Holy Redeemer Parish Council Minutes

September 17, 2008

 

7:30 p.m.

 

1.      Attendees:  Fr. George, Fr. Vincent, Marie Winterson, Dave Fortuna, Rosemary Allender, Mark Russo, Mary Katherine Theis, Ellen Davis, Bob Pizzano, Carol Macknis, Lynn Baker

 

2.      Father George opened the meeting with a prayer.

 

3.      Carol Macknis reminded Council members to send her the meeting agenda in advance for posting on the website

 

4.      July Minutes

  1. Change “McMullan” to “Mullan”
  2. Change “237” to “240,” School enrollment is 240
  3. Change “18” to “20,” Kindergarten enrollment is 20
  4. Motion to approve.  Seconded.
  5. A request was made to check on the status of the May meeting minutes
  6. Carol Macknis requested that any attachments referenced in the minutes be forwarded to her for posting on the Parish website.

 

5.      Committee Reports

 

Social Justice

  1. Dave Fortuna obtained materials from Prince Georges County Social Services and will provide to Carol for posting on the website.
  2. Father George advised that the Archdiocese (ADW) has a monthly program for social concerns that Social Justice committee/Parish Council members can attend.  He feels the Parish should pay for costs of participation.

 

School Advisory Board- Ellen Davis (for Rita Thompson)

a.       There was a meeting with Mrs. Maria Bovich, the new Principal of Holy Redeemer School (HRS), on 9/3/2008.

b.      HRS has a new Spanish teacher- Mrs. Bertha Salmoran.

c.       Italian teacher

·        Previously, the cost of the Italian teacher (Mrs. Habte) was provided as a gift from the Italian Embassy, but this has been discontinued for this year.

·        HRS now pays her salary.

·        This cost has been offset in the school budget because of the departure of higher paying teachers and the entry of newer teachers with correspondingly lower salaries.

·        In addition, HRS is currently utilizing 2 Teacher’s Assistants, as opposed to 2.5 last year.

d.      Mrs. Rosen is doing well and will be back in October.

e.       The Archbishop is emphasizing curriculum standards for all ADW schools.

f.        All ADW teachers must be certified.  All HRS teachers have already met this requirement.

g.       A number of cleanup projects have been completed, including stripping and waxing floors, painting classrooms and hallways, and cleaning out classroom closets.

h.       The school has obtained a new computer server.

i.         Among Mrs. Bovich’s goals are:

·        Obtaining the services of a grant writer to apply for special education grants.

·        Hiring a staff member with a special education background.

·        Using the website for information sharing purposes

·        Making a number of website enhancements

·        Using the current Parish offices as a middle school wing

·        Seeking a volunteer to be a school/Parish liaison

 

Youth

  1. See item under New Business

 

Finance- Father George

  1. On 6/30/2007, the Finance Committee reported a surplus of $58,529
  2. On 6/30/2008, the Finance Committee reported a shortfall of $15,380
  3. For 6/30/2009, the Finance Committee is projecting a shortfall of $90,560.  This shortfall does not include the costs of the new roof.
  4. The Parish currently has adequate funds in the bank.
  5. Weekend collections are down- 3% below last year at this time (approximately $3,000).
  6. The Parish can request exemption from ADW’s 14% “tax” on the Building Fund, the argument being that the Parish is paying a double tax to maintain an ADW-owned building.
  7. Father George believes we have a 50% chance of getting the waiver approved.

 

A short time later in the meeting, Ellen Davis added the following points:

 

  1. The Finance Committee met on Monday, 9/15/2008.
  2. They are preparing the end-of-year report and letter to the parishioners.
  3. The budget year for the Parish runs from July 1st through June 30th.
  4. The budget shortfall on 6/30/2008 is 3% greater than last year at the same time, and 8% below the projected budget.
  5. Report formats

·        Currently the Committee uses a 4-column format.

·        The ADW format adds metrics like the number of families in the parish, number of marriages, and number of baptisms.

 

Facilities- Bob Pizzano

  1. $400,000 has been spent replacing the boilers, roofs, and related projects.
  2. This week the Parish made the final roof payment for the administrative area and library.
  3. $17,000 was also spent on “health and safety” repairs in the kitchen, as a result of an ADW inspection.  There is still a lot of work to do in this area.
  4. Now that the envelope of the building has been secured from rain damage, we should look into other projects.
  5. Painting school/admin area hallways

·        Ben Garner is donating his time to paint the high areas on Columbus Day weekend.

·        Ben and Bob will supervise Troop 740 of the Boy Scouts in painting the low areas the same weekend.

·        Total estimated cost is $500

·        Additional work on a weekend before the Bazaar

·        Bob will coordinate the dates with Fr. George, the new Principal, and
Cindy Gorman.

·        The Parish should consider new lighting in some of these areas.

  1. A volunteer wanted to donate money for new carpet on the stairs up from the Mezzanine to the Church- volunteers to install.

 

Liturgy- Mary Katherine Theis

  1. The first meeting of the season was held on Tuesday, 9/16/2008
  2. The Year of St. Paul
  3. Bible Study starts on Thursday, 9/18/2008.  It is 4 weeks long and will be repeated in the spring.
  4. Currently conducting a review of the mission statement for the committee.
  5. The next meeting is Tuesday, 10/21/2008, at 7:30 p.m.
  6. There are four (4) people currently attending, including both catechumens and candidates.
  7. The yearly schedule is set.

h.       Lynn Baker and John Renehan have expressed interest in assisting with the School of Religion

 

6.      Old Business

 

a.       Social Justice information has been posted on the website, under “Other Links of Interest”.

b.      Rosemary Allender is interested in the Social Justice Committee.

c.       The Parish Council minutes for May 2008 need to be approved.  Joe Fortuna advised that he would speak with Mollie Huitema about this.

d.      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.

e.       The formation of a Mission Statement Committee and May 2009 Parish Anniversary have not yet been announced in the Parish bulletin.

 

7.      New Business

 

Community Sunday

  1. Father George noted that this has been an on-again, off-again activity.
  2. He inquired as to whether there is a group that coordinates this.
  3. He would like to formalize/regularize these events.
  4. The suggestion was made to rotate sponsorship through the various parish groups (there are currently 12).
  5. He suggested that these should be scheduled at least once a month.
  6. Agnes Newman (was) volunteered to coordinate scheduling.
  7. Fr. George suggested that we should start in October, with the Parish Council sponsoring.
  8. October 19th, the 3rd Sunday in October, was selected, after the 8:00 and 10:00 masses.  NOTE:  The dates were changed after the meeting to the 4th Sunday of the month, with the Parish Council sponsoring on October 26th.
  9. To be held on the Mezzanine.
  10. Juice, coffee, donuts, etc., to be served.
  11. Start setup at 7:30 a.m.
  12. The Mezzanine should be reserved through Ginny Pasta in the Parish Office.
  13. Joan Laskey will take care of the Bulletin announcement.
  14. Lynn DeVore coordinated this previously and has a list of recommended supplies.

 

Harvest Bazaar

a.       The question was raised as to whether it would be desirable to have a periodic update from the Harvest Bazaar Chairperson at the Parish Council meetings.

b.      The Wassmans are handling advertising.

c.       Dawn and Marc Rindal have things in-hand.

 

Pet Mass

a.       The annual Blessing of the Pets Mass will be held on the north lawn at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 4th.

 

Youth Group- Lynn Baker

  1. Current School of Religion enrollments in Sunday classes, by grade:

·        Pre-K:  8

·        K:  3

·        1&2:  9

·        3&4:  5-6

·        5&6:  5-6

·        7:  2

·        8:  2 (RCIC)

·        Senior High- 15 (twice as many as last year)

 

  1. Confirmation prep- going to a 2-year program.  John Renehan and Lynn Baker are assisting.

 

  1. RCIA

·        Deacon Thompson will be taking the lead from Mary Katherine Theis.

·        First meeting has been conducted

·        4 out of 9 people that had indicated an interest attended

·        Three more inquiry evenings are scheduled before the formal program starts

 

  1. Youth Group Participation- Lynn Baker and Marie Winterson

·        Numbers have been dropping

·        Had to cancel King’s Dominion trip for lack of 15 attendees

·        Concerned

·        Only 6 of 15 seniors attended the mandatory meeting

·        The retreat numbers are also down.  The retreat is scheduled for October 24-25, 2008

·        The Parish pays $4,000, regardless of the number of attendees

·        There is a $350 cancellation fee.

·        The parents need to make this a priority

 

Ellen Davis

·        Kids are busy these days

·        Friday night sessions are good

·        They don’t need more structured activities

·        Marie Winterson questioned whether it is worth the cost of the program

·        She feels that if we have to cancel the retreat due to low attendance, then we should not have a beach trip.

·        There have always been participation requirements for attending the beach trip

·        Agnes Newman asked how many kids are out there.  It was reported, for example, that there are only six (6) seventh graders in the Parish that don’t attend HRS.

·        Lynn Baker wondered whether Catholic High Schools are already providing these types of activities for their students.

·        Mark Russo asked if awareness presentations are made to the lower and middle grades.  Marie reported that the focus of the Youth Group is on the high school-age kids

·        Bob Pizzano suggested that we look into having joint youth activities with another parish. 

·        It was reported that the other parishes have not been contacted up to this point.

·        Agnes suggested that we might also reach out to the public high schools

·        Marie advised that the Youth Group newsletter goes out to every child in the parish.

·        St. Hughs has no youth group.

·        Father Vincent suggested that we need to evangelize the parents.

·        An example of scheduling problems cited was that the CYO has a 2nd grade soccer game scheduled during the day of reflection.

·        There are uncatechised students in this Parish.

 

  1. Safe Haven

·        The Parish will be participating again this year.

·        The Wassmans and the Denevans may coordinate.

·        Father George indicated that he plans to sponsor 2 weeks again this year.

·        The program went very well last year with only one meal missed (breakfast) during the 2 weeks.

 

8.      Community Member Comments

 

Carol Macknis

a.       The Parish Council does not follow the current charter

b.      The current charter does not address the Parish website

c.       Meeting agendas need to be posted in advance of the meetings

d.      All advocates described in the charter are not currently assigned

e.       The charter needs to be updated

f.        Parish Council members should forward any items to be posted on the Parish website to Carol Macknis.

g.       There is very little in the charter regarding the Harvest Bazaar

 

Conflict of Interest Statements- Ellen Davis

a.       Ellen briefed the group on Conflict of Interest Statements required by ADW

b.      Each Council member must sign the form

c.       The ADW policy on conflicts of interest will be distributed to Parish Council members via e-mail

d.      The policy states that members with conflicts of interest may still participate in Parish organizations, as long as they recuse themselves from any activity with an apparent or actual conflict of interest.

e.       The policy requires members to disclose business connections related to activities of the parish/ADW

f.        Completed forms should be returned to Ellen Davis or dropped in the Parish office

 

9.      The next meeting of the Parish Council will be Wednesday, November 19, 2008

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Mark Russo, Community Representative

(for Mollie Huitema)