St. Steven’s Pastoral Council

May 13, 2008

The meeting was called to order at 4:05 p.m. by Council President, Gerry Rooney. Attending were Pastor, Father Pierre, Business Administrator, Jack Gribben, council members present and the ministries for which each serves as liaison included Vice President, Mike Andera, (Arch/Building), Veronica Beemer, (Staff & Policies), Cheryl Burg (Health & Social, Legion of Mary), Mel Correa,(Religious Education), Al Forte (Arch/Building), Cecilia Gove (Ladies Guild, Health & Social), Jerry Higgins, Nancy Kaiser (Liturgy/Music, Health & Social) George LaFrance (Finance), Inez McGee (Respect Life) and Lucille Forte (Secretary).

Observers : Carol & Don Zech

Minutes for the April meeting were approved.

ARCHITECTURAL AND BUILDING PLANS

Steve Barduson and Jim Lloyd from BCDM came to the meeting and recommended a process for commencing the implementation of the Master Plan. The first stage of this implementation will involve a Feasibility Study to determine the building needs and priorites for St. Stevens. A Core Committee will need to be set up to work with the architects as they carry out this study . This Committee will consist of Mike Andera, Al Forte, Ben Desmaris, and, Henry Backer . All are presently members of the Architectural Committee. In addition sub-committees will also need to be established covering Administration, Education, Grounds, and, Worship, and, Communication . These sub-committees will work closely with the Core Committee and report back on a regular basis. BCDM will gladly work closely with these committees throughout the process. Jim Lloyd from BCDM will be the contact.

A Capital Expenditure Budget of $348,000 for fiscal year 2008/09 has been submitted to the Diocese for approval. The breakdown is as follows - Building Construction for Religious Education Classroom Space and for Office and Storage ($150,000), Courtyard Renovation ($98,000), Sanctuary Renovation ($16,000), Building Needs Study by BCDM Architects ( $12,000), Additional Architectural Fees as a result of Study ($12,000), and, Contingency Fees ($60,000)

STRATEGIC PLAN - STATUS REPORTS

GOAL II – OBJECTIVE 1 - Provide Instruction on The Mass

Jerry Higgins and Mel Correa have requested budget of $5,000. They are working on speakers and expect to have more information by next meeting.

GOAL II - OBJECTIVE 2 - Provide Programs that promote spiritual growth

A budget of $11,500 for fiscal year 2008/09 has been submitted by Larry Birlin and Veronica Beamer. This will cover a range of diverse programs such as Programs for Youth, Days of Recollection, Retreats for Men, Praise and Worship Programs .

GOAL III - OBJECTIVE 1 - Work with The Health Ministry to promote the health and well-being of parishioners.

Cheryl Burg, Cecelia Gove and Nancy Kaiser submitted a budget request of $3,900 for fiscal year 2008/09. This will include Dr. Johnson’s FFMA Program – a ten- part series on health of body, mind, spirit, and, participation in the 2009 Religious Education Congress Conference.

OVER-ALL BUDGET FOR IMPLEMENTATION

President Gerry Rooney will submit a request of $30,000 to cover costs for implementation of all goals for fiscal year 2008/09.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Finance Committee: George LaFrance reported some concerns by Finance Committee about having a non member present at meetings, due to the sensitivity of some matters. Father Pierre will meet with the committee.

Staff: The position of Director of Liturgy and Music is still open.

Religious Education: Mel Correa reported that Confirmation went very well. Classes are wrapping up for this year. Planning is underway for next year.

LITURGY /MUSIC: Nancy Kaiser reports all going well, despite the lack of a director.

Ladies Guild: Cecelia Gove attended the last meeting of the Guild until September. There was a donation of $5,000 made to St. Steven’s for new music books and 3 scholarships for next year, from the proceeds of the Fashion Show.

Health Ministry: Cheryl Burg reported an assessment was done by the Task Force on the activities of last year. Most will be continued with some small changes. Current emphasis is on getting speakers for next year.

Respect for Life: Precious Feet lapel pins were distributed on Mother’s Day, Ladies Guild has pledged a $1,000 donation and Health Ministry has requested that $500 donation from the Guild be transferred to Respect Life. Ann DeRose is negotiating for billboard space with Gila River. In order to go forward, $7,000 is needed to finalize a contract. President Gerry Rooney will see if he can include this amount in the Implementation Budget for The Strategic Plan.

Legion of Mary: Cheryl stated that the Annual Meeting held on March 13 went very well.

Other Business:

A Manager/Volunteer Leader is needed for the Call To Protect Program. A request will go into the bulletin. George La France said he would give some consideration to this position. His wife may also be interested.

Mel Correa mentioned that some parishoners would like to have more quiet time at Mass after Holy Communion - less singing at this time with perhaps some quiet background music. It was suggested that the 7.30 a.m. Mass is the most appropriate Mass to provide this quiet environment.

Closing Comments: Fr. Pierre said that he would be meeting the parents of the children enrolled in the Religious Education Program and he would talk to them about becoming more involved in the Parish. Father offered a closing prayer, and the meeting was adjourned at 6:00 p.m.

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