Spiritual Development- “Reclaim the Fire” discussion continued with presentations by Nancy, Teri and Gene LaRose.

4.      Agenda Repair-no changes to the agenda as proposed.

5.      Minutes of Pastoral Council Meeting September 25, 2007 were approved as distributed.

6.      Committee Reports-

v      Catholic Education:

Ø                        Nancy brought a question to the Council from the committee as to whether or not the Catholic Education Committee has a budget in place. Council advised that the committee identify specific needs and bring them to Bev for review and ultimately to the Finance Council for approval when they would like funding for projects.

v      Family Life:

Ø      Penny reported that Family Life had signs up at the Ministry Fair attempting to assess interest in a parish nursery. There was minimal response at the fair itself and they will await any further responses from parishioners via the Ministry Opportunity pamphlets that were distributed. Penny requested that a bulletin announcement be placed in upcoming bulletins as well with her name as the contact for anyone interested in a nursery service here at St. Stan’s.

Ø      Dave gave a short summary on Fall Fest 2007 saying that it was a successful event overall. The Chicken Dinner “went very well” with approximately 600 dinners served. The left-over food will be used for our Faith Formation dinner next week. Expenses were slightly higher this year due to the need to utilize a few more vendors this year in the preparation process.

v      Justice & Peace: minutes available

v      Sacred Worship: no new minutes available at this time

7.      Finance Council

v      Stewardship: Ministry Fair Update

Ø      Linda reported that any Census Forms left in Kostka Hall will remain there for one more weekend in hopes that more parishioners will stop down and pick them up. Any forms left after next weekend will need to be sent out with a cover letter in an attempt to elicit a response. The timing of this mailing has yet to be determined. It was agreed that pairing the Ministry Fair with the Pie and Ice Cream Social was advantageous and should be done on an annual basis.

v      Disposition of Collection Boxes

Ø      Gene reported that counts have been done related to the usage of the wooden collection boxes located at the entrances of the church and usage has proved to be minimal. Recommendation made by the Council to discontinue the use of these boxes as they are heavy and cumbersome for the ushers to handle. Decision made that the boxes should be removed and placed in the church basement for storage at this time. Bulletin announcement will also be placed announcing to all parishioners that these boxes will no longer be utilized.

v      Update on Diocesan Annual Appeal

Ø      Dave reported that the current total collected is $48,000 with our parish goal being $78,000. He also reviewed the “Five Year Plan” goals which have been set by the Finance Council. There will be an emphasis on promoting memorials and tax free giving, the re-establishment of a Buildings and Grounds Committee, a savings & deposit program for a St. Stan’s Endowment Fund, an emphasis on engaging new parishioners and strong encouragement for parishioners to utilize the auto-deduct program as means of giving.

8.      Deanery Report

v      Bob reported that the position of Deanery Coordinator is currently being redefined. The job description will be substantially different and will be open for application around the 1st of the year.

9.      Pastor/Staff Report

v       Update on Fr. Al

Ø                        Dave gave health status update on Fr. Al. Call received from Fr.’s sister this evening stating that Fr. has suffered a slight setback at this time. He has developed an infection and will be transferred to ICU for further treatment. Please keep him in your prayers.

v      Faith Alive Program

Ø                        Mary Ann gave update on the program as she is leading a small group at the current morning bible study. She has placed an order for more Faith Alive resource books for anyone interested in doing this program at home or starting their own group. Mary Ann states that there has not been enough interested expressed within the parish to start an evening group at this time.

10.   Council Chair Report/Announcements

v      Bob shared a letter he received from a parishioner commenting on the recent inclusion of Pastoral Council meeting highlights in the bulletin. This parishioner appreciated having this information shared and urged the Council to continue with this practice.

11.    Unfinished Business-none

12.   New Business

v      Bulletin Insert Policy

Ø      There is currently no written policy in place outlining guidelines for review of inserts to be placed in weekly bulletin.

Ø      An interim policy stating the current practice for review of potential inserts will be written by Bob. This will serve as the current policy until Fr. Al returns and the issue can be readdressed.

v      Parish Nurse Program

Ø      Letter received from Catholic Residential Services expressing interest in providing a Parish Nurse Program for St. Stanislaus Parish. Penny, being a nurse and Council member, gave a presentation to the Council explaining the functions of a parish nurse. Council agreed that parishioner input would need to be gathered as to interest and usage of this type of program before proceeding further. Bob will work with Dave on developing a tool to gather this input from our parishioners.

v      Welcoming Ministry

Ø      Dave informed Council that one of the current usher teams in place will be dissolving, leaving some open spaces on the upcoming Ministry Schedule. This has led to a new thought process in the area of ushers/welcoming. Dave is proposing a “Greeter Ministry” which could be family teams, possibly fulfilling service-hour requirements, and acting as greeters at our weekend masses. The Council did approve of this ministry idea proceeding, but would like to be updated as the process moves forward.

13.   Closing Prayer- Gene LaRose

14.   Meeting Adjourned-9:32 pm

15.   NEXT MEETING DATE: NOVEMBER 27, 2007 ~ 7:00 PM