ST. MARY STAR OF THE SEA, PARISH COUNCIL


Minutes of Parish Council Regular meeting, September 7, 2004

At 7 pm, President Bob Bonato welcomed Fr. Golas to the meeting. Father Golas thanked the board for the Mass cards and prayers during his recent illness.

Father then read the first ten verses from Chapter 15 of the Gospel according to St. Luke. Father mentioned that the gospel shows that God will deal with sinners in His own way-which may not be in the way we would expect Him to act.

In attendance were the council members Robert Bonato, President, James Doyle, Vice President, Neil Lynch, Historian, Joseph Fish, Secretary, Carole Charette, Ed O'Reilly, Judy Welcome, Rick Daddario and Maury Goldberg. Trustees Ed Cruess, Sr. and Clare Archer, Deacon Michael Sponzo and Father John Golas were also present. Absent from the meeting were council members Thomas Carrier, Pat and Paul Robotham, Deacon Tom Sutak and MaryLou Meigs.

Bob Bonato thanked all in attendance and asked that any errors in the contact list be brought to his attention. He noted the numerous, non-member, committee chairpersons and that they are essential to the mission of the Parish Council.
br> June meeting notes had previously been distributed. A motion to accept was made by N. Lynch, seconded by E. Cruess and passed by voice vote.

Committee Reports:

RCIA Deacon Mike Sponzo reported there are at present six members in the program, meeting in the Hospitality room on the last Tuesday of the month through the Easter Vigil. There are presently two candidates and two who haven't been baptized. -Deacon Sponzo explained that October 2004 through October 2005 has been declared "The Year of the Eucharist " by Pope John Paul II and that the relevant publication is the Encyclical, " Church of the Eucharist." There are four seasons in the celebration and there is to be a class on the Encyclical and its teachings during the day in the months of October, December, January and April. Approximately six to twelve participants are expected.

Confirmation Jane Derasadourian reported on the need for parents of the confirmation class of ninth & tenth grade Confirmation students to be involved for one or two sessions of lessons. She noted this would help bridge the gap between the CCD and Confirmation programs.

Liturgy The committee's first meeting for the year will be September 27; the other event is the September 16th lecture training by Father John Gatzak from the Diocese.

Women's Guild Marilyn Slabinski reported that the first meeting is the Tea on September 21. -There will be coffee and donuts served at the masses on the second Sunday of the month starting in October and running through April.
-There are at present two, fund-raising events planned-the annual Pasta Supper on October 20, and a sale of pies purchased from Lyman Orchard starting September 9 through the end of October with delivery from 11:20 AM to 1:20 pm on November 20.

Website The website maintained for the parish needs an updated list of lectors scheduled, and a link to provide a way to show the Council minutes. There had been a hit count of 12,000 in August, that brought the inception to date total to 116,000. Ed O'Reilly mentioned the plan to add links to download blank forms for parish member application and CCD/RCIA registration.
-Bob asked the heads of the various committees to inform Ed O'Reilly of details of their committees so that he can include them on the site.
-Neil Lynch noted the website really fulfilled the function of the Communication Committee as outlined in the by-laws of the council.

Music Rick Daddario reported the first choir practice was to be September 15-he expects there to be 29 members in the choir. The choir will sing at all masses in a rotating schedule. A choir picnic will be held on April 22.

New Church Father Golas reported on the following updates:
-There is a meditation area that is open to all for private prayer behind the altar. The access is through the sanctuary and is open and available for passage unless there is a service in progress.
-The West side door will be planed to reduce the sticking caused by the recent weather.
-The third circular, stained-glass window, redesigned, was set over the altar in late July.
-The Décor Committee is getting new chairs and furniture for the hospitality room and the Gathering Space, provided for through the regular, parish operating funds.
-The St. Mary's Church sign has been moved to the lawn of the new church.
-Furniture, plaques and display panels are being brought over from the old church.
-The old wainscoting from the main sanctuary will be installed in the hospitality room.
-The memorialized sections of the sanctuary, stained-glass windows will be incorporated with portions of the large, rose window above the entrance of the old church to be displayed in the Gathering Space at the window wall. Rich Kaiser is attending to the design with the fabricator. Rich, our architect, is reviewing the last details of the new church's construction in anticipation of the project's completion.
-Pews are being sold and distributed by lottery due to demand by parishioners.

Old Church Committee Fr. Golas reported for Jon Leblanc, chairman of the Old Church Committee, that it was determined the old church structure was not suitable to be used for any public function due to many of the reasons noted before, and was scheduled to be razed before becoming a safety hazard. Jones Destruction Company was selected from three bidders as having the most complete bid. The bid was submitted and approved by the Archbishop's office. The cost is $67,000. The contract and demolition work will commence after obtaining a permit and two prior conditions- the disconnection of utilities and the removal of hazardous materials. The study/report of 8/20 performed by Eagle Environment Services citing primarily an asbestos hazard and removal is expected to run approximately $90,000, which is in addition to the actual cost of the study and razing the church. Several firms are bidding on the abatement contract.

-We are trying to plan a ceremony for the old and new churches, possibly including the removal of the old building cornerstone. It will be a way of saying goodbye to the old and receiving the new. Discussion included a concern that the old church structure might be unsafe to include in a ceremony but it could be held near it or in the new church. Possible use of parish archive photos showing the church in use rather than in its present state was mentioned. Ed O'Reilly will work on this committee for which setting an event date is contingent on the razing progress. Fr. Golas is inquiring about an appropriate liturgical service.

Old Business Bob reviewed old agenda items and set them as goals for this year:

-The re-institution of a program to foster 'Small Christian Communities will start soon. One activity of this might be to reflect on the weekly readings from Mass. Father Golas mentioned that "a booklet is available from the Pastoral Department for Small Christian Communities of the Archdiocese called Quest". Brother Bob Moriarty is head of this department and Fr. Golas will invite him to the November 9 meeting to explain the program.
-A parish photo directory was discussed as a possibility. Judy Welcome offered to gather more details as to the cost and time involved and report to the committee at a future date. -Father Golas outlined the structure, purpose and history of 'The Legion of Mary', a co-ed society for lay people based on daily, personal rosary and doing spiritual works in the parish. Father will spearhead the initiative for this outreach organization.

New Business

Social Committee Bob asked if a Social Activity Committee was needed. Several members of the council felt it was a good idea to promote the feeling of the parish as a social, community group. Rich Daddario volunteered to be a part of such a committee. A monthly social for teens on a Friday from 7 pm to 9 pm was an example of what could be done.

Building and Grounds Committee Bob opened discussion on the possible expansion of the role of the present Cemetery Committee to include oversight of the church, Hart House, rectory and the grounds. The idea was for the committee to identify and prioritize maintenance needs.

Education Committee Discussion included a request for an education committee to review the Pre-Baptism through RCIA programs to ensure all parish members' educational needs are met.

Other Notes

-Bob noted that parish member and usher Walter Meyers was ill.
-Father Golas celebrates the twenty-third anniversary of his ordination as a priest on September 26. The Council pledged its support to Fr. Golas after Bob praised him for bringing our church and worship to a grander level.

-Father Golas led the Council in a closing prayer. The meeting was adjourned at 8:55pm.

Respectfully submitted,
Joseph Fish, Secretary


-Please let Bob Bonato know if you can serve on any of the committees.
-Next meeting: Tues, November 9