Holy Cross Pastoral Council Minutes

February 22, 2011

 

Present:    Fr. Richard, Dave Culver, Jan Arias, Jim Miles, Pat Reiley, Donovan McGee, Don Cirino, Carole Kissel, Mercedes Arancibias

 

Apologies:  Kris Chatfield, Joan Ford

 

The meeting was opened with a prayer.

 

·         Pastor’s Comments – Fr. Richard indicated that the leak in the roof has been repaired and that a full replacement of the roof is not necessary.  Due to budgetary constraints, we will not be replacing any staff members who leave Holy Cross at this time.  The recent play “Sound of Music” was a huge success and Father thanked everyone who was involved.  There is a concern that the church is left open during the day on most days.  All locks will be replaced and new keys issued to those who require them, in an effort to reduce our exposure to vandalism and theft.

 

·         Ministry Feedback - Donovan will assign the ministries among the Council members for feedback and follow-up.  Each ministry will be encouraged to attend a Ministry Retreat.  The aim of the retreat is to align the goals of the ministry with those of Holy Cross and to brainstorm ideas to reach out across cultural boundaries to further ministry integration.  The date is yet to be determined.

 

·         Memorial Garden - After further investigation into the Columbarium at All Saints, the establishment of a similar facility at Holy Cross is looking remote, predominantly due to the initial costs involved.

 

·         Pentecost Potluck – The Pastoral Council has agreed to assist the Social Committee in hosting a Pentecost Potluck Vigil dinner on June 12th, following Mass.  Pat Riley will call Gina Burke to attend the next Pastoral Council meeting on March 8th.

 

·         Parish Unity Concerns – Although the goal of unity between the Hispanic and Anglo communities is moving forward in some areas, specifically with the Life Teen and Edge programs, there are still some areas of major concern that need to be addressed.  It was brought to the Pastoral Council’s attention that while there appears to be ample ministry activity after the Sunday morning Masses, that activity (promotion of events, ticket sales, etc.) is lacking after the 1:30pm Mass.  Many ministries are still viewed as either English or Spanish, when they should be inclusive to all members of the parish.  There is a high level of concern, based on specific incidents that have occurred recently, that many ministry leaders and members still regard Holy Cross as two distinct and separate parishes.  Other issues were raised that indicate that we still have some work to do in the area of parish unity.  It was agreed that part of the solution would be to foster integration within the ministries so that both Spanish and English communities are represented and feel welcome to participate.  This will also help resolve the immediate issue of staffing of event and ticket tables at the 6:30 Saturday and 1:30 Sunday Masses.  Both Don Cirino and Mercedes Arancibia are prepared to act as communication liaisons for these Masses.  Parish unity will be a topic that will be addressed during the upcoming Ministry retreat.

 

·         Next Meeting – Our next meeting is scheduled for March 8, 2011 at 7:00pm.

 

 

The meeting was closed in prayer.

 

Respectfully Submitted, Kris Chatfield