St. Mary's/Holy Family Parish Council and Property & Finance Committee
Thursday, April 7th, 2022, 7:00 p.m.
At Holy Family church
Present: P&F - Kenny MacLellan, Leonard MacLellan, Leaming Murphy, Jason MacLellan and Myrtle MacLellan
Parish Council – Mary Pendergast, Denise Jakubiak, Valerie Cyr
Regrets: Fr. Jay
Discussion regarding 'Next Steps':
· An active and engaged Parish Council and parish is crucial, as society 'opens up' again, and as we were all pleased to note that the ropes are now off the seats! Currently, Parish Council members are Mary, Denise, Valerie, Dot Peters, Don Clark, Courtney Wood, Patti Gill, and Peter Mc Carville. It was concluded that Parish Council needs to meet and take leadership in revitalizing the parish - some of the ways this can happen include the following:
PALM SUNDAY – April 10th
◦ Welcoming at the entrance for mass – we are starting this Sunday with this important practice, in preparation for an 'official new approach' Easter Sunday, the perfect Sunday for revitalization. Denise and Valerie will begin this service for Palm Sunday, but the goal is to have a monthly schedule for 'Greeters'. They will have name tags as we begin having people 'know' each other – a true community.
◦ A 'welcome' greeting from the pulpit – as we used to do. Valerie has offered to do that this Sunday – it used to be one of the readers, which she is for this Sunday, so that is in keeping with our previous practice. This would include noting who is who in the service – the priest, the readers, altar servers, etc
◦ Family to bring up Offertory gifts – if possible, the Greeters will ask a family to bring up the Offertory gifts – again as was our previous practice.
Next Steps – Easter and Easter Season
· A survey handed out by the Greeters – we need names and contact information, particularly emails, for parishioners and possible areas they might contribute to our parish.
· We need to encourage young families to return to church and a “Celebrating Families” service and/or picnic was discussed, possibly for early June. Our social space is very limited but there are ways we could have some kind of social time to follow mass with coffee/snacks and treats for children.
PROPERTY AND FINANCE:
· Meeting Space: A priority now for Property and Finance, as Kenny noted was made clear at the AGM, is to create a meeting space in the side chapel. It would not be ideal, but now with better weather here, one half of the area could be used for meetings and would answer that urgent need. The pews in the half facing Broadway St could fairly easily be removed, and it was discussed that the choir chairs could be moved to that area and the pews replace them for the choir. The chairs are easily moved around, and if needed they also have kneeling benches attached. There are folding tables available and between those chairs and tables a meeting space – for now – would be there.
· Roof Replacement: A committee to address the roof issue – badly in need of replacement – has been struck: Rob Gillis, Gilbert Arsenault, and Claire MacLellan. They have already started the process, but contractors are very busy these days, so it is something that may not get done this year.
· General Financial Matters: Kenny had an update for the first quarter of 2022, and it is clear from those figures that there will be major financial concerns for this parish if we fail to address the revitalization of the parish. P&F committee manage the finances – and property – but it is the Parish Council which needs to address the 'health' of the parish.
The Parish Council has some work to do!
Meeting adjourned at 8:00
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