Holy Redeemer Parish Council Minutes
November 19, 2008
7:30 p.m.
1. Attendees: Fr. George, Rita Thompson, Marie Winterson, Rosemary Allender, Mark Russo, Mary Katherine Theis, Ellen Davis, Bob Pizzano, Agnes Newman, Robert Shaulis, Elise Un
2. Father George opened the meeting with a prayer.
3. Rita Thompson received e-mails about issues to bring up at tonight's meeting. She will do so at the appropriate time.
4. Review of Minutes
(1) Page 3, Liturgy f. – Deacon Thompson will be coordinating this
ministry.
(2) Page 4, Harvest Bazaar a. – substitute "periodic updates" for "reports".
5. Committee Reports
Social Justice
a. Mollie Huitema received a call asking if the parish would be doing something on reproductive issues as a result of the national elections. Father said that the bishops' campaign is directed to state legislatures.
b. If the parish decides to act on this issue, it will be handled by Social Justice
Liturgy - Mary Katherine Theis
a. An Advent-Christmas morning of reflection is scheduled for Saturday, December 19 from 9 to 12.
b. Because this is the year of Saint Paul, he is the focus of the fall Bible Study program.
c. The committee saw a power point presentation on "What Is Proper in Liturgy".
d. Sean Ballantine and Kathy Nieman have formed a search committee to seek a Minister of Music. Father Smarsh will handle Liturgy.
School Advisory Board - Rita Thompson
a. School enrollment is 237, not 240. Italian teacher
b. A committee is working on updating the school's website.
c. The Marketing Committee is updating the school brochure and list of alumna.
d. Grants are being written to obtain laptops.
e. The new pay schedule for teachers includes a 4.2 – 4.5% cost of living increase. Father said it is hard to keep tuition low enough for families and still maintain parity with P.G. County salaries.
Youth - Elise Un
a. See attached letter from Marie Winterson. This will be discussed under facilities.
b. Five suggestions for possible activities were made: bowling night, games to
play during lock-ins, more dances, monthly movie nights, and Christmas
caroling.
c. The group wants to change the Friday night gatherings to a weeknight because
of conflicts. They say they have tried to make changes but "they don't go
through".
d. Having the summer activities more structured was a good move.
Christian Formation – Lynn Baker
Lynn was absent; no report.
Finance - Ellen Davis
a. No report
b. Rita Thompson gave a report on tax-exempt bonds available for Catholic
schools.
Facilities - Bob Pizzano
a. Bob provided Council members with a copy of his facilities report. It will be attached to the final version of the minutes.
b. In a letter to the council, Marie Winterson requested that the convent be used for Youth Group activities.
(1) Father will respond to the letter. He pointed out that other groups
would like to use some of that space.
(2) Bob will look at the plan already laid out for the convent.
(3) A meeting of all organizations interested in using the convent will
be scheduled.
c. The possibility of renting out space was discussed. Insurance and security issues must be considered.
6. Old Business
a. Convent renovations
· Rosemary recommended two potential firms. She will provide their contact information to Bob Pizzano.
· Father George advised that the convent renovation project will have to wait until the Parish finances are more secure.
b. The formation of a Mission Statement Committee and May 2009 Parish Anniversary have not yet been announced in the Parish bulletin.
7. New Business
Agnes Newman reported that the first Community Sunday went well. A parish group has signed up for each Community Sunday. People are needed to help, especially with the setup. A basket will be set out for contributions to help defray expenses.
8. Community Member Comments
Carol Macknis raised a number of concerns:
(1) We need a railing for the altar steps. Bob will look into this.
(2) Are we sending "thank-you's" to people and groups who have contributed
labor and materials to recent projects? Bob will put an acknowledgement in
the bulletin and will draft a letter for Father to sign.
(3) We need more eucharistic ministers.
(4) Council should update its constitution. Rita Thompson will put this on the
agenda for the next meeting.
9. The next meeting of the Parish Council will be Wednesday, January 21, 2009.
Respectfully submitted,
Mollie Huitema
Facilities Report
We completed a very successful self-help weekend in October.
· Painted most of the library and parish corridor
· Replaced ceiling tiles and painted the ceiling grid in the main school corridor
· Carpeted the mezzanine, the stairs leading to the church and the stairs leading to the Four Seasons Room (mostly)
· Excluding the carpet (no invoice yet, but we expect < $1,000), we spent about $1,500 almost entirely on ceiling tiles
We plan to coordinate another self-help day during the school Christmas holidays
· Tentative plans:
o Replace tiles and paint ceiling grid in the main school/parish corridor
o Finish painting the parish office corridor and ceiling
o Paint the mezzanine areas including the walls leading to the church and the walls leading to the Four Seasons Room
o Other possibilities:
§ Retrofit the tubes and diffusers in corridors
§ Replace/relocate fixtures in stairwell leading to the church and the stairwell leading to the Four Seasons Room
§ Rewiring some light switches which are inconveniently arranged
· We will send notices for bulletin and school in early December asking for volunteers
We have sent requests for proposals to AE for:
· Feasibility study/cost estimate for toilet and sink in rear of church
· Proposed modification for school office
· Proposed modifications to teachers lounge
· Feasibility study/cost to install lighting in parking lot
· Investigate, report w/ cost estimate to repair the school parking lot
We are also working with Father re modifications to the church to resolve heating and lighting issues.