St. Gregory the Great Pastoral Council Meeting Minutes

March 14, 2017

PRESENT: Yolande Lasky, Barb Wilk, Marge Casey, Tom Molinski, Fr. Tom Demse, Patti Penkalski, Mike Esser and Barb Freuck.

ABSENT: Michelle Konkel, Marge Fischer, Donna Higgins, Randy Green and Tricia Boyle.

Meeting started at 7:10 P.M.

Minutes of the February 14th, 2017 meeting approved as amended.

Fr. Tom’s Time:

Communal penance will be held at St. Gregory the Great Parish on Thursday, March 23, 2017 at 7:00 P.M. in church.

First Communion will take place on May 6th and May 7th, 2017 with Gail DeFrancisco and Cindy Bremeier coordinating the event.

Combined Confirmation for the youth of St. Gregory the Great parish and Our Lady of Lourdes parish and the reception afterwards will be May 21st, 2017 at 2:00 P.M. at Our Lady of Lourdes Church. Fr. Bill Burkert will preside at the Confirmation.

Cindy Bremeier will most likely return to work in May. Kathy Luty will coordinate Triduum and Easter services in Cindy’s absence.

Tim Waldoch continues his diaconate training. For the months of May through July, 2017 Tim will put in 50 hours of nursing home, hospitalization and shut-in visits as part of his training. Early in 2018 Tim will start preaching at Masses. The diaconate program takes 5 years. With that in mind, Tim will most likely be ordained a deacon in September, 2018.

Administrative Updates: Patti Penkalski

Budget looks good for the year. The next budget will be presented at the April Pastoral Parish Council meeting on April 25th, 2017.

Transition Discussion Session: The joint session on transitioning that was held on Sunday, February 26th, 2017 and Monday, February 27th, 2017 with the Pastoral Parish Council of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish went well. About half of our St. Greg’s Pastoral Parish Council membership attended the meeting on Sunday and the other half of our council membership attended on Monday. Everyone who attended agreed that the sense of community was underlying throughout the entire presentation and discussion that followed on both days. Our council membership concluded that there is not at present a feeling that the changes will be as big as we had anticipated. As a whole, we feel that the group of people at Our Lady of Lourdes are extremely nice and we get along well with each other. This transition discussion session is actually our third cooperative venture as parish councils. We all felt that we not only shared our prayerfulness together but we also shared our thoughts, ideas and hopefully plans together as we work toward the upcoming transition for our parishes.

Commission Reports

Worship: Barb Freuck

Not too much to report this month.

Arts & Environment will be having a meeting on Wednesday, March 15th, 2017 at 6:00 P.M. in the teen room. All are welcome. Dates will be set for the decorating of the church for Holy Week. Plans will be discussed regarding the decorations for the church for the Easter celebration and the following season. Also, discussion will take place for setting up the dates for the spring planting around the parish grounds. The flowers for Easter have been ordered and the candles for the Easter vigil are here and will be prepared on Wednesday, March 15th, 2017. As a committee without our leader present, Cindy Bremeier, we are holding our own with telephone and email contact with Cindy. One thing that has been established in Cindy’s absence is the use of Eucharistic Coordinators at each Mass to expedite the needs for filling the Communion stations at each Mass. It seems to be working well.

The same is true where the Eucharistic ministers, acolytes and lectors are concerned. Kathy Luty continues to sub for Cindy at the weekend Masses with the help of all of the different ministers. We seem to get the job done as best we can.

Formation: Michelle Konkel

The Lighthouse program along with ARISE have a Lenten project we are doing together. Outside the hospitality room is a black cross. During the season of Lent the families are to write down acts of kindness they have done for others on colored crosses (not using names but only the act) and attach it to the black cross. As we approach Easter the black cross will come to life with acts of love and kindness. However, if they tell the person what they did, it doesn’t count. They have to do it from their heart and not for recognition.

This Sunday is the Lighthouse Family event and several of the students will be participating in the Stations of the Cross either holding a station or speaking. There is a part for everyone.

Confirmation program has their retreat coming up on March 25th, 2017 and final interviews in April.

Human Concerns: Barb Wilk

St. Vincent DePaul: Food Pantry open 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month from 10:00 A.M. to 12 Noon.

In Reach/Out Reach: Recent Bake Sale raised over $900. Funds will be used to create Sunshine Bags for homebound parishioners. Bags will include items such as fruit, pretzels, lip balm, playing cards, word search book, prayer book and prayer bookmark. Thank you article was placed in bulletin to thank bakers and people who supported this effort through buying baked items.

St. Greg’s will be staffing the lunch hour at “The Gathering” meal site on Saturday, March 25th, 2017. Duties include setting up meals, serving the food, and kitchen and cafeteria clean-up. A request for sign-up has been place in the bulletin.

Finance: Tom Molinski and Marge Casey

Capital projects: Roof above the K-4 classroom and Book Ends area will cost approximately $39,000. A new office door for the parish office entrance with a new frame and push out bar will cost approximately $7,000. Fill the cracks in parking lot and catch basin (to be addressed after the parish festival) for approximately $10,000. A concern regarding the bricks by the stairs at the entrance to church by the air conditioning unit on the east side of the building will be addressed by the facilities committee in the upcoming months.

Finance committee continues to work on the upcoming budget and will present the budget to the Pastoral Parish Council when it is completed (probably at the April 25th, 2017 Council meeting).

Pastoral Care: No report.

Community: No report.

School: Yolande Lasky

Commission Action Items:

  • The By-Laws were reviewed and updated. A final draft will be circulated and finalized at the March meeting. It is anticipated that the final draft will be sent to the Pastoral Council for approval in April or May of 2017.
  • A special meeting will be held on March 14th to complete the School Commission accreditation materials.

Principal’s Report

  • A Financial Summary showing the January numbers was circulated. It was noted that the monies placed in reserve by DPI during the recent audit appears to be a lesser amount than originally reported. The final status of the monies and future formulas for spending voucher dollars is still in the process of being researched.
  • Student enrollment for the 2017-18 school year is going well.
  • The school accreditation visit will be on November 1st and 2nd, 2017.
  • It is anticipated that the person currently serving as the school’s interpreter will enter a teacher licensing program and be available to serve as a full time Spanish teacher in our school for the 2017-18 school year.

Stewardship: Mike Esser

The Stewardship Commission is looking into a series of letters that could be sent out to welcome Baptism families as a follow-up after a certain amount of time has passed inviting the families to participate in other activities offered by parish organizations.

The commission is also exploring the use of a letter to newly registered parishioners again offering the new members a list of potential organizations and activities that are offered throughout the year for the new members to consider joining.

Closing notes:

  • The Deanery meeting is scheduled for April 26th, 2017 at St. Alphonsus (Parish Ministry Center) 7 P.M. – 9 P.M.
  • April Prayer – Tom Molinskisi
  • Hospitality Sunday – March 19th, 2017 Finance Commission
  • No Hospitality Sunday in April due to it being Easter Sunday
  • Next Pastoral Parish Council Meeting- April 25th, 2017 at 7 P.M. in the Great Room

Closing Prayer: Marge Casey

Meeting adjourned at 8:07 P.M.

Minutes submitted byBarb Freuck, Secretary

3-22-2017 St. Greg’s Parish Council Minutes (Meeting 3-14-2017)