St. Mary Star of the Sea May 7, 2013 Parish Council Meeting Minutes Attendance: Present: Fr. Golas Betty Faitella Maureen Kreh Bob Murphy Ed O Reilly Mary Beth Rosato Brenda Gurski Dick Selinga Lyle Zweigle Mary Ann Muccino Ann Kerr Absent: Rosemary Marek, Alice Crozier Also in attendance: Fr. St. Martin, Coordinator of Faith Formation Deacon Tom Sutak, Youth Ministry Coordinator Amanda McCaffrey 1. Call to Order Council Chairperson Mary Beth Rosato called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Church Gathering Space. Mary Beth led the Council in congratulating Bob Murphy on receiving the St. Joseph Medal of Appreciation for his commitment and service to St. Mary Parish community. 2. Reflection, Sharing and Prayer Fr. Golas read a scripture passage from John 17: 20 26, in which Jesus prays that His followers be united to Him and to the Father through the Spirit. As a focus question, Council members were asked to reflect on Jesus words, that they all may be one, and to consider the ways, in their lives, in which they have experienced a oneness with others. 3. Minutes of the June Meeting A motion was made, seconded, and unanimously passed to accept the minutes of March 5, 2013, as submitted. 4. Standing Committee Reports a. Religious Education K Confirmation Deacon Sutak Fifty two children received their First Eucharist on April 27. Three additional children received their First Eucharist at individual receptions. On Monday, May 13, 82 candidates will be confirmed by Archbishop Emeritus Daniel Cronin. Registrations for religious education continue to be received. It is anticipated that enrollment will be down for the 2014 year. b. RCIA/Adult Faith Formation Deacon Sutak RCIA candidate, Heather Gombos, was received into the full communion of the Church at the Easter Holy Saturday Vigil. Bob Murphy reported that the Catholicism series concluded on Monday, April 29. Average attendance at the series was twenty parishioners. The Catholicism DVDs are now available for loaning through the Religious Education office. 5/7/13 Council Minutes Page 1 of 5
c. Youth Ministry Amanda McCaffrey On March 9 LEAP! and DIVE! sponsored a bowling event that was attended by seventeen students. The ministry also sponsored Movie Night on April 5 for LEAP members and on April 6 for DIVE members. The Car Wash Fundraiser, held on April 20, raised $1,110. Proceeds will support ministry activities, such as youth retreats. Upcoming events include the Catholic Leadership Retreat to be held at Holy Family Monastery on June 14 16. Twenty students will be invited to attend. The Youth Ministry is planning a Family Outing to a Rock Cats baseball game, to be held in June or July. This event will be open to the entire parish. SoulFest will be held from July 31 to August 3. d. Finance Dick Selinga The three new members of the Finance Committee are John Kelly, Sharon Fialkievicz, and Jim English. The new chairperson is Dan Swanson. The first quarter of the year was over budget by $11,000 due to higher expenses related to inclement weather. There are no major renovations planned for this year. The committee is in the process of seeking approval for CL&P to install a light on a telephone pole to address the lighting problem in the parking lot. The committee s next meeting will be on July 31. e. Liturgy Rosemary Frombach Father Golas provided a report on behalf of Rosemary Frombach. The committee is in the process of recruiting new (adult) ushers for the 4:30 p.m. Saturday Mass, and the 7:30 a.m. and the 9:30 a.m. Sunday Masses. The Liturgy Committee welcomed Lynn Murphy to the lector ministry. Lynn will lector at the 9:30 a.m. Mass. f. Women s Guild Marilyn Slabinski Mary Ann Muccino provided a report on behalf of Marilyn Slabinski. The Women s Guild sponsored a bake sale after all the Masses on March 16 17. The Guild collected $454.40 from the sale. On March 20 the Guild sponsored a Lenten women s evening retreat program at Holy Family Retreat Center that was attended by 16 Guild women. Over 60 people attended the Guild s Annual Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner held on March 19 at the Lions Club. Throughout the month of March the Guild sponsored a baby shower to benefit young mothers served by St. Agnes Home in West Hartford. Members of the Haitian Ministry provided a presentation to 35 parishioners who attended the Guild s April 16 meeting. The Guild s Hospitality Committee hosted a reception after First Communion on April 27. The committee will be hosting a reception after the Confirmation ceremony to be held on May 13. The Scholarship Committee has chosen four scholarship recipients from among the ten applications received. The students will be honored at the Guild s annual Spring Banquet to take place on May 21 at Matthew s Restaurant. The dinner will be preceded by a Mass to remember deceased Guild members. The first meeting for next year will be on September 24. g. Liaison Reports Council Members i. Eucharistic Ministers/Prayer Chain Mary Ann Muccino Joyce Cruess reports that one new member has joined the parish Prayer Chain. On average the Prayer Chain receives 35 prayer requests a month. With regard to the Eucharistic Ministry, there was no new business to report. 5/7/13 Council Minutes Page 2 of 5
ii. Fun Brenda Gurski The Fun Committee enjoyed a good turnout for the parish Easter Egg Hunt. The Parish Picnic will be held on August 11 at the Knights of Columbus Pavilion. The committee s next meeting will be held in May or June. The committee is in the process of recruiting new members. iii. Respect Life Committee Maureen Kreh The committee is continuing to seek a parish member willing to be its chairperson. iv. Social Justice Maureen Kreh The Social Justice Committee participated in Riverfront Earth Day on April 21. The day began with an interfaith prayer service held at St. Patrick St. Anthony Church followed by a march for environmental awareness. The celebration featured speakers, activities for children, artists, and food vendors. The committee is making plans to celebrate the feast of St. Francis in October. Next meeting will be held in August. The committee continues to seek a parishioner willing to assume the leadership role. v. Eucharistic Adoration Bob Murphy Elaine Atiyeh, coordinator of Eucharistic Adoration liturgy, reports that attendance is fine at the devotional service and sees no need, at the present time, to shorten the hours for First Friday Eucharistic adoration. Council members discussed the issue of declining attendance. Bob Murphy made the motion, reiterated by Father Golas, that Eucharistic Adoration on the First Friday of the month occur after the 7:45 a.m. Mass and conclude at noon, with Benediction at 11:45 a.m. Maureen Kreh seconded the motion and it was approved unanimously. vi. Legion of Mary Bob Murphy On Thursday, May 16, at 7:00 p.m., the Legion of Mary is sponsoring a Meditative Candlelight Rosary. The rosary will be followed by a social. vii. Knights of Columbus Lyle Zweigle Lyle shared with Council members a recent copy of the Uncas Knight, the Knights of Columbus newsletter, which described recent activities and upcoming events in which the Knights are involved. News regarding the Knights is also available on the parish website. viii. Historian Ann Kerr No new business to report. ix. Building and Grounds Dick Selinga New LED lights will soon be installed in the church. While LED lights are more expensive than normal lights, the savings on electricity bill will more than pay for the lighting in a short amount of time. The LED lights will need to be changed only every 10 15 years, as compared to 5 years with regular lights. The sod around the 5/7/13 Council Minutes Page 3 of 5
perimeter of the church and around outdoor lighting is being replaced with stone to eliminate the problem of lawnmowers hitting the church building and lighting. The project should be completed within the next week. x. Website Ed O Reilly The Stations of the Cross which were on the website have been replaced with high resolution pictures of the stations that are in our parish church; Ed reported that the pictures have excellent detail. The website continues to provide weekly updates of events and bulletins. xi. Scouts Ed O Reilly The Cub Scouts held their annual Pinewood Derby on March 8 at New Horizons. The residents of New Horizons were wonderful hosts. The Blue and Gold Dinner was held on March 20; 120 persons attended. Father Golas provided the opening prayer. The scouts participated in the Town Clean Up on May 4. The pack will be caring for a garden this summer at the Kolp Community Garden Plots in the Farmington Meadows. All vegetables from this ongoing activity will be donated to the Farmington Food Bank. xii. Haitian Ministry Mary Beth Rosato The Ministry recently presented a program at the April 16 meeting of the Women s Guild. The ministry is in the process of planning a fund raiser to be held in the early fall. The proceeds will benefit either the Feeding Program or the Potty Program, two projects being undertaken at St. Therese Church in Lilavois, Haiti. The last two meetings of the year are scheduled for May 13 and June 10 at 7:00 p.m. at St. Patrick s Church in Collinsville. Updates on the progress of ministry activities will be posted in the bulletin. ix. Small Christian Communities Rosemary Marek Mary Beth reported for Rosemary Marek. Small Christian Communities has gained one new member. The group is seeking additional members for its core group, preferably younger members, in order to have better representation of that age group on the core committee. The core leadership group is responsible for promoting the movement of small Christian communities and organizes events for the group. Maureen Moskowitz and Father Golas will attend a Small Christian Communities summer retreat, hosted by Brother Bob, on August 1 2 at Holy Family Monastery. x. Human Needs Alice Crozier Mary Beth reported for Alice Crozier. During the month of April the Human Needs committee collected food items for the Farmington and Burlington food pantries. The committee will be collecting flip tabs throughout the month of June for the Shriners Hospital. On the first weekend of August the committee will be collecting school supplies for the town of Farmington. The committee will meet on May 15 to plan next year s calendar. 5. Old/Continuing Business a. Nominations Dick Selinga New members of the board are Denise Genest, Maggie Heath Ringrose, Amanda McCaffrey, and Ed Kane. The slate of officers for next year, to be voted upon at the upcoming June Council meeting, is President, Dick Selinga, Vice President, Betty Faitella, and Secretary, Mary Ann Muccino. Mary Beth thanked the Council members who will be assuming leadership positions in the Council next year. 5/7/13 Council Minutes Page 4 of 5
b. Faith Walk Amanda McCaffrey St. Patrick s Church thanked St. Mary s for participating in their annual Faith Walk, held on Good Friday morning. Approximately 200 people attended this year s event, which was featured on the Farmington Patch, as well as in the Knights of Columbus newsletter. Pictures of the Faith Walk may be viewed on the church website. Amanda anticipates collaborating with St. Patrick s on future activities, including next year s Faith Walk. 6. New Business a. Stewardship Fair Mary Beth Rosato Mary Beth shared ideas generated from the recent ministry meeting, including ways to promote awareness of the various ministries that are active in the church community. The Council discussed the possibility of holding a Time and Talent Fair in the fall to raise awareness of active church ministries. b. Dr. John Lawson Scholarship Dinner Mary Beth Rosato The Dr. John Lawson Memorial Dinner will be held from 4 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 8, at the First Church of Christ in Unionville. St. Mary s is again helping to support this dinner, which funds a scholarship for graduating high school seniors, in honor of Dr. Lawson, who was a much loved member of the Unionville community. Council members were asked to support and encourage participation in this upcoming event. Mary Beth will be emailing Council members to request their assistance in selling tickets to this event. c. Other New Business Mary Beth Rosato Deacon Mike Sponzo has announced that he will be taking a leave from ministry at St. Mary s in order to devote more time to family obligations. Mary Beth solicited ideas for how the Council might thank Deacon Mike for his years of generous service to the parish community. Dick will contact Deacon Mike regarding the idea of holding a reception in his honor. 7. Closing A motion was made, seconded, and unanimously passed to adjourn the meeting at 8:15 p.m. 5/7/13 Council Minutes Page 5 of 5