Council Minutes

2008-12-27T16:48:00.000-08:00

Pastoral Council Meeting Minutes
October 16, 2008

Members present: Fr. Cecilio, Margaret Fowler, Kevin Rademacher, Dicksie Hengesbach, Bobbie Jo Miller, Mike Prince, Edith Smith. Absent: Chuck Thelen, Kathy Wood, Eunice Arens

Members of the Christian Service Committee Present: Judy Nurenberg, Jeanette
Spitzley

Approval of Agenda:
The agenda for the meeting was approved as presented.

Approval of Minutes:
Minutes of the September 18, 2008 meeting were approved as read.

Ministry Reports:
Father Cecilio read the report by Bryan Flynn, in his absence. It was read as follows:

On Friday, September 26th the Ark was blessed to be able to host its first ever official Fifth Quarter party. We went through 2 cases of chicken wings, 100 hot dogs and 100 gatorades. We also sold quite a few $1.00 flurries among other things. The event was an excellent opportunity to highlight one of the main purposes of the Ark, which is to be a safe fun place for teens to hang out and have good, clean fellowship. It was very exciting to see hundreds of people enjoying themselves throughout the evening. While waiting for the Fifth Quarter to come on, some people were watching sports one T.V. while others were playing the Nintendo Wii on the big 10 foot screen upstairs while still others were playing foosball, pool and cards and of course eating. I even caught a bunch of the junior guys in the chapel upstairs playing the piano and singing!

Once the Fifth Quarter came on almost everyone headed upstairs to watch it together on the big screen. A lot of people were crammed in that room and the Ark never smelled so good! It was great to see the sense of community that the P-W area is known for manifest at the Ark.Know that if any of the teams or organizations at P-W would like us to host such an event again we would be glad to oblige.

Old Business: Judy Nurenberg and Jeanette Spitzley members of the Christian Service Committee were present to discuss the needs in our community and possibly the neighboring communities. The committee is interested in input from members of the parish on how they can better serve the parish and they are looking for new members.

New Business: A letter was received by the Pastoral Council from Bernie Spitzley, SVD. The letter outlines his work with the people in the poorest areas of Jamaica. A portion of the letter reads as follows:

My ministry is to help build houses for the very destitute, distribute food and clothes and create some self sufficiency programs, where we give loans to farmers who raise, chickens, goats, pigs etc. I would like to invite my home parish to become co-missionaries with us. These are the possible ways of doing this:

1. To donate any summer clothes to St. Mary’s school, there Ms. Barb Spitzley will see that they get sent to us.

2. Have a group come down and actually build a house. Various parishes, schools, and other organizations have done so! I believe it would be a great experience for many here to be a part of this life giving experience. We are able to house six visitors at a time. Your responsibility would be to purchase the airfare and give a donation for food. We supply the lodging, tools and materials to build the house. My experience has been that many of our visitors were able to fund their way through the contributions of fellow parishioners or church groups.

3. Donate funds to help our Biblical apostolate, we work with two groups of 25 children to learn the Bible and our faith.

4. Continue to pray for our success in doing God’s will in Jamaica.

Some people have asked me about the organization: Food for the Poor, I can highly recommend them. They have helped me build over 2,300 12 X 12 houses and twice a month we distribute two 40 foot containers of food to those most in need.

The Council also received a letter from Bishop Boyea which was published in the October Spirit. The letter outlined his visit to the parish the weekend of September 6-7, 2008.

Pastoral remarks: The Bishop suggests we enhance the Christian Service Commission. This will be discussed in future meetings. How to help Brother Bernie Spitzley in his mission work will also be discussed at future meetings.

Date of next meeting: November 20, 2008

Father led the closing prayer and the meeting was adjourned
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nb: no PC meeting was held in November

Pastoral Council Meeting Minutes
December 18, 2008

Members Present: Eunice Arens, Margaret Fowler, Dicksie Hengesbach, Mike Prince, Janice Schafer, Bobbi Jo Miller, Edith Smith, and Fr. Cecilio.

Members Absent: Kathy Wood and Kevin Rademacher

Approval of Agenda:
The agenda for the meeting was approved as amended.

Approval of Minutes:
Minutes of the October 16, 2008 meeting were approved as amended.

Ministry Reports:
Bryan Flynn’s report as presented by Father Cecilio:
Ÿ Religious Education is done until January 5th.
Ÿ Pinckney Pro Life youth group will be giving our youth a presentation in the school gym on January 12, 2009.
Ÿ Our Confirmation retreat will be held Saturday and Sunday, March 14th and 15th at the Ark. The retreat is scheduled in conjunction with a conference where Dr. Janet Smith will be speaking.
Ÿ Confirmation will be held on Monday April 27th at 7 p.m. with Bishop Mengeling officiating.
Ÿ We have received an organ from Sacred Heart Parish in Flint. It will be available in Hall A to use at Mass during our church enhancement.
Ÿ Father mentioned that after the youth mass December 14th there were a large number of students at the Ark with lots of activities going on. Fr. stated he was, “Proud of what’s going on at the Ark and Brian’s work there.”
Ÿ The schedule for upcoming activities at the Ark can be found in the bulletin.

Deacon Chuck Thelen’s report as presented by Father Cecilio:
Ÿ The training for Lectors and Extra Ordinary Ministers of the Eucharist has been completed. We have received the diocesan approvals and will be doing a brief commissioning service at each of the Masses this weekend. We are pleased that we have picked up 8 new lectors and 7 new EM’s.
Ÿ The RCIA program is going well. We have three catechumens (not previously baptized), one candidate in the regular RCIA and one teen catechumen. Of course, we have to recognize that all of these people are still exploring the Catholic faith so we have to be patient with their faith formation even though they seem interested and committed so far.

Old Business
Christian Services Commission: We will be seeking new members for this committee. The current members have been on the committee for several years. The goal is to seek out needs of the people locally. It was tabled until the January meeting.
Clothing drive for Jamaica: Barb Spitzley will attend our January meeting. Item is tabled until then.

New Business
Ÿ Senior Christmas party: Appreciation was shown for the 10th grade and their religious education instructors: Joe and Mary Fedewa, Alice Bengel, and Jim Thelen for the wonderful job they did with this event. It was well attended and enjoyed.
Ÿ Dr. Janet Smith will be coming to St. Mary’s on Saturday, March 14th. She is a medical doctor as well as a theologian from Detroit. She will be presenting her talks in Hall A. Watch the bulletin and Faith Magazine for details. Fr. would like to encourage parents of teenagers to attend.

Pastor’s Comments/Council Remarks
Ÿ Father Chris Crotty was here for talks and services. The healing service was well attended.
Ÿ A digital spirit is being set-up by Father. At this time it will include committee minutes. The address is: stmarywestphaliami.blogspot.com.

Date of the next meeting:
January 22, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.

Closing Prayer and Adjournment
Father led a prayer and the meeting was adjourned.

Minutes submitted by Janice Schafer
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Finance Council Minutes
St. Mary’s Parish, Westphalia
October 23, 2008

Members Present: Father Cecilio, Dan Pohl, Julie Thelen, Patty Fox, Dave Fox, Mary Smith, Christine Hagen, Kyle Thelen, Rick Martin and Ryan Thelen.

Members Absent: None

Also Present:
Mary Enneking, Business Manager
Ray Rzepecki, St. Mary’s Principal
Duane Hengesbach

Call the Meeting to Order: Dave Fox called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

Opening Prayer: Father Cecilio led the opening prayer.

Approval of Agenda: Agenda was reviewed and a motion was made by Patty Fox to approve agenda. Motion was seconded by Kyle Thelen. Motion carried.

Approval of September meeting minutes: Minutes of the September 25, 2008 meeting were reviewed. A motion was made by Dan Pohl and seconded by Mary Smith to approve minutes as written. Motion carried.

Old Business:

Ø Church Enhancement Project: Duane Hengesbach updated the council on the landscaping renovation and new outdoor lighting for the church. He advised that a group of volunteers will remove the old bushes and shrubs on November 22, 2008. Father and Duane will also look into the price of a new larger outdoor sign. They will also contact the parishes that will be closing to see if there may be a sign available for our use.

Ø New Outdoor Nativity Set: Council members agreed that the old outdoor Nativity Set is in good condition and can be used this year. A new Nativity Set will not be purchased at this time.

New Business:

Ø Council members discussed ways of implementing temporary measures to cut expenses due to economic conditions. Steps may be taken to reduce the number of hours of office staff in the Parish Office and St. Mary’s School. Council agreed that a zero growth budget should be implemented immediately.

Subsequent to the October 23, 2008 meeting; Father Cecilio met with members of the Finance Council on November 2, 2008 to seek approval on the following budget cuts:
o Secretaries in the parish office will reduce overall hours by 11 hours per week.
o Secretaries and technology coordinator at St. Mary School will reduce overall hours by 13 hours per week.
o Custodial staff at St. Mary will reduce overall hours by 18 hours per week.
o The Ark will reduce the hours it is open by 10 hours per week.
o Council also recommended lowering the temperature in the church to reduce heating costs.
All budget cuts were unanimously approved by the Finance Council on November 2, 2008.

Ø Financial Reports – Monthly report for September 2008 was reviewed and discussed. Ryan Thelen made a motion and Rick Martin supported to approve financials as presented. Motion carried.

Next Meeting: Thursday, December 4 at 7:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall C.

Closing Prayer: Father Cecilio led the closing prayer.

Adjournment: Dan Pohl made the motion to adjourn and Rick Martin seconded the motion. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:42 p.m.

Minutes taken by Julie Thelen.

These minutes have not been approved by the Council.

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nb: the Dec. FC meeting was held for the Nov. meeting as well.

Finance Council Minutes
St. Mary’s Parish, Westphalia
December 4, 2008

Members Present: Father Cecilio, Dan Pohl, Julie Thelen, Patty Fox, Dave Fox, Mary Smith, Christine Hagen, Kyle Thelen, Rick Martin and Ryan Thelen.

Members Absent: None

Also Present:
Mary Enneking, Business Manager

Call the Meeting to Order: Dave Fox called the meeting to order at 6:55 p.m.

Opening Prayer: Father Cecilio led the opening prayer.

Approval of Agenda: Agenda was reviewed and one correction was made to agenda items. A motion was made by Dan Pohl to approve agenda with correction. Motion was seconded by Rick Martin. Motion carried.

Approval of October meeting minutes: Minutes of the October 23, 2008 meeting were reviewed. A motion was made by Kyle Thelen and seconded by Patty Fox to approve minutes as written. Motion carried.

Old Business:
Ø Church Enhancement Project: Mary advised the council that as of December 1, 2008, approximately $304,000 has been pledged and approximately $194,000 has been collected for the project. Construction will begin in January 2009. The construction crew will be housed in the apartment above the Ark for the duration of the project. The funding for three of the four outdoor lights has been donated. As part of the enhancement project, repair work on the church roof will be done to prepare for the interior painting.

New Business:
Ø Financial Reports: The October through December 2008 Financial Reports will be reviewed for approval at the January 2009 meeting. Council reviewed and discussed “Sunday Collections Analysis” reports.
Ø Council discussed agenda items for next meeting.

Next Meeting: Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. in the office basement.

Closing Prayer: Father Cecilio led the closing prayer.

Adjournment: Patty Fox made the motion to adjourn and Chris Hagen seconded the motion. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

Minutes taken by Julie Thelen.

These minutes have not been approved by the Council.
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Worship Commission Meeting Minutes
November 13, 2008

Attendance: Father Cecilio, Msgr. Fedewa, Deacon Chuck Thelen, Luke & Dana Thelen, Sharon Pohl, Janice Spitzley, Abby Wieber, Kristen Simon, Brian Flynn, Mary Nurenberg, and Beth Markel

Father Cecilio opened the meeting with a prayer.

Dr. Janet Smith Conference: The decision was made to go ahead with the conference on March 14th. Dr. Janet will be giving 3 talks. The conference will take place in the church (which will be in the hall) with lunch in the gym. Abbey will run an ad in the Faith Magazine and arrangements will be made for advertising in other areas. There will be a charge of $10/person and will include lunch.
The Schedule is as follows: 9:00 to 10:30 Talk #1 with Q & A
10:30 to 10:45 Break
10:45 to 12:00 Talk #2 with Q & A
12:00 to 1:00 Lunch
Other Events: 1:00 to 2:30 Talk #3 with Q & A

Adoration during Advent: we will be having adoration on all the Fridays of Advent with a simple repose at midnight on December 5th & December 19th and with benediction following healing service on December 12th.

Youth Masses: There will be a youth Mass this coming Sunday, November 16th @ 7:00 in Fowler and December 14th @ 7:00 here.

Advent Penance Service: December 22nd @ 7:00 pm

Healing Mission: A poster has been made and is being distributed. Thank you Abbey for the fantastic job you did on the poster. Thank you Janice, for distributing the posters to the surrounding areas. Janice will get volunteers to act as catchers, she has also made arrangements for the front pews to taken down for the healing service. Father will write and possibly preach regarding an explanation of the healing service.
Schedule: Friday, December 12th
6:30 pm Rosary
7:00 pm Mass/Healing Service
Saturday, December 13th
1:00 pm Spiritual Talk
3:00 pm Confessions
4:30 pm Mass
7:00 pm Talk/Healing Service
Father’s Comments: Thanks to Brian and Abbey for all their work in helping with the article in the Faith Magazine. Members should go to the Diocesan website print and review the revised Guidelines for Parish Worship Commissions before our next meeting.

Ministry Reports: Deacon Chuck has held 2 faith formation courses for the EM and Lectors, there are still about 20 who have not yet taken the course. A date will be set with Father for the commissioning of these ministers and lectors. RCIA is going well-BREAKING OPEN THE WORD has begun.

Brian reported there will be a party on December 21st at the Ark for past and present workers. The 5th quarter parties went very well. Brian will be going to pick up an organ from a parish in Flint. This organ will be used in the Hall when the church is there. Confirmation is on April 27th @ 7:00 pm with Bishop Mengeling officiating.

Beth gave a report on the church restoration. The committee met with the artist on Monday and colors were finalized. Arrangements are being made for the storage of the pews as well as finding a place for the workers to stay.

Msgr. Fedewa closed with a prayer.

Next Meeting: November 13, 2008 @ 7:00 pm

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Worship Commission Meeting Minutes
December 11, 2008

Attendance: Father Cecilio, Msgr. Fedewa, Deacon Chuck Thelen, Millie Droste, Sharon Pohl, Janice Spitzley, Abby Wieber, Russ and Kristen Simon, Brian Flynn, and Beth Markel

Father Cecilio opened the meeting with a prayer.

Dr. Janet Smith Conference: Planning will take place at the January meeting. Registration forms will also be made available at that meeting.
The Schedule is as follows:

9:00 to 10:30 Talk #1 with Q & A
10:30 to 10:45 Break
10:45 to 12:00 Talk #2 with Q & A
12:00 to 1:00 Lunch
1:00 to 2:30 Talk #3 with Q & A
Other Events:

Youth Masses: There will be a youth Mass this coming Sunday, December 14th @ 7:00 here.

Advent Penance Service: December 22nd @ 7:00 pm. We will have 5 or 6 priests available to hear confessions.

Healing Mission: Father Cecilio has talked to Fr. Crotty, everything will go on as planned. We are expecting him to arrive on Friday and he will be staying until Sunday morning.
Schedule: Friday, December 12th
6:30 pm Rosary
7:00 pm Mass/Healing Service
Saturday, December 13th
1:00 pm Spiritual Talk
3:00 pm Confessions
4:30 pm Mass
7:00 pm Talk/Healing Service
Diocesan Guidelines: The committee looked over the guidelines and a few suggestions were made. One suggestion was to form a smaller liturgical committee to plan special liturgies. Another was to add a prayer of St. Paul to weekend Masses in honor of the year of St. Paul. It was also suggested to have some form of class or formation for the members of the commission. All these suggestions are being considered and action is being taken to get them implemented.

Father’s Comments: There was a question on where we would have the confessional during the church renovation. It was suggested to have it in Hall C where the sacristy will be. We will bring over the kneeler used in the cry room confessional. Fr. Cecilio was also concerned about the Dr. Smith conference in terms of whether to have it in light of the parish freezing expenditures on non-essential items. However, since there will be a $10 cost, the parish hopes to recover whatever funds are spent to sponsor the talks.

Ministry Reports:

Deacon Chuck-RCIA is going well. Right of welcoming was held last Sunday. We may have a couple more people joining the class. The formation classes for the EM and Lectors has been completed and the commissioning will take place at all the weekend Masses of December 20th and 21st.

Brian reported there will be a party on December 21st at the Ark for past and present workers. The 10th graders will be holding their annual senior citizens party this coming Monday. That will also be the last Jr. High/High School religion class before Christmas break.

Father Cecilio closed with a prayer.

Next Meeting: January 8th, 2009 @ 7:00 pm

Welcome Westphalia

2008-12-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

Since we have temporarly eliminated the Spirit, this digital Spirit has been set up as a replacement.

We are not exactly sure how this will work or what we will publish, but we will be posting the minutes from our four major councils and commissions:

Finance
Pastoral
Worship
School Advisory

Stay tuned:

smc

Spirit of Westphalia

Council Minutes

Welcome Westphalia