ST. BONIFACE PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL
MINUTES – JANUARY 24, 2008
The meeting was opened at 7:00 p.m. For faith formation, Carol Roosa shared an excerpt from a presentation she had prepared about Baptism.
Roll call was taken. Members Present: Father Joe, Tim Banish, Dave Bracken, Lisa Biedenbach, Bob Frerick, Jeanne Guenthner, Beth Kessler, Tom LeSaint, Amy Porta, Ruthann Sammarco, Mary Ann Thaler, Henry Wesseler, Rosemary Welz. Carol Roosa was also present.
The minutes of the November 29 meeting were approved as published.
Old Business:
Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) -- Father Joe reported that he had checked with the chancery about the legal aspects of an AED. He also discussed the matter with some physicians. The general consensus was that we probably do not need an AED in the church. Discussion was then held about having more parishioners trained in CPR. Carol Roosa will explore the cost of CPR training and we will then determine how many parishioners are interested in being trained.
Parish Survey -- Tim Banish distributed copies of the parish survey that was conducted several months ago along with the number of responses to each item. Discussion was held about which items were of most interest and a suggestion was made to combine spiritual activities with small, informal social gatherings. It was also suggested that contacting parishioners on a one-to-one basis, rather than having them respond to a survey could obtain more responses.
Spiritual Book Club -- Several people have responded to the flyer about the Spiritual Book Club. There will be a meeting on February 3 to give an overview of the club. The meetings are scheduled for March 16, May 18, September 21 and November 16.
Parish Council Elections -- Tim Banish, Tom LeSaint, and Henry Wesseler volunteered to serve on the nominating committee. Parish Council elections will be held in May. There are five positions to be filled. Four of the outgoing members are eligible to run for reelection.
Fish Fries -- St. Boniface will again be having Fish Fries from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on the Fridays during Lent. Flyers have been distributed to stores and there will also be a flyer in the bulletin. There will be advertising in the Catholic Telegraph and also on the parish website.
For the Good of the Parish:
Father Joe and Council members reported the following.
· There are currently approximately 160 students enrolled in St. Boniface School. Catholic Schools Week is January 28 through February 2. Rosemary Welz gave a brief outline of the activities planned for the school. A complete calendar of events will be in the bulletin the weekend of January 27-28.
· The Four Chaplains Mass will be Sunday, February 10, at 12:00 noon.
· Ash Wednesday is February 6. Easter is March 23. There will be services on every Wednesday during Lent except Wednesday of Holy Week. The Penance Service will be March 12 and there will be a soup supper in the rectory before the service. Palm Sunday is March 16. Father encouraged everyone to participate in as many of the Holy Week services as possible.
· A financial report was distributed. At the end of December, the parish was approximately $39,100 ahead. Father thanked everyone for the generous Christmas collection of $40,000.
· Ed Gettler is applying for the deaconate program.
· Lisa reported that, in June, the Church will begin a year in honor of St. Paul. Lisa asked if the parish could provide some type of faith formation regarding St. Paul, whose birthday is celebrated on June 29. Lisa will prepare a flyer for the bulletin.
The next meeting will be March 27. The meeting was closed at 8:15 p.m. with prayer by Father Joe.
Respectfully submitted,
Rosemary Welz, Secretary