9/19/2024 Parish Pastoral Council Meeting Notes
1. Opening prayer (6:00-6:05)
2. Church updates from Father Robert (6:05-6:10)
- Raise collection by 30%, electronic funds, keeping up with payments for expenses, taking out from savings
- Next meeting will be with financial committee to attend School Trunk or Treat, be here around 5-5:15, will meet 6:30-7:30, deep dive into stewardship
- Return of 24hr adoration during advent season
3. Committee discussion (6:15-7:20)
- Council Member:
- Focus on youth and young adult
- Reaching out to the diocese for support, what/how much should we collaborate with them?
- Access to funding/starting our own fundraising campaigns
- Creating a space for the youth to connect and build relationships
- How can we get permission to do off-campus activities?
- Community service as a group in soup kitchens, beach cleanups, etc.
- Offering tutoring to students in the fall
- Church involvement with youth safety
- How can we help keep them safe and continuing their education
- Focus on youth and young adult
- Council Member:
- Focus on young adults, creating community
- Helping keep our ministries on track and working together for a common purpose, creating harmony between groups
- Council Member:
- Addressing some of the concerns from the church community:
- Homeless ministry, possibly moving it out of sacred space of the church
- Cleaning up of the church
- Restructuring of the choir to make it easier for those sitting in that area to see the alter
- It’s important to treat people with respect and create a space where we all feel welcome
- Church staff to create an environment where parishioners can feel comfortable bringing up concerns
- Our parish council should be open space for discussion, prompt immediate feedback
- Addressing some of the concerns from the church community:
- Council Member:
- Focus on creating a warm and welcoming environment
- Offering space for kids to come up to the alter
- Building relationships
- Have father Joseph and Freddy at English masses as well
- Youth and young adult emphasis
- Youth shack/creating space for youth to meet and build relationships
- Focus on creating a warm and welcoming environment
- Council Member:
- Family faith formation
- We need to focus on educating the parents
- Understanding how to read the Bible
- Helping families in our community
- Maybe have retreats twice a year where we can connect and inform families
- Family nights/retreats
- We need to focus on educating the parents
- School access and affordability
- Possibly start a scholarship fund to help kids go to St. Joachim school
- Sell food to raise money for scholarships
- Possibly start a scholarship fund to help kids go to St. Joachim school
- Create a welcoming and open environment between ministries
- Family faith formation
- Council Member:
- Family faith formation
- Disconnect between the parish and school – emphasis on connecting the two
- Family retreats that tie the school in
- This can help those in these families who haven’t received the sacraments in a long time
- Collaboration between ministries
- Helps build new relationships
- Create a space where we can all feel comfortable and build bridges between communities
- Create events that connect all communities (ex: trunk or treat)
- Students can earn community service hours by coming out to these events and helping setup/takedown
- Family faith formation
- Council Member:
- Faith formation
- Parishioners are hungry for understanding the Bible
- Create a space for them to come in and be taught by the church
- Family retreats
- Reminder that although we have a lot we need to work on in our community, this is still a sacred space where many people feel happy and loved
- Faith formation
- Council Member:
- Harvard professor Arthur Brooks: pillars of happiness are faith, family, friendship and meaningful work that gives our life purpose
- Doing small things in our community that make a difference
- We can commit to a topic and decide on all the things we want to do to make an impact
- Family, faith, and youth should be our focus
- Sense of ownership and responsibility for our parish
- Parishioners will notice our passion and want to contribute as well, offer their talents
- Sense of ownership and responsibility for our parish
4. Ending remarks from Father Robert (7:20-7:30)
- Executive committee will discuss on the top 3-4 topics and send out email for committee feedback
- November meeting will be the meeting in which we decide on how to move things forward
