Holy Spirit Church Meeting Minutes 25 January 2012 1.0 Attendees Father Joseph Simmons, Sister Susanne Bunn, Mike Perrone, Jr., Normand Pelissier, Clotilde Obo, Susan Businsky, Kim Barnum, and Carmen Arroyo 2.0 Topics Discussed The following topics were discussed in this meeting: 3.0 Meeting Minutes 1. Final appeal to Council for the Presidency chair 2. Update on Committees & Liaisons 3. Update on Archbishop s Annual Appeal meeting that Father Joseph Simmons attended on 1/10 4. Final synopsis on Giving Tree 5. Update on Bull Roast 6. Update on Picnic 7. Creation of Name Badges Topic Main Discussion Changes in Member / Officers 1. Shawn Sharpeta has stepped down due to other commitments and responsibilities. 2. Mike again expressed the desire to be relieved as President. Since we did not have quorum, we did not nominate a candidate and did not vote for Vice President. We will discuss that at another meeting in the near future. Update on Committees & Liaisons 1. Officially, Mike announced Mrs. Erma Protokowicz s retirement from the Outreach/Service Committee. This will leave a hole that will not be easily filled. Not only will we all miss the tremendous energy she devoted to ensuring that the neediest of our community were served, but she also inspired all of us to think more deeply and creatively about the roles, we play individually and collectively in our Parish. 2. Mike provided a list of potential candidates for the presiding officer of this committee to Father Joseph Simmons. Father Simmons will individually get their feedback and commitment for committee leadership. 3. Education - The meeting has not taken place yet this year because of Sister Susanne s knee surgery. Page 1 of 3
Update on Archbishop s Annual Appeal During Lent, Father is going to conduct a onesacrament per week discussion of the sacraments. He will couple these sessions with Stations of the Cross on Monday evenings at 7 pm. 4. Youth Ministry - Sister Susanne reported everything there is fine. 5. Evangelization - We have the DVD of Thy Word, a 30-minute documentary on the new translation of the Roman Missal. Considerations have been given to copyright of it in our Web link page. We are checking in this matter. 6. Finance - Father Simmons oversees the preparation of financial reports, directs investment activities, and implements cash management strategies in conjunction with Finance committee members. 7. Liturgy Mike questioned why the Eucharistic Ministers who administer the wine position themselves at the far end aisles and leave the center aisle uncovered. Father responded that he was still not completely at ease offering the wine for health reasons, and that nobody has ever asked about having a third Eucharistic Minister. 1. Father Simons attended a workshop on how to obtain our participation and commitment to the Archbishop s Annual Appeal. We are asked to participate in helping the Archbishop fund various ministries throughout the archdiocese. Holy Spirit parish receives a 25% rebate. The first and second weekend of February is for those who did not receive the Appeal information through the mail. 2. Father Simmons mentioned the mechanics of conducting an in-pew solicitation: a. Ushers pass out pledge envelopes. b. While they are filling out the envelopes, emphasize that every gift is important, no matter how large or small. c. Give everyone a moment to fill out the pledge form. Give them enough time. Final synopsis on Giving Tree 1. It was a successful and delightful experience and very rewarding. Letter of appreciation were received from the schools. Well done, Susan & Amanda!!! a. Future Recommendation: sorting the gifts by family so every child gets equal amounts of everything (food, clothes, etc). Bull Roast 1. Little was mentioned. Selling tickets Sunday after Father Simmons Additional Comments Mass, has been quite slow. 1. Parish Planning in the Archdiocese of Baltimore requests to identify a Parish Leadership Team. This Parish Leadership Team will consist of: the Pastor and four lay members of the parish, at least three of Page 2 of 3
whom must be chosen from: Corporators, Pastoral Council, Finance Committee, or the Chair of another parish committee. This team will assist both the parish and the Archdiocese in planning for the future. 2. The Harford Catholic Assembly decided to engage in pastoral planning collectively and then identified five recommendations for this planning. In order of priority, the topics are: 1. Allocation of Priests 2. Lay Ecclesial Ministry 3. Life-Long Faith Formation 4. Sharing equipment / personnel 5. Management Efficiencies 3. Father Simmons expressed high expectations for the new building to nourish adult evangelization. 4. Father would like to find a volunteer to compile the Bulletin every week and free up more of Kathy Meneghini s time. Next Meeting The next Parish Council meeting will be the last Wednesday in March (the 28th) at 7:00 PM at the Holy Spirit Church. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 PM. Action Items: Approval Minutes Process: Mike Perrone asked that Draft Minutes would be sending to him from the person who drafted the minutes. He will review it and will amend any particular issues that can be resolved previous to release it to the rest of the Council. After his review, Mike will send it out, and ask the Pastoral Council members to approve or suggest any amendments. In the event that many amendments are suggested, the minutes will be presented for the assembly's approval at the next meeting. Mike decided to table any further discussion of amendments to the Constitution until after completing the CPA exam. Unfinished business: Picnic and the creation of Name Badges. Page 3 of 3
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Holy Spirit Church Meeting Minutes May 23, 2012 Attendees Father Joseph Simmons, Sister Susanne Bunn, Marina Walters, Norm Pelissier, Hank Sebula, Carmen Arroyo, Amanda Rutherford, Chris Rutherford, Tony Colvin, Christine Colvin and Bryan King Topics Discussed The following topics were discussed at this meeting: 1. Open positions on Council 2. Updates on Committees 3. Discussion of the results of the Parish Planning in the Archdiocese 4. Church account 5. Discussion of repairs needed in the church Meeting Minutes Changes in Members / Officers 1. Tony Colvin has volunteered as Parish Council President
2. Request was made for a volunteer for the Vice President position. The position remains open and will be discussed again at the next meeting. 3. Introduction of new members Updates on Committees 1. Sr. Susanne commented that the Youth Committee is going well. Volunteers are needed to help with the committee. 2. The Education Committee has not met recently. 3. Ways and Means Committee- Hank has volunteered to assist with this committee. Mary Smith is the go to person for fundraisers such as the flea market and plant sale. Due to weekly contributions from parishioners, there has not been a need for fundraisers. The new building was discussed and the struggles we have had without it. 4. Planning Committee-Discussion of this Committee to work with the Archbishop to address the need of the diminishing numbers of clergy. Sr. Susanne discussed the need for parishes to plan for the reality of not having enough clergy and the recommendations for a solution. Fr. Simmons Comments on Parish Planning Committee Discussions have been held for the past 3 years regarding the state of the parishes in the Archdiocese. The list of priorities are: 1. Allocations of Priest 2. Lay Ecclesial Ministry
3. Life-Long Faith Formation 4. Sharing Equipment/Personnel 5. Management Efficiencies Fr. Simmons indicated we are at a critical point in our history. Discussion of the possibility of combining parishes. Chris asked about the risk of losing parishioners once parishes are combined. Fr. Simmons indicated our county is the best supplied with priests due to the influx of people to the area. Hank suggested we try to come up with a recruitment plan. We are planning to use the new building for Adult Education. Fr. Simmons said other parishes have more personnel and committees. We need to work together. Possibly sharing equipment and personnel to become more efficient. Management Efficiencies- Archdiocese has requirements which we need to comply with in the form of paperwork. Kathy is the person who handles the paperwork and because we are a smaller parish, we have less of a demand. Sr. Susanne asked about informing the parish of the results of the planning committee. Concerns were expressed that the results would not reach everyone due to summer vacations. Suggestion was made to look over the results of the planning committee by the next meeting. Holy Spirit is financially and physically in good shape, but need to advise the parishioners the concerns and needs of other parishes.
Church Account Hank wanted to discuss the financial status of the church account. Suggested Holy Spirit use the money for repairs. Possibly combining fundraising and savings account. Church Repairs Fr. Simmons discussed the need for repairs to the church. The light bulbs need to be replaced. Air conditioning and heat also need to be replaced. The next Parish Council meeting will be held on the last Tuesday in June (the 26 th ) at 7:00pm at the Holy Spirit Church. Meeting was adjourned at 8:30
Holy Spirit Church Meeting Minutes June 26, 2012 1.0 Attendees Father Joseph Simmons, Carmen Arroyo, Normand Pelissier, Veronica Hernandez-Shepard, Clotilde Obo, Tony Colvin, Christine Colvin, Kim Barnum, Amanda Anaya (visitor), Larry Shepard (visitor/parishioner), Kathy Winter (parishioner), Peggy Doty (parishioner), Mary Smith (parishioner) 2.0 Topics Discussed The following topics were discussed in this meeting: Recap on Officers Building / Parish Center Update Committee Updates Next Meeting 3.0 Meeting Minutes Topic Recap on Officers Building / Parish Center Update Committee Updates Next Meeting Main Discussion Tony Colvin is President. Christine Colvin is Secretary (Veronica to help her) and the office of Vice President is still open. Father is asking for a volunteer, but no one has stepped forward yet. The new Parish Center will open on August 12 th. After the 11:15 am mass, there will be a procession led by Archbishop Lori, to the new center and Father is hoping all Parish Council members will be there for the opening. Father talked about the new building and how he hopes the new center will bring people together. He is looking forward to the new equipment and video camera equipment which can be used for events. He hopes the new Parish Center will be used to increase socialization; people can come together to be more social and to get to know other Parishioners. Father is looking at the new center to advance things. He is hoping to recruit people to come together and help with the Bulletin. Father also discussed the Parish planning meetings and gave an update. The goal is to bring parishes together cluster Parishes. This will facilitate the ability to Parishes to tap into each other s resources and work together. They will try to combine personnel (example: share a youth minister). Our cluster will include St. Stephens, Prince of Peace, Holy Spirit, and St. Francis De Sales. The timeline to cluster the parishes is end of this year. Father hopes the new Parish Center will be a location other Parishes in our cluster can benefit from too and that the new Parish Center will motivate Parishioners. Father gave a quick update on the Committees in general. He said the committees are light in staffing, but the few people on each committee get stuff done. Some committees don t even have a real committee; they are run by one or two people that just make things happen. The next Parish Council meeting will be on Tuesday, July 24 th at 6:30 pm in back of Holy Spirit Church (sanctuary). Meeting Minutes as captured by: Veronica Hernandez-Shepard 1 of 1
Holy Spirit Church Meeting Minutes July 24, 2012 1.0 Attendees Father Joseph Simmons, Carmen Arroyo, Normand Pelissier, Clotilde Obo, Tony Colvin, Christine Colvin,,, Chris Gregory, Sister Susanne, Brian King, Amanda Rutherford, Marina Walters 2.0 Topics Discussed The following topics were discussed in this meeting: Recap on Officers Building / Parish Center Update Committee Updates Next Meeting 3.0 Meeting Minutes Topic Recap on Officers Building / Parish Center Update/Capital Campaign Committee Updates Main Discussion Vice President position is still open. Will discuss again at the next meeting The new Parish Center will open on August 12 th. After the 11:15 am mass, there will be a procession led by Archbishop Lori to the new center. Father talked about the new building and the opportunity to hold classes and meetings there. Discussed the possibility of renting out the hall and having a coffee hour once a month. Father is very excited about the opening of the building to facilitate the needs of the parish. Father informed everyone of the Capital Campaign the diocese will be running in the future. This is a 5 year campaign totaling 100 million for the diocese. The diocese is asking for 80% and the parishes will get 20%. Holy Spirit is estimated to campaign for 285K. Father also discussed the needs of Holy Spirit and the repairs the church will require in the future. Tony discussed the idea of having a lock box installed on the new building for emergency services to access the building. Father gave a quick update on the Committees in general. Education Committee has 3 workshops coming up. Amanda offered her assistance with the technology aspect. Liturgy Committee is in need of ministers and lectors. Finance Committee-final total for the new building has not been determined yet. Next Meeting The next Parish Council meeting will be on Wednesday, September 19th at 6:30 pm in the new Parish Center. Meeting Minutes as captured by: Veronica Hernandez-Shepard 1 of 1
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Holy Spirit Meeting Minutes November 7, 2012 1.0 Attendees Father Joseph Simmons, Normand Pelissier, Tony Colvin, Christine Colvin, Kim Barnum, Chris Gregory, Sr. Susanne, Bryan King 2.0 Topics Discussed The following topics were discussed in this meeting: Campaign Update Thanksgiving Prayer Service Anniversary Year Verizon Tower Committee Updates Next Meeting 3.0 Meeting Minutes Topic Campaign Update Main Discussion Holy Spirit s goal for the campaign has been exceeded. It is expected to reach 400K. The parish will get approximately 137K. The diocese will pick up all costs for the next 5 years for all mailings and postage. There will be an in pew opportunity at the church the weekend of 11/17-11/18. Fr. Simmons said the heating and cooling system will be replaced with the money raised from the campaign. A dinner will be planned after Thanksgiving for the parish to thank them for their contributions. Thanksgiving Prayer Service Anniversary Year Verizon Tower Committee Updates Holy Spirit is the host church this year for the community prayer service. Parish council members are encouraged to attend. Prayer service begins at 7pm the Wednesday before Thanksgiving Veronica has offered to get the calendar together for the upcoming year. Would like to plan several events next year commemorating the anniversary of Holy Spirit. Suggested a committee be formed to plan these events. Norm volunteered to be on the committee. Kim will contact Marie Stobie, Mary Smith and Connie Kerchner to see if they are interested in joining the committee. The church is looking into getting a bell tower from Verizon. Verizon will pay ground rent. Possible source or revenue for Holy Spirit. Sr. Susanne said the Adult Education committee is very active, but the Children s Religious Education has lost some students. Chris G. suggested Fr. Simmons hear the children s confessions on Sundays. Sr. Susanne suggested the children talk to Fr. Simmons to ask for a blessing or to have their confessions heard. Sr. Susanne would like to get a list of people interested in getting information out to the parish via the computer, Aegis, phone or Catholic Review. Chris G. wanted to know if there was interest in getting people together for the March for Life. Fr. Simmons will publish in the bulletin if another church will be going Next Meeting The next Parish Council meeting will be on January 11 th at 6:30
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