St. Mary’s
Leadership Community
Monday, May 5, 2008
LITURGY AND SPIRITUALITY:
OLD BUSINESS:
 | A Mass for the 12th grade students was celebrated on Sunday, June 1st at 12:15 PM. Three times the amount of students participated this year as compared with last year. Last year the Mass was held in August and that was too late; this year we chose early June and that conflicted with the graduations from Catholic High Schools. About 30 to 35 people joined us for the brunch in the rectory. About 57 people attended the Mass at 12:15 PM (that includes the 12th graders and their families). Pete Sheehan, a reporter from the LICC attended the Mass and wrote an article for the LICC. |
| The Ministry Fair (Pentecost) on May 10th went well. It was also Mother’s Day weekend. Many thanks to Denise for coordinating the events of the day. |
| Catholics Returning Home: About four or five people have been attending the meetings (Wednesday evenings at 7:30 PM). There will be a Mass on June 15th at 12:15 to mark the end of this process. |
| The Busy Person’s Retreat meets on Wednesday mornings. Sr. Patty and Dot Horstmann are guiding this experience. It will be offered again at various times throughout the year. |
| The Recommitment Ritual was celebrated on Memorial Day weekend (the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ). This annual ritual includes all Liturgical Ministers and the entire Assembly. |
| Fr. Pete’s celebration for his 60th anniversary went very well. |
ON-GOING BUSINESS:
| The next week of Directed Prayer will be held in July, during the week of VBS. |
| The Liturgy and Spirituality Circle will meet on July 10th to review the calendar for the coming pastoral season. We will look at the various blessings that we celebrate throughout the year and the liturgical seasons. We will plan for the major feast days. |
| The Parish Feast is celebrated this year on Friday, August 15th. Barbara will check with Kevin Wilson to make sure that the tent and chairs are ordered and we will check with Claire about the refreshments offered after each of the Masses. The public address system has to be set up, as well as moving all the liturgical appointments. Don’t forget that before the first Mass in the morning (7:30 AM), the chairs might have to be wiped down. The watering system also has to be shut off for the day. The holy cards are already here. |
| Forgiveness Weekend will be celebrated June 7th and 8th. There will be time for sharing with one another on forgiveness. Fr. Steve will lead each of the services. We ask God to bless us as a new season begins, a season filled with God’s great love. |
NEW BUSINESS:
| We have to order AT HOME WITH THE WORD, the LECTOR WORKBOOKS and the ADVENT booklets. If the forms arrive before the end of June, Steve will place the order. If not the Liturgy and Spirituality Circle will work with Fr. Babinski on the order. We also have to take a look at the flower order for the feast days. Please check with Teresa Van Buren about the flower order. The changing of the hangings from the ceiling can become hectic at times. Jackie Lavery usually coordinates this along with Frank P. The Mass book indicates the colors of the seasons. |
| We will work on bringing TWO new members to the Liturgy and Spirituality Circle. |
| Liturgy and Spirituality will host hospitality in January and May of 2009 for the Leadership Community meetings. We will host Hospitality Sunday in September. |
PARISH SOCIAL MINISTRY
· On Ministry Sunday PSM raised $175 from the sale of books. The money goes to Asha Deep in India. There was also a discussion about the value of having people sign up at the Ministry Fair or just providing them with information and having the sign up at a different time.
· Ministry of Reassurance: At one time this was an active ministry, but over time it stopped. Our hope is to revitalize this important ministry. It involves writing, calling and visiting. This vital ministry is being initiated by Sr. Ellen, a social worker and a volunteer.
· RAINBOWS: The next session will get underway in September. The planning will begin very soon. It is challenging to find qualified people who have the time and interest in coordinating this ministry. Many of the families expressed a belief that it should be longer than the current 8-week program.
· The OFFERING OF LETTERS went well on May 31st and June 1st. The letters will be a part of this week’s Offertory procession at Mass and then the letters will be delivered to the offices of our Senators and Representatives.
· There was a discussion on: What ideas should PSM consider in 2008-2009? It was agreed that we will strengthen and improve existing programs and ministries.
· On June 5th Sophia Cares will meet at 7:15 PM in the Joseph Room. The discussion will be: “Feels like Home.” On July 25th Sophia Cares will meet; the presenter will be Sr. Diane Capozzi and the theme is: “A Mid-Summer’s Night Dream.”
· PSM will host Prayer and Hospitality for the Leadership Meeting in November of 2008 and April of 2009. The Ministry of Consolation will host Hospitality Sunday in April of 2009.
STEWARDSHIP AND ADMINISTRATION
· Capital Campaign: New lighting has been installed in the parking lots, the work in the rectory is nearing completion, about $30,000 remains in the bank. Projects will wait until the funds are rebuilt.
· On June 17th and 19th we will hold two Listening Sessions in SHH to follow up on the ME 25. The questions are: At St. Mary’s do you regularly have the opportunity to do what you do best? If so, how or in what ways? In the last month, have you received recognition or praise from someone in the parish? If so, give a brief explanation on how. Is there someone in St. Mary’s who encourages your spiritual development? If so please give a brief explanation on how.
· CMA: We have raised about 50% of our goal. Our goal is $100,000. We have raised about $50,000.
· There will be a Summer Appeal for July, August and September. The mailing should go out in mid-June. We are asking for $175 for each month.
· The Autumn Leaves Dinner Dance is set for OCTOBER 25th at the Irish Coffee Pub. The honorees are Nick and Cathy Roberts.
· The Ministry Fair went well. Feedback was very positive.
· Stewardship and Administration have Prayer and Hospitality for the Leadership meeting in August of 2008.
FORMATION
| Fr. Steve’s reception is set for June 22nd from 1:30 PM until 4:00 PM following the 12:15 PM Mass. The school had a great celebration for Fr. Steve on May 20th. |
| The Formation Gathering (Catechist/Mentor) was held in May. We had a good number of people. The prayer, sharing and refreshments were all appreciated. Two gatherings are planned for 2008-2009. |
| Confirmation: The diocese has established guidelines for the celebration and preparation for Confirmation. Confirmation will be celebrated in the fall of 7th grade. We will celebrate Confirmation in October of 2008, but we will not celebrate Confirmation in 2009. There have been two parent meetings to explain the changes. There has also been two Prayer Services for the candidate and his or parent(s). There will be a make-up one on June 10th. |
| The response to RETURN to the Sacraments has been encouraging. A woman has also expressed an interest in the RCIA. |
| We will work on creating a fall calendar of parish events. |
| NETWORK will be visiting on Sunday, SEPTEMBER 14th from 2:00 PM until 4:00 PM to lead a workshop on the upcoming elections in November. |
| The Advent Retreat will be from November 30th until December 3rd. It will be led by Fr. Richard Fragomeni. |
| Formation has Prayer and Hospitality in December of 2008 and in February of 2009. |
COMMUNITY LIFE:
| Christian Koehler fundraising event will be held at Lilly Flanagan’s in late June. We will create a basket from the parish to offer our support. Please consider making a donation to the gift basket. |
| The Inclusion Committee has initiated a ministry for children with special needs to make crafts that can be used at our parish gatherings. |
| TRIKE-A-THON will be held on June 7th from Noon until 3:00 PM at St. Mary’s. |
| The parish school hosted a Celebrate Fr. Steve Day on May 20th. It is also suggested that the Parish Picnic scheduled for September 6th be an event for the parish and school families. |
| We need volunteers for Hospitality in
November, January, February and March.
THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF DATES FOR THE UPCOMING LEADERSHIP COMMUNITY MEETINGS August 4, 2008 September 8, 2008 October 6, 2008 November 3, 2008 December 15, 2008 January 5, 2009 February 2, 2009 March 2, 2009 April 20, 2009 May 4, 2009 June 1, 2009 |
Thanks for all that you do! Have a great summer!
Sincerely
yours in the peace of Christ,