PASTORAL COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
TUESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2017
PASTOR REPORT
A parish Evangelization Committee has been formed. Will work in small groups to promote evangelization within the parish boundaries.
Fr. John made a request of Pastoral Council members to pray (and perhaps also fast) each Friday for the cause of evangelization within our parish.
Fr. John made a request to the Worship Council to engage in evangelization efforts – perhaps with a retreat.
CARE & JUSTICE
Involvement in the Bridges Out of Poverty program is kicking off
Wisdom and Works of Mercy study will start up soon
Will coordinate a donation drive in September to support Sister Jose Women’s Center
Will coordinate a medical equipment drive in October
Looking for suggestions on other drives
FACILITIES
Parish is in the process of obtaining bids to remove a couple of large saguaros that are in a state of decay
A new cleaning company for the church, parish hall, and office has been hired on a provisional basis. Over six months, staff will evaluate their performance and decide whether or not to continue with their service.
Minor grounds clean-up will be scheduled within the next couple of months, with the regular semi-annual grounds clean-up likely in November.
Church wifi has been secured in order to limit access to the network and free up bandwidth to improve the functionality of the video streaming equipment
FAITH FORMATION
No meeting; members present joined the Worship Council for this month’s meeting
FINANCE
Researching TEP pricing plans in order to ensure the parish will get the most favorable rates based on our power usage
Oro Valley is in the process of annexing two large parcels of land in the immediate vicinity of the church
Finance Council and Fr. John are in the process of determining whether or not to move forward with the proposed Shannon Road access project that was discussed at the May Pastoral Council meeting. The project would involve construction of an access road linking the existing parking lot directly to Shannon Road. The project consultant estimates the construction cost at approximately $500,000. Moving forward with the project at this time would offer some cost savings as it could be performed by the contractor that is already mobilized for the ongoing Tangerine road project.
Revenue has been up. As a result, the parish currently has a surplus of approximately $250,000. Finance Council and Fr. John are in discussions to determine the best use of surplus funds. Paydown of church mortgage debt or funding of the Shannon Road access project are two options being considered.
The memorialization wall project is complete. The donor panels have been installed in the hallway just of the narthex.
The parish has engaged a consultant to upgrade/enhance the church sound system with the goal of eliminating poor sound quality and low volume that are experienced in some parts of the church
The parish is in a very good financial position due in large part to the success of the On-line Giving and Increased Offertory Program efforts
The number of families registered at the parish has increased by approximately 100 over the past year
STEWARDSHIP
Council is formulating ideas to welcome returning Snowbirds back to the parish in the Fall
Parish has filled the Director of Volunteers position
Discussion regarding the implementation of a post-mass prayer ministry
Exploring ways to “pull” volunteers into parish ministry as opposed to “pushing” parishioners to volunteer their time and talent
Fr. John suggested the possibility of conducting a survey of existing volunteers to gauge interest in various ministries
WORSHIP
Discussion on ways in which the council can have a greater impact in the parish
Will begin a review of the Roman Missal
Exploring the possibility of inviting guest speakers to the council on various liturgical topics
Discussion regarding ways in which to promote evangelization
AT LARGE
No report
GENERAL BUSINESS
Brief general discussion of the parish music ministry