St Pius ~ Parish Pastoral Council

Pastoral Council minutes Are posted here

Click here for Pastoral Meeting on November 15, 1010

Meeting Date: October 18, 2010

Present: Fr. George, Fr. David, George Perkins, Frank Sullivan, Joe Daly, Jean Kelly, and Dick Zeich

1. George Perkins led us in an opening prayer.

2. Minutes of our meeting on September 13, 2010 were accepted as submitted.

3. The resignation of Jim Goldberg was announced and accepted with regrets. The council thanks Jim for his dedicated and tireless efforts and contributions in the furtherance of the mission of the Pastoral Council.

4. The bylaws of the Parish Pastoral Council adopted on September 13, 2010 provide for the Council to be comprised of no more then six ex officio members, three members appointed by the pastor for a term of three years each and six members discerned from amongst members of the parish for a term of three years each.

Presently there are six ex officio members: Fr. George, Fr. David, Deacon Gallerizzo, Deacon Zeich, Jean Kelly, and Jack Regan. There is one appointed member, George Perkins. There are three discerned members: Joe Daly, Frank Sullivan, and Barbara Fitzpatrick.

Therefore, the current vacancies comprise two appointed members and three discerned members.

In preparation for filling these vacancies there have been parish bulletin announcements and nomination forms at Mass for parishioners to nominate others, or themselves, to be considered for these positions.

There will be an information meeting on the evening of November 1st to inform those interested about the role and responsibility of being a Council member and the process to be used in selecting new Council members. There will be a discernment night on November 8th for those interested in pursuing council membership in accord with the procedures established by the discernment committee comprised of Fr. George, Fr. Dave, Joe Daly, George Perkins and Jean Kelly. It is strongly suggested that other members of the Council be in attendance at these sessions.

This process will result in three persons being chosen by discernment. Two of those chosen by the process of discernment will be expected to fill 3 year terms and one of those chosen by the process of discernment will be expected to fill a one or two year term depending upon the term which would have been completed by Jim Goldberg, which is to be determined by Fr. George.. Fr. George will appoint two addition members to the Council. One appointee will serve for a term of three years. The other appointee will serve for a term of one or two year term depending upon the remaining term of George Perkins, which is to be determined by Fr. George.

The names of new Council members will be announced at the Masses on the first Sunday of Advent and a commissioning of all Council members will take place at a Mass to be determined on the second Sunday of Advent. A day of prayer and reflection for the entire Council will be scheduled for early in January 2011 prior to the January Council meeting.

5. Parish-wide implementation of the new Mission Statement

° Fr. George is in the process of drafting a letter to various parish ministries regarding the new mission statement in order to elicit their input as to the role they can play in its implementation. Meetings will follow this with the ministries by a member of the Council.

° Fr. George expects to present the draft at the next Council meeting.

° The list of parish ministries and contact persons has recently been updated and distributed to members of the parish.

6. Goals and Objectives

Following the meeting Joe Daly e-mailed a consolidated list of Goals and objectives to Council members. This document will be invaluable in introducing the mission statement to the various ministries as well as informing those interested in joining the council as to the important tasks facing the Council.

A specific objective addressed by the Council was Communion under both species. Implementation of this objective is logistically complex since it will involve 16 people distributing communion. Lorraine and Charlie will be asked to determine the number of Eucharistic ministers normally available at various weekend Masses. Hopefully, this matter will be resolved by Easter 2011.

Early in 2011 the Council will begin planning for the Parish Spring Assembly to be held between Easter and Pentecost to discuss the goals and objectives that have been established and to solicit feedback to be used in going forward.

Submitted by Deacon Dick Zeich

Meeting Date: September 13, 2010

Present: Fr. George, Fr. David, George Perkins, Barbara Fitzpatrick, Frank Sullivan, Joe Daly, Jean Kelly, Dick Zeich, Bill Gallerizzo and Jack Regan

　Jean Kelly led us in an opening prayer.

2. 　Minutes of our meeting of August 23, 2010 were accepted as submitted. 　

3. Jean Kelly led us in a discussion of the “essential element” of community. 　Jean went through all of the goals and objectives previously submitted. 　She summarized them for us and went through them with the Council. 　It was decided that most of these goals are already being met by programs currently running in the parish. 　Consequently the Council settled on the following Community goal and objective:

Goal: To promote and encourage parishioners of all ages to participate in outreach, learning, and 　　　　service through the various means at our disposal.

4. 　The Council next engaged in a discussion as to how to further the implementation of the new Mission Statement. 　The counselors decided that it would be propitious to visit all of the ministries throughout parish. 　The following approach will be adopted:

Father George will write a cover letter to all the various ministries of the parish asking if the members of the Council might meet with them to discuss the new Mission Statement

The purpose of these visitations will be to “flesh out” the Mission Statement in light of the particularity of each ministry and to foster reflection on “who we are” and what we do and why we do it. 　secondarily to introduce the work of the council to the broader parish community prior to beginning the discernment process for new members.

The following questions might be used by the counselors when meeting with ministries:

“How do you see yourselves as carrying out the mission of the parish?

“How can the PPC assist you in carrying out the mission of the parish in your particular ministry situation?

“Given the parish Mission Statement, what would be/is the “mission” of your particular ministry?”

For St. Pius X School: “How does the school’s mission statement fit into the overall Mission Statement of St. Pius X Parish?”

The council acknowledged that some ministries might have to meet in clusters – perhaps over coffee and pastry.

The council is aware that this process will take many months to accomplish and that the upcoming discernment process for new members will have to take precedence.

Next steps:

Father George’s letter

Jean Kelly is working on an updated list of all parish ministries and contact individuals

5. 　Barbara, George and Frank led the council in a further discussion of the bylaws. 　This discussion centered on the proposed changes to the first draft discussed at the last meeting:

The discernment process will be led by a standing subcommittee composed of two discerned members and an ex officio member.

There will be nine discerned members on the PPC who will each serve for three years. 　Every year three members of the PPC will be replaced by new members who have come through the discernment process. 　This “replacement process” will take place on a revolving basis.

After new members have been added to the PPC, the entire council will engage in a Day of Recollection to inaugurate another new year of business for the council.

6. 　We adjourned at approximately 9 PM after a closing prayer for Jim Goldberg’s mother and family.

Submitted by: Joe Daly

Meeting Date: August 23, 2010

Present: George Bellenoit, Joe Daly, Bill Gallerizzo, Barbara Fitzpatrick, Jean Kelly, Frank Sullivan, Dick Zeich, David Deston, and George Perkins

To open the meeting, Bellenoit lead the Committee in prayer.
Minutes for the PPC meeting of June 21 were approved as amended.
Daly updated information concerning activity on the parish Twitter and Facebook accounts reporting 41 “followers” and only a few “friends.”
Fitzpatrick, Sullivan, and Perkins presented a draft set of by-laws for the PPC. After an extended discussion consensus formed around the following features:

A three year term of membership
Six members selected through a discernment process, three appointed by the pastor, and six “ex-officio” members including the pastor, parochial vicar, two deacons, the Director of Religious Education, and the Principal of St. Pius X School.
Non “ex-officio” members serve staggered terms such that two members would be selected through a discernment process and one would be appointed by the pastor every year.
The discernment process would take place each fall in order that the terms of the members, discerned and appointed, could begin on the First Sunday of Advent.
Each year the entire PPC participates in a day of prayer and reflection soon after the new terms begin.
A standing committee will be established in the by-laws to conduct the annual membership discernment process.
The length of meetings may not exceed two hours.

Concerning Evangelization, one of the Essential Elements of a parish, consensus was found around the following goal and corresponding three objectives:

Goal: Develop new or enhance existing programs of religious formation for adults

Consult and coordinate with diocesan and deanery leadership by Lent 2011 to identify, adapt, and implement formation programs designed for the religious formation of adults.
Build upon existing parish programs that encourage adult study of Scripture by Advent 2010.
Collaborate with contiguous parishes to establish a consultative body to explore options to enhance religious formation for adults by Lent 2011.

A second parish assembly was tentatively scheduled for Spring 2011.
Kelly will organize a discussion of goals and objectives for the Essential Element, Community, at the September meeting.
A discussion of disseminating the parish mission statement was postponed to the September meeting.
At the September meeting, Kelly will lead the committee in prayer; Daly will record the minutes.

Meeting Date: June 21, 2010 Present: George Bellenoit, Joe Daly, Bill Gallerizzo, Barbara Fitzpatrick, Jean Kelly, Frank Sullivan, Jim Goldberg, and George Perkins To open the meeting, Daly lead the Committee in prayer. Minutes for the PPC meeting of May 17 were approved. Goldberg summarized activity on the parish Twitter account and reported 27 “followers.” The resignation of Beth Davis was received with regret because of her many contributions during her two years of dedicated service but with understanding for her family commitments. Concerning Worship, one of the Essential Elements of a parish, consensus was found around the following goal and corresponding three objectives: Goal: To achieve full and active participation in parish Eucharistic liturgies Establish a parish wide program of catechesis for implementing usage of the third edition of the Roman Missal by September 2011. Provide for Eucharist under the species of bread and wine at one or more liturgies each weekend beginning with Advent 2010. Welcome and encourage each ministry that is directly involved in liturgy (viz., choir, music, hospitality, lectors, servers, special ministers of the Eucharist) to develop in consultation with the pastoral council ongoing programs of formation to enhance the participation of its own ministers and the entire Eucharistic assembly by Advent 2011. After discussing PPC membership, terms of office, and methods for filling vacancies, a consensus formed around establishing written procedures or by-laws for the Council. A committee (Fitzpatrick, Sullivan, and Perkins) was formed to draft these for distribution before the August meeting. Filling the three current vacancies (Rooney, Marasco, and Davis) was discussed. The Committee decided not to hold a special discernment process in the fall in order to fill these vacancies. It instead decided to provide a process in the by-laws for filling incomplete terms wherein the pastor would appoint replacements. Discussion of various proposed goals and objectives for Evangelization, another Essential Element of a parish, continued. Goldberg will organize these for the August meeting. Discussion of a second parish assembly was postponed until the August meeting. Kelly will organize a discussion of goals and objectives for the Essential Element, Community, at the September meeting. A discussion of disseminating the parish mission statement was postponed to the August meeting. At the August meeting, Bellenoit will lead the committee in prayer; Perkins will record the minutes.
Meeting Date: May 17, 2010 Present: Fr. George, Fr. David, George Perkins, Barbara Fitzpatrick, Frank Sullivan, Joe Daly, Jean Kelly, and Jack Regan 1 . Barbara Fitzpatrick led us in an opening prayer of a reading from Ephesians 5:15, 23-24 2. Minutes of our meeting of April 26, 2010 were accepted as submitted. 3. Father George assured the council members that as decided during our meeting of April 26 notice has been placed in the weekly parish bulletin that our parish has a Tweeter account and an item has been included in the bulletin informing parishioners that minutes of our April meeting are available on the parish web page and at the parish rectory. 4. Father David informed the council members that a Facebook account has been created and notice of the creation of this account will be placed in future parish bulletins. 5. A resignation submitted by Maria Marasco was discussed by the council members and accepted with recognition of all the good assistance Maria has contributed to the work of the Parish Pastoral Council. 6. We briefly discussed “terms for office” for PPC members. George Perkins suggested that we review the Diocesan Statutes for Parish Pastoral Councils which we could use to guide us in deciding upon the length of the term to serve on the Parish Pastoral Council and as our method of selecting new members. This discussion will be continued during our next meeting. 7. We agreed our meeting schedule for the remainder of the year will be June 21st, August 23rd, September 13th, October 18th, and November 15th, with all meetings beginning at 7 PM. 8. We continued our discussion which has been going on for several meetings of a revision for our mission statement and finally agreed upon the following to be our mission statement: St Pius X Parish is a community of Roman Catholics established in 1954 within the Church of Fall River to collaborate with its Bishop. Nourished through Word and Sacrament, we attend to the Holy Spirit and follow our Lord, Christ Jesus. We give witness to our participation in the Body of Christ by welcoming, evangelizing, and serving all whom we encounter especially the poor. We decided that our agreeing upon a new mission statement (along with the statement itself) should be included as an item within the weekly parish bulletin. During our future meetings we will discuss how to request that the various ministries of the parish incorporate this mission statement into their role within the parish. 9. George Perkins led us in a discussion of Goals and Objectives related to the essential element of Worship. These goals and objectives developed from discussions during our parish assembly of October 18, 2009. We decided to initially discuss all four submitted Goals and their associated Objectives. After considerable discussion of all the Goals and Objectives related to the essential element of Worship, we agreed that two goals are interdependent and probably would be of primary interest to our committee. They are: To increase participation in parish Eucharistic liturgies and To enrich participation in parish Eucharistic liturgies. The objectives for these two goals we agreed need further development. George Perkins agreed to rework and improve upon the Goals and Objectives related to essential element of Worship. We hope this will be a major part of our consideration during our next meeting. 10. In planning for our next meeting of June 21st we agreed our focus would be “terms of office” for PPC members and method of selection of new members, discussion of how to request that the various ministries of the parish incorporate the mission statement into their role within the parish, Goals and Objectives related to the essential element of Worship and possibly continuance of Goals and Objectives related to the essential element of Evangelization. Joe Daly agreed to lead us in prayer and George Perkins agreed to record the minutes for our next meeting. 11. We adjourned at approximately 9 PM Submitted by: Frank Sullivan	Click for PDF Version
Meeting Date: April 26, 2010 Present: Fr. George, Fr. David, George Perkins, Barbara Fitzpatrick, Frank Sullivan, Beth Davis, Dick Zeich, Joe Daly, Jean Kelly, and Jim Goldberg, 1. Deacon Dick Zeich led the opening prayer 2. A resignation submitted by Paul Rooney was read by Joe Daley and accepted with recognition of all the good assistance Paul has contributed to the work of the Parish Pastoral Council. 3. Minutes of our meeting of March 22, 2010 were accepted as submitted. We decided a notice should be included in the parish week bulletin that the minutes of our March 22^nd. meeting will be available on the parish web site and also will be available upon request at the rectory. 4. Father George led a discussion on To Build A Stronger Church, a publication of the Bishop’s Office and the Office for Pastoral Planning, Diocese of Fall River (including A snapshot of the Diocese of Fall River and Cape Cod Deanery Comparative Statistics for 200 and 2009.). This was an insert included with the April 11^th parish weekly bulletin. 5. A discussion of the proposed mission statement revisions ensued. We agreed to send by email to all council members a copy of the revisions submitted by George Perkins and Frank Sullivan. We agreed that all council members should review all the revisions suggested and that we should have as one of our primary objectives for our next meeting of May 17^th that we come to a collective agreement upon a revised mission statement. 6. Jim Goldberg led a discussion on the updates on the parish Twitter account. We decided to publicize in the weekly parish bulletin that the parish has a Twitter account, “Capecodstpiusx., and that the parish will create a parish face book account 7. Jim Goldberg led a discussion of evangelization goals. We decided to continue this discussion during our next meeting of May 17^th. It was also decided to include as an agenda item for our next meeting of May 17^th a discussion of worship goals which will be led by George Perkings. 8. We decided to meet at 7PM on May 17^th and June 21^st with our focus for our next meeting being completion of the revising of the mission statement, a discussion of the evangelization goals and the worship goals. Barbara Fitzpatick agreed to lead us in pray during our next meeting. Beth Davis agreed to record the minutes of our next meeting. 9. We adjourned at approximately 9 PM Submitted by: Frank Sullivan
Parish Pastoral Council Meeting Date: Mar. 22, 2010 Present: Fr. George, Fr. David, George Perkins, Barbara Fitzpatrick, Jean Kelly, Frank Sullivan, Beth Davis, Paul Rooney, Bill Gallerizzo, Dick Zeich, Maria Marasco, Jack Regan, Jim Goldberg, and Joe Daly 1. Joe Daly led the opening prayer 2. Pastor’s comments: 1. Fr. George announced that he and Doug Rodriques (after prayerful discernment) approached Joe Daly and asked him to assume the position of chairman of the PPC for the time being. Joe accepted their invitation. 2. Fr. George also shared some of Doug’s advice for proceeding with tonight’s discussion. 3. Finally, Fr. George offered copies of the workbook entitled, “Revisioning the Parish Pastoral Council.” 3. Jim refreshed the Council’s memory of his suggestion for setting up a parish Twitter account. He and Fr. George will be meeting to further discuss this matter. 4. Joe asked the Council to review the material previously provided by Doug regarding the four major steps to parish pastoral planning (listening, visioning, planning, and implementation) in order to understand how far we’ve come and where we need to go in order to move forward. 5. Jean Kelly led the discussion on rewriting the Parish Mission Statement. Jean provided everyone with copies of all the submissions previously sent to her. Before the next meeting she will send these out again in electronic form along with the addition of Barbara’s submission. The discussion was fruitful and varied. It was suggested that all the Council members take time to review the various submissions before the next meeting. Meanwhile, Jean will provide a working copy of a suggested version of the Mission Statement that is a combination of the current statement and the suggested draft provided by Doug (based on results of the Parish Assembly). 6. Jim Goldberg led the discussion on goals (centered around the issues of evangelization, worship, and community). Jim provided everyone with a summary of those submissions he had received prior to the meeting. Because of time limits and the number of suggestions submitted, it was decided to limit the discussion to the topic of “evangelization”. A good part of the discussion centered around the need to be more clear about the difference between goals and objectives. George suggested we look more carefully at some of the guidelines previously provided by Doug from the above-mentioned workbook. The discussion ended with the suggestion that Jim try to “pull together” some of the ideas discussed. Until the next meeting Jim will be accepting further submissions for goals until (April 19) 7. Earlier in the evening Beth had suggested that it is important to keep the parish apprised of the progress of the pastoral planning process. Accordingly we decided that we will keep minutes of our meetings in order to record our progress in planning. From these minutes the Council will decide what/when/how this information should be shared with the wider community. [Jean reminded us that we should let the parish know that the Scripture study group, the reading group, and the opening up of the RCIA meetings to the wider parish were all responses to suggestions of the Parish Assembly.] 8. Frank suggested that the Council probably needs to meet more often in order to make more progress with this planning process. Accordingly it was decided that the Council would meet next on April 26 from 7 – 9. The already-scheduled meeting meeting for May 17 will remain on the calendar. Fr. George and Joe will meet to discuss possible more-frequent meeting dates for the rest of the year. 9. Suggested agenda for next meeting: 1. Prayer – led by Dick 2. Update on parish Twitter account – led by Jim 3. Discussion of Mission Statement – led by Jean 4. Discussion of goals (evangelization only) – led by Jim 5. Discussion of goals (community and worship) – whole Council 6. Discussion of “terms of office” for PPC members 7. Next steps Submitted by: Joe Daly	Click here to download the PDF version.