St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church

Minutes of Pastoral Council Meeting

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Members Present: Father Anthony, Joseph Bergeron, Garry Boudreaux, Stephanie Boudreaux, Mark Eliser, Kerry Hotard, Cherie Thibodeaux, Lucie Vegas

Members Absent: Barbara Doucet, Jodie Doucet, Charlotte Fabre, Tanya Faucheux, Jody Horn

Ex Officio Member Present: Deacon Mike Fabre

Garry called the meeting to order and opened with a prayer.

A motion was made by Lucie and seconded by Mark to accept the minutes of the February 9, 2017 meeting as recorded. Motion passed.

Old Business (Garry)

Garry covered the duties of the newly elected officers. He also suggested that the council could consider adding additional officers to the council:

· Sergeant at Arms – to maintain order at meetings

· Reporter – to assist and submit information for the bulletin, church announcements, Clarion Herald, update by laws, etc.

· Welcoming Committee – to establish for the parish new parishioners and distribute information regarding parish life.

Committee Reports –

Capital Campaign –

· There is a balance of approximately $40,000 remaining to reach our goal of $200,000.00. We have had a very favorable response by placing pink envelopes in the pews. There have been a few new contributors.

· The memorial plaques for the pews were discussed. The sample from BeAed Corporation was reviewed. This item has been tabled until the June meeting for further discussion.

· Garry thanked everyone for their hard work in getting these projects accomplished.

Selling of the pews (Kerry)

There are approximately 26 pews that are still available for purchase that are in storage. We need to work on selling these pews in order to relieve the borrowed storage facility. Kerry asked for ideas of how we could possibly sell the remaining pews. Mike stated that the pews could possibly be cut down in size, which would make them more favorable for sale. Also, some of the wood could be used by the youth to make crosses to sell for a fund raising project.

Buildings and Grounds –

· Garry thanked those who worked to spruce up the flower beds and donate mulch in front of the church (Jason and Kevin Robicheaux, Allen Thibodeaux, and Jerry Walker, Jr.).

· Kerry reported that the church received a onetime proposal from Servpro in the amount of $2,632.76. The council decided to make a motion, based on polling those members not in attendance, to accept the proposal. Father Anthony stated that there are funds available to cover the cost of the proposal and would like to move forward with completing this work. Cherie stated that she would contact those members not in attendance and get back with Garry on Friday. Those members in attendance were in favor of the proposal. See attached.

· Mark inquired about cleaning of the gutters on the church and rectory. Kerry stated that a maintenance committee could possibly be formed to clean the buildings. Stephanie suggested having parishioners help clean.

CCD (Kerry)

· There are 3 classes remaining for this school year.

· Teachers are needed for the next school session.

· Confirmation is scheduled for 5/2/17.

· First Communion is scheduled for 5/7/17.

· The NET retreat went very well.

· Jason Binet is interested in becoming a Deacon and will not be returning as a CCD teacher.

Youth (Kerry)

· Participated in the Lenten fish fries.

· Attended Abbey Youth Festival and enjoyed by everyone.

Finance (Joe)

The Finance Committee met and reviewed the status of the finances of the parish. The report is available in the office for review.

Ladies Altar Society (Lucie)

· The ladies enjoyed an outing to Ormond Plantation for dinner and the event was very well attended.

· The ladies will be baking for the upcoming events (confirmation, closing mass, Divine Mercy Sunday).

Fund Raiser (Stephanie)

Parishioners are asking to have a steak dinner. Suggestions are welcomed for the next fund raiser event planned for the fall of 2017.

Knights of Columbus (Joe)

· A barbeque chicken dinner will be held on Sunday, 5/21/17. Cost of a dinner will be $10.

· The fish fries were very well attended.

· The Knights presented Father Anthony with a check in the amount of $2,438 for their portion of the proceeds of the fish fry sales.

Family Life Committee (Stephanie)

· “Because I Love” dinner/dance was very successful.

· Wine and cheese social to thank parishioners for capital campaign projects was well attended.

· Easter egg hunt after the 10:30 a.m. mass was enjoyed by the children of the parish.

· Mother’s Day and Father’s Day socials are being planned.

· Feast of St. Anthony will be celebrated on Sunday, 6/11/17. A planning meeting has been scheduled for 5/4/17 at 6:30 p.m.

Synod Update (Kerry)

Four committee chairpersons have been chosen to lead committees of the Synod:

· Lynn Edwards - Marriage and Family

· Kevin Robicheaux – Vocations

· Lucinda Adams – Evangelization

· Kerry Hotard – Social Justice

The archdiocese has been notified of the committee chairs and contact information letters have been sent to parishioners inviting them to sit on these committees. The vision of these committees is to help organize and work towards the goals set forth by the archdiocese, to be visible in the community and offer the community to grow spiritually. Father Anthony stated that we need to listen to what the people are thinking and saying.

Website (Kerry)

Please send any information that should be posted to the website to Kerry. This week our website has received over 300 hits.

New Business

· Father Anthony stated that April and Jerry Walker, Jr. have tendered their resignation at the end of May for cleaning the church and C. A. Building. Father is asking for suggestions for someone to clean. He is considering hiring a custodian and asked that a committee be formed to develop a job description and discuss the feasibility of hiring for this position. A meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, 4/26/17 at 6:30 p.m. in the C. A. Building.

· Cherie asked about praying for deceased members of the church community during the general intercessions and also announcing upcoming funerals if the church has been notified in a timely fashion. Father stated that he will check into this.

· Father mentioned that a Bereavement Committee needs to be formed to help him when funerals are being planned.

The next Pastoral Council meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 6/8/17. The August meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 8/17/17.

A motion was made by Joe, seconded by Lucie, to adjourn meeting. Motion passed.

Father Anthony closed the meeting with a prayer.

Respectfully submitted,

Cherie B. Thibodeaux

Council Secretary