PPC Meeting January 13th 2008

Parish Pastoral Council Meeting Minutes
January 13, 2008 7:15 – 8:45pm

In Attendance: John Andrews, Sue Arlinghaus, Fr. John, Laura Carr, Bill Flynn, Jo Johnston, Mary Makowski, Sheila Mander, Harry Meigh, Kris Michalik, Lindsay Read, Tony Thorn
Apologies: Sue Holbrook
1. Opening prayer: Fr. John
2. Announcements

1. Seeking the Face of Christ
   On Saturday, February 16, from 10:30 to 1:00pm, at Christ’s College, there will be a presentation by Bishop Declan. The purpose is to be given and discuss the draft pastoral guidelines and take them away for further discussion and feedback. All are invited to attend.
2. The Great Adventure Bible Timeline
   Starts Thursday, January 17 at 7:30pm in the upstairs room of the Old Priory and another class begins Friday, January 18, at 10:15am in the downstairs room. Each class runs for eight weeks.

3. Council Positions

1. Chairperson
   After much discussion of the role of a chairperson and the amount of time he or she serves, it was agreed that Fr. John would be chairperson for 3 months or so. Some of the Chairperson’s roles will be to facilitate meetings and guide us in setting the agenda for the next meeting. We will revisit this at a later time.
2. Secretary
   Roles are to take meeting minutes and type up an agenda for the following meeting. These should then be distributed via email to the other members for corrections and changes prior to the next meeting. Once edited, they should be posted on the notice board and a copy emailed to the office for distribution in the bulletin and on the website. Mary Makowski has taken this on this month.
3. Council Member’s Role
   Council members are to assist and advise the parish priest and obtain his approval on initiatives. They will discuss various topics in small groups and report to the large group with their suggestions of an action plan.

John offered to set up a Council website so that we can communicate with each other more easily between meetings. In the meantime and in addition, we can use email

4. Topics Discussed
1. Communication between Church and Parishioners
Better communication was the common denominator of all subsequent topics discussed. Suggestions for improving communication included:

• Updating the information on Parish Groups on the parish website or at least to have a link to a separate page with this information. Harry, Sheila and John offered to work on this by contacting the various groups and asking for a detailed description of what they do and how they may be contacted.
• Posting our meeting minutes on the website, bulletin and notice board.
• Having a translator or translators available for those who have difficulty with English.
• Perhaps creating a questionnaire to gather information on needs and areas for improvement. More discussion on this is forthcoming.
• Having links on our parish website to Catholic websites, that have the imprimatur, e.g. www. universalis.com and www.catholicanswers.com.

2. Welcoming Visitors/New Parishioners
We discussed ways in which we can be more welcoming. Sheila offered to find out what Deacon Robin and the Welcoming Committee have planned, but here are the suggestions of this council.

• Making the wording of the various parish groups invitatory and not just informational.
• Having a welcoming packet available to newly registered parishioners. Mary Makowski gave samples to Sheila to give to Deacon Robin. It includes a list of parish activities, current bulletin, pictorial directory, map of the church and facilities and a brief history of the church.
• Having greeters before and after Mass to greet and welcome any unfamiliar faces.

3. Marriage and/or Family Resources
We talked about the deleterious effect the decline in the marriage rate the increase in the divorce rate has on society. Many are unaware of programs and interventions the church has to offer to support families and we need to do a better job of getting this information out. People need to know that the church is compassionate towards struggling families. It was suggested that every other week or so, a program can be highlighted in the bulletin regarding this.

4. Formation Possibilities
At least some of these possibilities involve small group discussion which we agreed is necessary to help the parish gel like a family.

• In her absence, Sue Holbrook was volunteered to look into a program she recommends by Bill Huebsch. It is based on conversion through catechesis and has been very successful in Spain.
• Lenten parish missions.
• Fit for Mission, a pastoral study and consultation document written by Bishop O’Donoghue will be available on the first Sunday of Lent. It aims to draw everyone to the person of Christ and His teachings. We are looking forward to it.

5. Youth
We want to make sure our youth have a voice in the parish and Laura will keep us updated with any needs or questions that come from this group.

6. Churches Together

• Sheila asked about the possibility of joining other area Churches in serving the homeless a meal once every other month. She will get more information on this regarding how many homeless are served so that we can ascertain whether or not our facilities will be able to accommodate them.
• There is a Unity Service at the Gloucester Cathedral at 6pm on Sunday, January 20.

7. Deanery Pastoral Council.Meeting 5 Feb 7.30pm Kemerton
Bill and Lindsay will attend, to represent the pastoral council, along with the clergy.

8. Agenda and Date for next meeting.