Parish Council Meeting Minutes
February 7, 2007

SCHOOL BOARD / EDUCATION – Madeline Milligan

Dr. Steve Balkun, St. Timothy Middle School Principle, will attend next month’s Parish Council Meeting.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH – Dick Wowak / Marilyn McGoldrick

Looks like a go ahead to sell challah bread and Jewish cookies at March’s Hospitality Sunday.  Trying to link with a church in New Orleans called St. Peter Claver Church and build a relationship with them.

CCD/YOUTH GROUP – no report

FINANCE COUNCIL REPORT – Carmen Brickner

The Finance Council met at the Rectory on February 6.  Quorum was not achieved so no motions were carried.  A special meeting will be called to pass the Budget.

Dennis Rusconi presented the 2006 Actual and 2007 Budget numbers for St. Timothy's Parish and the 2006 Actual for the School.  He will make some minor format changes that were suggested to improve the clarity between the Operating Budget and the Capital Funds accounts.  Dennis will be reporting to the parish this Saturday and Sunday at all masses. Overall, we had a good year with collections averaging over $7000 per week. 

While we used $120,000 from the trust, we were later able to return $75,000 of it, and with earnings, we were able to maintain its overall value above the $1.5M goal.   As you know, the Capital Campaign exceeded its goals and all expenditures over $15,000 will require three quotes and are subject to archdiocesan review.

The school only required $110,000, and next year estimates to need only $100,000.  There were able to finish their year $76.000 to the good.

Some timing discrepancies between the fiscal years of the parish and the school and that both are reported on a Cash basis explained a few large swings on each report.

Father Cody then spoke to the issue of lack of priests in the future and the Archdiocesan report and asked for input.  He will cover the same with the Parish Council so I will not repeat it here.

PASTORAL ASSOCIATE UPDATE – Pat Piano

Adult Education:  Approximately 65 people attended the presentation on ending the death penalty.  We are ready for Lent with a wonderful six week series on prayer.  All sessions will be on Tuesday nights beginning, Tuesday Feb. 20 in Milligan Hall.

Environment committee - Met on Sunday, Jan. 14 and did a general review of Christmas decorations.  We are full speed ahead in preparation  for Lent.  Marilyn Merino finished the last of the banners for the entryway of the church….red for Pentecost and Confirmation.

Liturgy Committee - met on Tuesday, Jan. 16.  We have created a communal examination of conscience to begin each Mass during the season of Lent.  It is our hope that this will be a focus point, plus a way to involve the parish in a very concrete way, as we begin each Lenten liturgy. The committee has suggested that a letter with all the dates and times of all that is happening in the parish during Lent would be a good thing. The letter is ready to go.  Should be in the mail next week.

Ian Poulton has just finished a three week training a new set of altar servers. They will be blessed at the 8:30 Mass on Sunday, Feb. 11. 

Committee met with representatives of the Young Adult Community from the Parish Council and had a very enlightening conversation.  We hope to meet with their spouses at the first convenient date.

Pastoral Care Team - met on Tuesday, Feb. 6 and prepared for visiting nursing homes and the homebound on Ash Wednesday and beyond.  We are aware that we are seeing a lot of our folks die, 10 in the last month. 

RCIA - Our candidates Vanessa Bucci and Drew Girton will be entering the final phases of the process on the First Sunday of Lent, Sunday Feb.25.  On this Sunday at the 8:30 Mass we will celebrate the Rite of Sending.  This rite moves them beyond the period of catechetical formation into a more prayerful one as the day of their entrance into the church comes closer.  On the final Monday before Holy Week, Pat Piano invites the wider community to join the RCIA team to learn more about the Triduum, the three sacred days of Holy Week.

PARISH LIFE/SOCIAL COMMITTEE – Paul Travers

Hospitality Sunday took place on February 4, 2007 hosted by members of the Saint Timothy Middle School Board of Education and members of the faculty and staff of STMS.  Board member, Mary Stone organized the volunteers and assisted along with venerable Carmen Brickner in making last Sunday a success. The next Hospitality Sunday is scheduled for March 4, 2007. The Mothers Circle will not be able to staff this event so a call has gone out to the Knights of Columbus to see if we may be able to obtain some volunteers. The April 1, Palm Sunday, Hospitality Sunday will be hosted by members of the Parish Council with an invitation for the Finance Council to join us also.

The Spaghetti Dinner Planning Committee has met on Sunday January 14, 2007. Carroll Conway and Kate Kerchaert lead the meeting with Carmen Brickner, Jo DeAngelis, Stephanie Barnes, Pat Pruitt, Nellie Augustino, Mary Ellen Freisz, Kim DeMichele and Paul Travers in attendance. Roles and responsibilities were delegated at the meeting. The Knight of Columbus has been contacted for additional volunteers. Roughly 150 tickets have been sold for the Saturday February 10, 2007 event.

FACILITIES/BUILDING AND GROUNDS – No report

EVANGELIZATION – John Alissi

The Committee continues to send out "Introductory" letters to new home owners within a 5 mile radius of the Church (introducing the homeowner to the Church and inviting them to come to a service).  While I was unable to attend the January Parish Council meeting, I wanted to report that in December, the Committee again sponsored the "Coming Home for Christmas Prayer Tree" which was a success (the Committee invited Parishioners to take a prayer tag and write on it the name or initials of someone they wanted to "Come Home For Christmas", either physically, emotionally or spiritually and place it on the Prayer Tree). The Committee plans on meeting in late February and will continue to brainstorm and hopes to come up with some new ideas and projects to work on.

REVIEW OF OLD BUSINESS:

NEW BUSINESS:

1. Maximus Gratias Award - Parish council needs to create a nomination list of this year’s possible recipients.  Carmen will Send out past information and recipients to help put the list together.
2. Parish Realignment - Father Cody presented to the Council the Archdiocese’s plan for possible realignment. The Council needs to answer a list of questions put forward by the Archdiocese by April 16^th.  Gary asked the council to review the questions and email him their thoughts on them by next Parish Council meeting.