The meeting was called to order by Mike Reis at 7:00PM
Members Present: Valerie Werner for Deb Buckels, Joan Budd, JoAnn Hedrick, Donna Ramage, Mike Duffy, Mike Reis, Brian Cote for Ellen Turano, Father Bill Graney, Joe McClory, Ruth Sanders for Mary Louise Chesley-Cora, Chip Schussler, Cory Zolandz, Mike Rzucidlo for Dolores Lepori, Tom Leitch, Valerie Bica for Ellen Pringle
Members Absent: Patty Zaza , Deacon John Falkowski, Rich Mayes,
Michelle and ElaineLittle(Youth Group Meeting)
Opening Prayer: Donna Ramage led us in a reflection, entitled-Two Horses(anonymous). Two horses live in a field one blind the other wears a bell. The blind horse listens for the bell carried by his friend, which helps guide him through daily activities and back to the barn at night. “Please listen for my bell and I’ll listen for yours , and remember… Be kinder then necessary- Everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.”
Minutes: The minutes from the April meeting were approved as written.
Parish Buzz: An article in the May 13 issue of the Dialogue was discussed in which Bishop Malooly discussed three models of Parish Leadership that are in place now or will emerge in the coming years. The Parish Life Coordinator Model is of particular interest because it has been been proposed by Fr Bill discussed at Parish Council Meetings this year.
Fr Bill told of a brief conversation with an infrequent guest, whom he had not seen for over a year. When Fr asked inquired how he was doing- the guest replied that they did not want to be labeled as a Christmas/Easter Catholic.
A recurring roof leak was discussed. Folks wonder why a leak when roof had been recently replaced. The answer is the flat roof over Parish Offices were not part of the last roof project.
Parish Picnic will be held on May 22.
New Business: Ruth Sanders provided an overview from the Liturgy Committee. The goal of the Liturgy Committee is to provide quality worship. Major points discussed by Ruth are listed below:
• Incorporate Ideas from Parish Mission.
• Train new volunteers as they express interest rather than have them wait for an annual training. Fifteen new ministers responded to call this.
• There are a total of 260 Liturgical Ministers. Currently the greatest need is for altar servers, greeters, and ushers.
• Average attendance at weekend Masses dropped from 487 in 2014 to 439 in 2015.
Finance Council: Chip Schussler presented the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2017. The proposed budget is balanced with expenses of $590,000 met by Total Parish Income. It was noted that the budget for 2017 has decreased from the 2016 due to elimination of social concerns position. A motion was made to approve the proposed 2017 budget and it was passed by a unanimous vote. See attachment for details.
Old Business Election Committee: Parish Elections were completed just prior to the meeting. Results were not announced at meeting to allow nominees to be informed of election results first. New members to Parish Council are:
• Trustees- Maritza Poza-Grise and Chip Schussler
• Stewards- Sharon Gidumal, Ruthann Maisonet, Mike Reis, and Mike Rzucidlo
Thanks to Ballot counters, Mike Duffy, Tom Leitch and Joe McClory.
Pastors Comments: Bishop sent letter to priests stating there will be less choice for future assignments. Neighboring parishes will need to cooperate to share resources. In New Castle parishes already have joint penance and confirmations.
Bishop challenged parishes to come up with their own ideas.