NATIVITY PASTORAL COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday February 28, 2012 6:30 P.M. Nazareth Room Approved 4/24/12 At 6:32 p.m., Dale Craft led the Council in Evening Prayer. At 6:45 p.m., Chairman Greg Schmalz called the meeting to order pursuant to notice. Council Members Present: Fr. Kevin Boucher, Fr. Tom Feltman, Duane Koble, David Brunelle, Dale Craft, Bonnie Faller, Eric Krueger, Brenda Lang, James Maertens, Anne Moynihan, Wendy Paulson, Greg Schmalz, Don Schott, Lisa Suda and Corporate Secretary Mykal Sonstelie Council Members Absent: Laura Alderman, Joe Miranowski and Corporate Treasurer Michael O Leary Minutes from the 01/28/2011 Parish Council meeting were provided prior to the meeting and accepted by unanimous consensus. OLD BUSINESS Submit 2012 Officer/Member Lists to Brenda By this meeting, all Liaisons had submitted their 2012 Officer and Member information to Recording Secretary Brenda Lang from their respective council, commission or committee. Brenda will email Duane Koble to maintain a directory. Nativity Anew II Update - Refer to Pastor s Comments Other Old Business None NEW BUSINESS Other New Business - None Video on The Roots of Vatican II by Fr. Michael J. Himes was viewed during the break. Himes examined how the whole church is challenged to live out the roles of priest, prophet and king in our era. Duane Koble led a brief discussion afterwards and directed the council to review the reflection questions. Duane advised the Council to bring the two handouts provided to the next meetings as they will be used as a guideline for future discussions. Pastor s Comments Continues to meet monthly with Teams of our Lady (TOOL) group; as well as JPII Schools Council meeting. Contract for Superintendent of the JPII Schools was offered to Michael Smith as Superintendent of the JPII Schools. Deacon Haney will hold the title of Superintendent and Michael Smith Assistant Superintendent. Officiated at four funerals, one baptism and one wedding in past month. First time in many years there will be no baptisms at the Easter Vigil service. One candidate has begun formation for confirmation. Successful completion of Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) for both women and men in January & February. 56 people experienced the spiritual renewal of CHRP and formation has begun for the next CRHP weekends; September 21-22 for the women and October 12-13 for the men. Fr. Tom and Sr. Sharon continue their pastoral visits to hospitals, nursing homes and private home. 1
Has had many requests for reconciliation, annulment processing and spiritual council signifying the movement of the Holy Spirit. Fr. Kevin shared the current Nativity Anew II plan for reconstruction and answered questions. An informative presentation will be provided to the parish at Masses the fourth Sunday of Lent. Bid came in at $2.6M. Priority will be construction to the school as there is only a 10-week opportunity to complete this before fall. Balance of the construction is targeted for completion by April 1, 2013. The contract includes: School: New windows and exterior walls in each classroom Completely new heating system (geo-thermal) New fire suppression and alarm system Relocation of School Offices to North end of school Replacement of gymnasium floor and new lighting Church: New entries to school and church Gathering space Seven new parish offices Data has been secured to complete the final phase of the Capital Campaign which will determine any additional items that can be accomplished within the Nativity Anew II plan. During construction, the East entrance door will be locked and only utilized as an Exit which will cause some difficulty entering the building. Father asked for patience and safety awareness during the ten months of construction. Special signage will be installed to guide people. Watch the weekly bulletin for information. The boiler blew an irreparable hole that was patched until a new boiler is purchased. Neighbors in the area will be contacted to alert them to the construction. Funerals will be scheduled accordingly to accommodate construction. Three of the staff will be relocated to the Bethlehem and Youth Rooms temporarily during construction. Parochial Vicar s Comments Continues in his capacity of pastoral visits at health care facilities and marriage preparation. In addition to his report, Fr. Tom reported that 44 third graders will be confirmed on May 13 th. Three children over the age of third grade were confirmed on February 19 th at the Cathedral which included people from various cities in North Dakota. Finance Council Mykal Sonstelie reported that December was a good month for unrestricted income as usual, but Nativity ended the 2011 year with a loss of $10,500. Adult Offertory was 99% of budget. Noted the council s new name from Stewardship Council to Finance Council. A separate Stewardship Committee of 8-10 people is being formed and Jess Helvik will be chairperson. Discussed the 2012 Preliminary Budget that reflects an approximate loss of $41,000. Special Funds and Restricted Fund be tapped into this year to offset the budgeted loss. Director of Administration s Report Duane Koble highlighted the following from his report: Every three years an asbestos review is done and Nativity is now in compliance. The only place where any asbestos remains is in some floor tiles in each classroom, which are carpeted. This parish has done a thorough job of asbestos documentation. 2
The 1960 building s boiler system has been maintained very well for 50+ years, but as noted earlier, now is the time to bless and move the boilers out since one started leaking. Good lighting is important in our worship space and lights were replaced recently which is a major project. Duane expressed grateful appreciation for donations that kept this cost in check. The Knights of Columbus have taken over the leadership for the Lenten Dinners to be served on Fridays from February 24-March 23 from 5:00-6:30 p.m. The staff will be attending a workshop through the Diocese on Mobilizing Volunteers for Ministry. Requested participation in God s Gift of Appeal 2012. The parish financials will be posted in next week s bulletin. Committee & Commission Reports Young Adult Ministry James Maertens reported that WOW and LinC held two large events; the Spaghetti Fundraiser which raised $1,300 and the Mardi Gras Party that he was emcee for and raised $300. WOW made valentines for veterans at the VA Hospital. During March, the Diocese mandated the Circle of Grace safe environment curriculum. Youth are also practicing the Living Stations of the Cross to be peformed on March 28 th at 6:30 p.m. Will also watch the Passion of Christ during Lent followed by discussion. Council Liaison Don Schott added that Catholic Young Adults (CYA) volunteered at Churches United for the Homeless. Five CYA members attended the Youth and Theology Ministry banquet in St Cloud. Buildings & Grounds Committee No report Deanery Representative Fr. Kevin had nothing to report at this time. Will meet this coming Monday. JPII Council JPII Liaison Laura Alderman was absent but had emailed her report. Greg Schmalz noted that Youth Representative James Maertens has a part in the five performances of Beauty and the Beast musical scheduled for March 15-18. Health Advisory Commission Liaison Wendy Paulson reported that Sr. Sharon reviewed the new CPR guidelines and procedures that have changed from Airway-Breathing-Compressions to Compressions- Airway-Breathing. The AED is located by the coat rack and note that an alarm will go off when used to alert people to an emergency. The January 14th Brunch and Learn was not well attended but presentations were very informative. Tentative dates set for the next Brunch and Learns are November 2012, January & February 2013. Topics will be end of life issues and funeral planning. Deb Boyer was one of three nominess for the Beautiful Women of ND sponsored by The Forum for her work with the Nutured heart Program. Liturgical Commission No report. Parish Faith Life Commission Liaison Dale Craft reported that the by-laws were reviewed and no amendments were needed. Search is in process for two new committee members. Parents having a child baptized meet for two sessions and school parents will speak about JPII and the TRIP program. Had excellent feedback regarding the women s CRHP renewal weekend. Moving the location from the school classrooms to the Bethlehem & Nativity rooms worked very well for ease of setup, use and cleanup. 3
The Divorce Recovery Program is in process of being organized. A letter is being prepared for mailing to encourage participation. Is a 12-week program to assist with healing of the human family due to divorce and is targeted to benefit those recovering from divorce, are divorced and have become inactive Catholics. This program will support the Catholics Coming Home and Inclusion ministries. Social Justice Commission Liaison Anne Moynihan reported they had three guests at their meeting. The 2012 Care and Share budget was approved with increased donations to several projects. The Community Garden Project will add five new families this year. Lent 4.5 flyers were provided to the commission members. This program emphasizes Christian simplicity and uses traditional Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving to care for creation. Go to www.lent45.org or pick up a flyer at the church entrances for more information. The Knights of Columbus raffle that will be held in June usually raises around $10,000. Discussion was held for suggestions on where to apply these funds. Jan Elliaason, the Executive Director of the Gladys Rae Shelter and a former shelter resident gave a presentation. Noted that 40% of homeless people in the FM area are employed. A veteran drop in center was opened in 2011. The Gladys Rae Shelter is always in need of volunteers. Announcements Chairman Greg Schmalz made the following announcements: An Orientation Meeting for new members is scheduled for Sunday, March 4, 2012 at 10:15 a.m. in the Bethlehem Room. All current council members are also invited to attend. Brenda will email an Agenda and information to all council members prior to the Orientation Meeting. The next scheduled Pastoral Council meeting is Tuesday- April 24, 2012. Fr. Kevin expressed his appreciation for everyone s prayers for he and Fr. Tom and during the CRHP weekends. There being no further business, the council closed with Evening Prayer. Meeting adjourned at 8:29 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Brenda Lang Recording Secretary 4
Arrived Tel Aviv and drove to Tiberius along the Sea of Galilee, which was HQs for first few days. Also stayed in Jordan and Jerusalem. Only 1.5% of the population in Israel is Christian when at one time it was 30%. Visited Mount Taber where the transfiguration took place. Then to Cana and renewed their wedding vows. Some of the old stone jars that they carried water in were still stored below the building. Bused to Nazareth to the Basilica of the Anunciation. Down below is the grotto where the Anunciaiton was supposed to have taken place and celebrated Mass at the grotto. At each location, Tim Gray would conduct a scripture review. He gave the reading, the history and archaeology at the time and you learned scripture, how the Old and New Testament tied together. Also stopped at Megeddo, an ancient city where Solomon had his horses and chariots. The troughs are still there. Visited Capernaum where Peter, Andrew lived and where Jesus summoned them. A church has a glass floor so you can see into his home. A synagogue is located nearby where Jesus spoke about the bread of life and did a miracle on the Sabbath. All this is on the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum is a fishing village. Went on a boat on the Sea of Galilee and saw several key locations noted in scripture. Went to the Primacy of Peter, in John is where Jesus tells them to throw out the nets and where Jesus asked Peter three times Do you love me? To the Mount of Beatitudes which is run by the Franciscans who care for many holy sights in Israel. Went to Bethseda where Peter was born. Bethseda was deterioriating. Location where the person who had a demon called Legion within him and was expelled into pigs that went over a cliff. The pigs were the economy at that time. To Jordan where only time he felt a bit nervous. Every person was checked thoroughly by heavily armed security. Outside of the city of Jordan is slums, whereas high rises in the center of the city. Visited Petra which means rock. The movie Temple of Doom (Raider of the Lost Ark) was filmed there. Carved what looks like a temple in the side of the mountain. To Mount Lebo where Moses went. Where God said you can see the Promised Land but cannot go there. To the Jordan River where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. He drew them away from corrupt Jerusalem and to repent. To Jerusalem next and all the historic locations. To Bethlehem which is owned by the Palestinians, who are not allowed to leave the West Bank back to Jerusalem. Went to the Church of the nativity and place where Jesus was born and the shepherd s fields. Went into the Old City where they were holding the Feast of Tabernacles, the wailing wall. Could not get close to the wall due to the number of people. Learned about the political, the culture, Did Stations of the Cross along the Walk of Calvary. The Stations are plotted out and must start early before it becomes too crowded. Showed a map of Israel Went to area where Caephus house was, can see the steps where Jesus was drug to see Caephus. where the Last Supper was held. Walked away hungry to learn more about your faith. Much better sense of what Jesus faced and what was happening at that period of time. Eric Krueger shared some of his visit to the Holy Land too. 5