Members Present: Fr. Jim, Lorie Frink, Judy LeMieux, Arlene Osterlund, Ray Radtke,
Jon Shamla, Michael Woods
Others Present: Janet LeBard, Mary Margaret Sitek, Jay & Jenna Wojciechowski
Fr. Jim and council members prayed the Invitatory, Psalm 95.
The Parish Mission Statement was read by Judy LeMieux.
The agenda was approved as written with three additions.
Correspondence
Fr. Jim passed copies of a note he recently received from a father and son who attended Mass here this past weekend. The note spoke of the “amazing experiences” they had at our parish. The note also spoke of how welcoming our parish is and thanked Fr. Jim and our parishioners for the warm welcome and how thankful they were that God brought them to our parish. Council members thanked Fr. Jim for sharing this note.
Prior to beginning the agenda, Janet LeBard, spoke to the council concerning plans to renew our program in which we welcome new parishioners to our parish. She shared a folder that was used in the past and stated she would use the same type of process as years ago. Janet stated she has 3-4 parish members who will assist her. A suggestion was made to plan a “Coffee and Conversation” to welcome new members.
Following Janet’s presentation, Jay & Jenna Wojciechowski spoke on Evangelization & Discipleship. They noted several areas of importance including: structure items that are needed such as ramp into the garden room, a railing to the lectern, ways we can engage our parish family more, encourage members to come back to Mass, and bridging the gap between generations. Council members agreed on the need to re-ignite the faith in our hearts. The goal is to bring Jesus back into our hearts. An evangelization deanery meeting will be held at St. Francis in March.
Old Business
a. Defibrillator:
Judy reported that she has spoken to one of the firemen and he informed her that an instructional meeting is not needed for the defibrillator. It is a simple process which he stated the first step is to immediately call 911 and someone who is familiar with the process to provide help to the person in need of breathing assistance. Fr. Jim and Ernie plan to find an ideal spot for the defibrillator and get it into place.
b. Pictorial Directory:
Arlene stated that they are in the final stages of getting the extra pages finished. She indicated that this should be done by the end of the month. She said the company representative has been very helpful in the process.
c. Grant/City of Superior:
Fr. Jim informed the council that our parish received a $30,000 grant from the City of Superior and this will be used to purchase a new bell system. There will be some monies left after paying for the system which will be used to have a service come to clean the belfry which is currently riddled with bat feces.
d. Catholic Services Appeal:
Fr. Jim distributed copies of the status report which stated we still need to raise $24,563.00 to reach our goal of $63,338.00. Fr. Jim said Steve Tarnowski continues to follow up by sending notices to those who have not donated.
New Business
a. Christmas Review:
Fr. Jim asked council members for comments on our Advent and Christmas services, as well as the décor for the many liturgies we celebrated. Councilors all agreed it was another beautiful season. Our Christmas Collection was over $60,000.00. The Advent Retreat was very well attended and the Giving Tree was a huge success.
Committee Reports
a. Religious Education Report:
Fr. Jim said classes have resumed after holiday break. First Communion is scheduled for Sunday, May 5th at the 10:30 Mass and Confirmation is planned for Friday, May 3 at the Cathedral. Our religious education volunteers are always treated to a special dinner in thanksgiving for their work in our program. This year we will host them in the Spring.
b. Altar Society:
Arlene Osterlund informed the council that the Annual Cookie Stroll was very successful with a profit of over $4,000.00. Cookies were sold out in little over an hour. Arlene stated that they will be discontinuing the Christmas Items Sale. These types of items can be brought to the “This N’ That” sale in the spring. The group’s next event will be the Salad Bar Luncheon on February 10th.
c. Cathedral School:
Jon Shamla informed the council that Catholic Schools Week will be celebrated January 28- February 3. A Pancake Breakfast is planned for Sunday, January 28th from 8 AM – Noon. There is a need for substitute teachers.
d. Liturgy:
Fr. Jim indicated that Masses are planned through Ash Wednesday. Fr. Jim stated that the choir is sounding beautiful and at times there as many as 25 singers! Fr. Jim asked council members what they feel about returning the chalice at our liturgies. Council noted it would be much safer to wait a while for this. He also asked their opinion on distributing ashes. For the last two years Q-tips were used and were not very effective. After discussion it was decided we would go back to the original use of hands to apply the ashes.
e. Social Action:
Judy LeMieux reported three Christmas Baskets were given out. Things in the food shelf are doing well. A-1 Movers are once again donating several pounds of food to our food shelf.
f. Building Committee:
Jon Shamla stated that work will proceed on building a railing near the lectern. Ernie Harker is building a “mock-up” for review.
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 at 4:30 in the Garden Room.
Fr. Jim led the group in praying the Hail Mary.
The meeting closed at 6:30 PM.
Respectfully Submitted
Mary Margaret Sitek