Sts. Joseph & Paul Catholic Church

Parish Council Minutes
January 2, 2007 

Meeting began at 6:30 p.m. in the Parish Office building.   

Members present: Tony Kraus, John Little, Pete Johnson, Carol Alvey, Debbie Luedke, Ron Greene, John Wells, Tom Hayden, Laura Baker, Mike Hagan, Connie Caceres, Juan Fernandez, David Danhauer 

Staff members present: Fr. Carl, Rick Rhodes, Ken Caselden, Mark Baehl, Martha Little
Members absent: None
Guests: Peggy Wilson, Gary Trodgen 

1.  Opening prayer led by Rick Rhodes 

2.  Minutes from Dec. 4 meeting were approved. 

3. Carol Alvey reviewed pages 23-27 of the Diocesan Guidelines for Parish Pastoral Councils. This concludes our review of the document. 

4. Committee Reports: 

A.  Family Life – David Danhauer  

• The committee is still in the formative stages. They are working on a mission/vision statement. David said they are excited about the new members to the committee (including new members to the parish). They may start meeting every other month or even monthly.  
• Nancy Oelze is continuing to formulate a Parish Nursing Program. She is going to a class sponsored by the diocese and will be bringing guidelines to the committee’s next meeting. Fr. Carl mentioned that there are national guidelines for parish nursing programs.

B.  Art & Environment – Ron Greene 

• Committee members continue an education process regarding the Liturgical Seasons.
• There was a very good turnout for help in changing the church environment from Advent to Christmas.

C. Sacred Liturgy - Ron Greene and Mark Baehl 

• Committee members are studying the General Instruction on the Roman Missal document.
• Baptismal font placement is still being discussed.
• The committee is still looking at ways to bring more participation in from the congregation (in regards to singing, prayer, etc.).
• A donor has come forward who is willing to pay for restoration of the Stations of the Cross. The Stations were cleaned and glazed recently (they were not repaired). There is a real need to restore the artistic value to the Stations. This project will take place one Station at a time. The start date has not been determined.
• There was positive feedback regarding the addition of “sacred silence” to the liturgy. There has also been positive feedback in regards to the introductions to the readings that Fr. Carl has done during Advent and Christmas. This may continue in the future.
• There was a comment that we all need to be vocal (singing, praying) during Mass. This will encourage others around us to be vocal as well.

D. Education – Debbie Luedke 

• We have five couples interested in working a Marriage Encounter. We must have seven couples before it can take place. Fr. Carl suggested that a couple who has made the weekend come and give a witness talk regarding how it helped their marriage. This may encourage others to help.
• Karen Danhauer is speaking with members of Pius X regarding Financial Peace University. We hope to offer it in our parish as well.

E. Stewardship – Mike Hagan

• Bishop McRaith will have an article in the Jan 6-7 weekend bulletin regarding stewardship. Another article titled – One Good Reason – will go in the Jan. 13-14 bulletin. The article titled – Got a Minute? – will go in the Jan. 20-21 bulletin. Witness talks will be given at each of the services during the first three weeks.
• Parishioners will be asked to bring in their commitment card the weekend of Feb. 3-4.

F.  Finance – Rick Rhodes 

• While there was still a deficit at the end of November, the collections in December have been very good. We are close to budget and income.
• $57,000 (approximate) was made in pledges from the $3 a week campaign recently held.

G. Spiritual Life – Peggy Wilson (THIS WAS OUR FOCUS COMMITTEE FOR JANUARY) 

• A Women’s Retreat will be held Jan. 12 & 13.
• A Parish Mission will be held Feb. 25-28.
• The committee is writing the prayer intentions that are found in the bulletin each week.
• The committee accepted the Social Justice challenge and worked at the Good Samaritan House one weekend.
• One main goal now is starting a ministry for those who were hospitalized and have needs when they return home. Peggy said there have been volunteers for this ministry, but more are needed. She passed out a volunteer form to members of the Parish Council. There will be a notice in this weekend’s bulletin for those who are home from the hospital to contact the parish and let us know what needs they have.
• The committee is working on building small group communities through like-interests (for example – those who like to knit, or garden, etc.). They are trying to reach out to people who don’t normally participate in such programs.

5. Old Business 

A.  Dinner for Six – Fr. Carl would like some type of program where there will be a host family who would have people over to their home for prayer, discussion, and dinner. This would enable parishioners to get to know one another and for Fr. Carl to get to know parishioners. The Stewardship Committee is asked to work out the details of such a program. 

B.  Block Party Update – this will now fall under the Social Concerns Committee. We need to not only give out assistance, but also to reach out to those in need on a deeper level. 

C.  Good Samaritan Home update – Ron said that completion of the project by the end of February is a very realistic goal. In this weekend’s bulletin, there will be a list of what items are still needed for the house. 

D.  Parish Hall update – Rick said the roof will go on tomorrow (Jan. 3) and the sides will be up by the end of the week. 

6.  New Business 

A.  Tony again reminded everyone of the importance of filling out the Committee Report Sheet.  The Council’s main purpose is to be a visionary body that can help and empower each committee. This can best be done if the Report Sheet is available to us prior to the meeting if possible. 

B.  A Parish Organizational Chart has been given to all Council members. 

C. Welcoming new parishioners – the Stewardship Committee is working on a welcoming package. This will be discussed further at our next meeting. 

D.  Fr. Carl presented us with a document that outlined the position of a Hispanic Ministry Coordinator. There is a person who is interested in this position. There was discussion on how to fund this position. Fr. Carl said that Bishop McRaith has offered to provide seed money for the position. We still need to look at how it will be funded after the first year. There was a suggestion that this be a Deanery position, that money will be requested from the Disciples Response Fund, and that other grants may be available. There was a consensus that this is a great idea, but there are practical matters in regards to money and logistics. Fr. Carl asked that an Ad Hoc Committee be formed that will help make a presentation to the diocese and to the deanery. Juan, Connie, David, Ken, Mark, Rick, and Carol volunteered. They will ask Suzanne Rose and Patti Murphy to also participate.  

7.  John Wells will lead opening prayer at the February meeting. 

8. Laura Baker will lead a discussion on the document titled – Communicating the Parish Mission – from the magazine Today’s Parish Minister. 

9.  Fr. Carl closed with prayer. Meeting adjourned at 8:35 p.m. 

10. The Focus Committee for February will be Family Life. David will lead this. 

11.  The next Council meeting will be held on Monday, February 5 in the Parish Office.

Respectfully submitted,
John Little – Council Secretary

sdrose@bellsouth.net
3-10-2007