| St Charles Church .org |  |
|||||
| News & Events | Faith | Ministries | Parish | Volunteer | Help | Contact Us |
|
|
|
||||||||||||||
Parish Council minutes are available to all parishioners here and in the parish library in the Council minutes binder. The library version also contains monthly reports and other documents referenced as "attached" in the minutes.
2002 December | November | October | September | June or go to 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998 or 1997 or go to this year's minutes
Attending: Andrea Bender (Education), Anne Biedscheid (Hospitality), Carol Brown (Secretary), Rev. Gerry Creedon (Pastor), Carolyn Gretzinger (Parish Council President), Betty Anne Hanna (Liturgy), Patricia McKenna (Neighborhood A/B), Jan Macdonald (Neighborhood E), Teresa Madrid (Neighborhood F), TJ Murphy (Social Justice), Charlie Sullivan (Stewardship), Carmelita and Roy Tucker (Neighborhood C) and Eleanor and Milt Werthmann (Community Life),Jean Sweeney (Pastoral Counselor and liaison to the Community Life Ministry, representing the Pastoral Team), Anna LaNave (graduate intern from Washington Theological Union who is assisting St. Charles in the areas of adult faith formation and RCIA)
7:34 p.m. - Meeting called to order
Faith Formation:
The meeting opened with prayer led by Jan Macdonald and faith formation led by Anna LaNave. Faith formation consisted of a reflection on Mark 13:33-37 and sharing of the ways in which we spiritually prepare ourselves and our families to celebrate Christmas.
Approval of Minutes from the Previous Meetings:
The minutes of the November Parish Council Meeting were approved as submitted.
Pastoral Team Report:
Jean Sweeney provided an update of the Community Life ministry activities. This ministry is focused on team formation for faith sharing and encompasses the Moms Ministry, the Children of God’s Love Prayer Group, C’YA, the Circle of Caring, the Web Team and the Marriage Circle. The following activities were highlighted:
Preparations for the Parish Town Halls:
A proposed agenda for the Parish Town Halls that will be held December 7th and 8th was discussed. Changes were made to the agenda in order to efficiently utilize the time that representatives of the architect and construction company for the Parish Community Center will be available. The need for Spanish-language translators was discussed and translators will be recruited for the Town Halls.
Parish Goals and Ministry/Neighborhood Objectives for FY04:
The Parish goals and objectives are organized under the theme of evangelization. This structure will remain the same in FY04. It will be helpful to simplify the objectives so that they can be easily communicated to the entire Parish. As we go throughout the year, progress in achieving the goals will be evaluated. The Parish will face a fresh challenge in FY04 in managing the Parish Community Center and administering all Parish facilities. FY04 objectives will be considered at the January Parish Council meeting. Parish Council members are encouraged to include any new needs, unmet needs or additional activities that their ministries need to undertake, in formulating their FY04 objectives. Any ideas for strategic planning or objective formulation should be forwarded to Carolyn Gretzinger or to Fr. Creedon.
Upcoming Activities:
Highlights of Ministry/Neighborhood Reports:
Closing Prayer
Meeting Adjourned at 9:30 pm
Attending: Monica Beaston (Secretary, substitute), Andrea Bender (Education), Anne M. Biedscheid (Hospitality), Tim Brady (Stewardship/Facilities), Colleen Brennan (Neighborhood D), Steve Brown (Parish Community Center Committee), Patricia Buckley (Volunteer Coordinator), Kathy Censky (Neighborhood A/B), Monica Craven (Parish Community Center Committee Chairperson), Fr. Gerry Creedon (Pastor), Gail Goodridge (Social Justice, substitute), Carolyn Gretzinger (President), Neyda Jara (Latin American Community), Anne Marie Kaufmann, (Pastoral Team), Teresa Madrid (Neighborhood F), Fr. Francisco Mendez (Parochial Vicar), Kathleen Murray (Neighborhood E), Charlie Sullivan (Stewardship), Roy and Carmelita Tucker (Neighborhood C) and Milt and Eleanor Werthmann (Community Life).
7:38 p.m. - Meeting called to order by Carolyn and a beautiful, original opening prayer by Colleen
Faith Formation:
Anne Marie Kaufmann led Members through a faith formation sharing exercise that focused on the second goal of an evangelizing parish, “The Call to Invite: Sharing Our Faith Freely.” The session featured handouts and a discussion of the Gospel reading on Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well.
Approval of Minutes from the Previous Meetings:
Members unanimously approved the October 9 meeting minutes as amended.
Pastoral Team Report:
Anne Marie Kaufmann reported on youth and adult programs at St. Charles. She discussed the Sunday religious education classes, the successful growing youth programs of On The Way and WAY and the Landings program for returning Catholics, which needs a new coordinator. She also mentioned the Latin American Community religious education program and described the parish’s faith sharing opportunities, including Adult Education events (i.e. the Monday Night Lecture Series, “Conversations with Creedon” and Anna LaNave’s small faith sharing groups for Lent).
Fr. Mendez presented his ideas for displaying the parish’s mission statement and the photos of parish council and pastoral team members. He also discussed additional displays that might be developed, particularly after the new Parish Community Center is built. For example, we might have a display of St. Charles’ Vision Statement and one listing the events of the upcoming week or month, etc. Fr. Mendez was in the process of researching the matter further, including by looking at what other parishes chose to display. Members applauded Ms. Kaufmann and Fr. Mendez for their outstanding efforts.
Liturgucal Report:
Fr. Creedon and Fr. Mendez gave an overview of the new liturgical changes that will go into effect on the First Sunday of Advent. Fr. Creedon highlighted the need to work with Members of St. Charles’ Liturgy Committee, including such persons as Natalie Le and Monica Perz-Waddington, regarding the liturgical changes and the Christmas Mass schedule. He also announced that Jack Lane has agreed to serve as the new Chair of the Liturgy Committee.
Parish Community Center Report:
Monica Craven, Steve Brown, who serves as the parish’s liaison to the construction crew, and Tim Brady reported on new developments regarding the building of the new parish community center. The construction was proceeding according to schedule. Steve was working with the State of Virginia to obtain permission for adding new curb cuts to the parking lot entrances.
Members unanimously endorsed the idea of naming the center’s social hall “Benedict Hall” in honor of Sister Benedict and the many contributions given to St. Charles over the years by the Benedictine order.
Tim presented his Report to the Parish Council on Community Center Planning for Oversight, Staffing, Scheduling, and Operations dated November 6, 2002. Members discussed the best methods to streamline the scheduling of events in the new center with an emphasis on the need for procedures to be user-friendly. Teresa Madrid mentioned the need for the Community Center manager to be bilingual.
Volunteer Development/Welcome Receptions:
Patricia Buckley reported that St. Charles had already signed up over 200 new volunteers and mentioned the desire to develop an e-mail list whose members periodically would receive information on volunteer opportunities. Members discussed how best to accomplish this, touching upon such issues as parental controls and the need for judicious use of e-mail messages. Gail Goodridge mentioned that Social Justice already has a successful e-mail list in place, and Teresa Madrid reported that phone calls had been a very effective recruiting tool in her Neighborhood with respect to gaining new volunteers. The use of interactive phone messages was also discussed. Carolyn Gretzinger suggested that monthly reports to the Parish Council could include information on each ministry’s and neighborhood’s volunteer follow-up activities.
With respect to recognizing volunteers, Fr. Creedon mentioned that Parish Council members could submit to him and Carolyn their ministry’s or neighborhood’s nominee for the Glyne Goodridge Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service, which will be presented at the Parish Christmas Party on December 22. The deadline for receipt of nominations is December 4. Fr. Creedon also thanked Patricia for her excellent flyer presenting current volunteer needs in the parish.
Town Halls:
Members discussed the topics that might be considered at the three Town Halls scheduled for December 7-8 (i.e., new liturgical changes, parish community center update) and the importance of translators for the Spanish-speaking community. The Town Hall agenda envisions a two-part program—one part dealing with issues related to the larger Church and one on specific parish concerns. Members were encouraged to participate in the Town Halls.
Ministry Reports:
Given the late hour of the evening, Members limited their ministry reports to abbreviated highlights. Members rejected the suggestion to provide each other with hard-copy monthly reports. Milt and Eleanor Werthmann shared information about the outstanding Circle of Caring ministry, including a note of thanks to its coordinator Peter Dirr for taping homilies and for overseeing their transcription. Fr. Creedon commented on the success of the Seniors’ Teas with the Pastor.
Closing Prayer
Carolyn thanked all of the Members and the meeting’s special guests for coming. Everyone was reminded to attend the November Welcome Receptions. The meeting closed with a prayer at 9:38pm.
Attending: Andrea Bender (Education), Anne Biedscheid (Hospitality), Colleen Brennan (Neighborhood D), Carol Brown (Secretary), Kathy Censky (Neighborhood A/B), Rev. Gerry Creedon (Pastor), Carolyn Gretzinger (Parish Council President), Betty Anne Hanna (Liturgy), Nedya Jara (Latin American Community), Jan Macdonald (Neighborhood E), Teresa Madrid (Neighborhood F), TJ Murphy (Social Justice), Charlie Sullivan (Stewardship), Carmelita Tucker (Neighborhood C) and Eleanor and Milt Werthmann (Community Life), Dan Marrin (Social Justice Coordinator, representing the Pastoral Team), Anna LaNave (graduate intern from Washington Theological Union who is assisting St. Charles in the areas of adult faith formation and RCIA)
7:32 p.m. - Meeting called to order with an OPENING PRAYER by Anna LaNave
Faith Formation:
The meeting opened with prayer and faith formation led by Anna. Faith formation consisted of a reflection on Acts 2:42-47 and a discussion of the objectives that the St. Charles community should puruse in order to achieve Goal 1 from the USCCB's "Go and Make Disciples": To bring about in all Catholics such an enthusiasm for their faith that, in living their faith in Jesus, they freely share it with others.
Approval of Minutes from the Previous Meetings:
The Minutes of the June and September Parish Councel Meetings were approved as submitted
Pastoral Team Report:
In an effort to ensure that the parish calendar is efficiently updated, a revised process has been instituted for calendar updates. Parish Council members will be asked for any calendar updates at each Parish Council meeting. The Pastoral Team Representative who attends that month’s Parish Council Meeting will note the updates and bring them to the Pastoral Team meeting, usually held the day after the Parish Council meeting. At the Pastoral Team meeting, any additional updates will be noted, and Araceli Manoatl will produce a consolidated list of changes for the parish calendar. Araceli will update the paper version of the calendar and send an email presenting the changes to the Web Team to update the on-line version of the parish calendar.
The Parish Community Center Committee has a subcommittee that is considering the staffing and scheduling needs for the new Parish Community Center.
Stewardship Report:
The FY2003 budget has been published in the bulletin and on the Web site. It reflects a 4% - 5% increase in income. The tithe line item in the budget shows 8%, rather than 10%. The change was made in response to a report from the diocesan auditor, which stated that St. Charles must take into account the 2% diocesan assessment when computing the tithe. Therefore, the tithe represents 10% of the available income after the assessment. The parish is currently running 12% under the budget projection for the quarter.
The Stewardship Committee is examining shifting the parish budget to a program-based budget in which administrative expenses will be associated with the program or programs that they support. This is the current approach taken by non-profit organizations to budgeting, and may be adopted by the entire diocese.
Through October 4, 2002, $3.070M has been received in pledges for the Parish Community Center and $2.119M has been collected for the Center. Each new parishioner is sent a welcome letter with information on the Center. There is a moratorium on fund raising for the Center due to the Diocesan "Rooted in Faith ~ Forward in Hope" campaign. The name and design of the Community Center will be discussed at the next meeting of the Parish Community Center committee. The committee will also consider placing a sign near the construction site to advertise the site of the Center.
The "Rooted in Faith ~ Forward in Hope" campaign has a minimum goal of $75M. St. Charles’ portion of the Capital Campaign goal is $2.2M. If St. Charles raises its portion of the goal, $1.1M of the amount raised will return to St. Charles for capital improvements. Preliminary work on the Campaign will begin in October. The Campaign will run from March 2003 through September 2003.
Welcome Reception Report:
Twenty new parishioners attended the welcome reception on Saturday, October 5th and thirty new parishioners attended the welcome reception on Sunday, October 6th. There will be a follow up meeting during the week of October 14th to evaluate the receptions and consider ways to increase the participation of new families in the receptions. More frequent welcome receptions have been planned this year, which may help to increase participation. There are currently logistical difficulties associated with receptions during weekdays, but weekday and weekend receptions during the daytime hours (i.e. after the 1:00 PM Mass) will be reassessed. The next welcome receptions are planned for November 23rd and November 24th.
Task Force on Volunteer Development/Ministries Fair Report:
Patty Buckley has volunteered to assist the Task Force on Volunteer Development. One initial idea that she shared in a telephone conversation with Carolyn was to create an email list of parishioners who are interested in receiving information on parish needs and volunteer opportunities. This list would be designed to complement existing efforts, not duplicate them.
The Ministries Fair will be held October 12th and 13th . Ministry representatives can decorate their tables beginning at 4:45 pm on October 12th. Volunteer signup forms will be collected after each Mass. Two photocopies of each completed signup form will be made. One copy of the signup form will be given to the Ministry’s Parish Council Representative and one copy of the signup form will be given to the Task Force on Volunteer Development. The original sheet will be given to the participating Ministry. The Latin American Equipo will cover all Ministries from 2 pm until 4 pm on October 13th in order to facilitate outreach to the Latin American community. Ministries are encouraged to contact those who volunteered at the Ministry Fair during the week of October 14th.
Upcoming Activities:
Highlights of Ministry/Neighborhood Reports:
Neighborhood A/B is updating its database of members and asking that members email their ideas for Neighborhood activities.
Neighborhood E is making a concerted effort to reach out to new parishioners.
Neighborhood F has had new parishioners register from DC, Lorton, Woodbridge and Maryland and plans to survey new parishioners about why they chose to register at St. Charles.
Education: St. Charles School continues to focus on education during these trying times. There is a concern over the threat to children’s safety caused by traffic in the parking lot during the day. The Washington Blvd. Exit must be closed during the day.
Social Justice: New volunteers have stepped forward to help recruit walkers and sponsors for the Arlington CropWalk, which takes place on October 19th.
Closing Prayer
Meeting Adjourned at 9:34 pm
The Parish Council and Pastoral Team met in joint session
Attending: Rev. Gerry Creedon (Pastor), Carolyn Gretzinger (Parish Council President), Monica Craven (Parish Community Center Committee Chairperson), Susana Moncayo (Parish Recording Secretary/Latin American Community), Nedya Jara (Latin American Community), Carmelita and Roy Tucker (Neighborhood C), Jan Macdonald (Neighborhood E), TJ Murphy (Social Justice), Colleen Brennan (Neighborhood D), Jean Sweeney (Pastoral Counselor/Community Life), Anne Marie Kaufmann (Minister of Religious Education/Education), Anna LaNave (Graduate Intern/Faith Formation/RCIA), Dan Marrin (Social Justice Coordinator), Betty Anne Hanna (Liturgy), Eleanor and Milt Werthmann (Community Life), Anne Biedscheid (Hospitality), Tricia Clark (Office Manager/Stewardship), Andrea Bender (Education), Patricia McKenna (Neighborhood A/B) and Kathleen Murray (Neighborhood E), Gail Goodridge (filling in for Carol Brown)
Faith Formation:
Carolyn Gretzinger introduced the new focus of strengthening faith formation within the formal structure of all parish ministry meetings. She noted that all ministry leadership will be requested to include 10-15 minutes of faith sharing in their meetings to promote our evangelization objectives and to share and build our faith lives in keeping with the formative guiding document, “Go and Make Disciples.”
Financial Report:
Fr. Creedon provided a financial overview of past year expenditures and current year budget. He observed that we spent less last year than we budgeted. There was discussion among the group whether our reduced expenditures were a reflection of not undertaking everything planned for the year or whether we were able to achieve our objectives albeit less expensively. There was significant discussion about the budget as presented. Carolyn suggested that additional questions on individual ministry/neighborhood budgets could be taken up with Charlie Sullivan, Chair of the Stewardship Ministry, and Tricia Clark, Parish Office Manager.
Parish Community Center
Monica Craven, Chairperson of the Parish Community Center Committee, reported that the groundbreaking ceremony with the St. Charles School children took place on September 4. The ceremony was beautifully done and featured the Angel Choir wearing hardhats! The construction contract has been prepared and sent to the construction company (Dietze); it will be signed by them and then by the bishop. The architects have been working on obtaining the necessary building permits so construction should begin quickly after the contract is executed. Monica noted that the final cost bid is very close to previous estimates. It was noted that the monthly revenue from parish center second collections and payments on pledges for the community center are averaging approximately $6,000 to $10,000. The suggestion was made that the second collection should immediately follow the first collection. The parish groundbreaking mass and celebration was set to take place on Saturday, September 7 followed by a reception afterwards. Monica reported that parking and drop off procedures are being developed to ensure safe transport and pick up of the school children during the construction phase.
The Year Ahead
Fr Creedon noted that this would be a year of bricks and mortar but also a good year to emphasize spirit-building as well. As part of the leadership of St. Charles, the Council is critical to human/spiritual development of the parish. Following last year’s successful Lenten mission on evangelization, the Parish Council and Pastoral Team will be encouraged to build evangelization into all of their work over this year.
Efforts to build and share community spirit will include:
Carolyn distributed hard copies of the revised directory of parish services, an important tool in ministry and volunteer recruitment. Excerpts are already posted on the St. Charles Web site and can be updated electronically.
Fr. Creedon reaffirmed the value of our parish strategic goals and objectives particularly in the context of the three goals of an evangelizing parish—living our faith fully, sharing our faith freely and transforming the world in Christ—as outlined in the USCCB document. The Parish Council was challenged to find ways this year to foster fuller participation of the broader parish in realizing our strategic goals and objectives.
One strategy will be to increase visibility of the various parish ministries through increased access of information. Carolyn requested that Parish Council members send their monthly reports to her electronically so that selected items can disseminated to the parish through the parish bulletin and eventually via a “Ministry/Neighborhood News” bulletin board on the Web site. Reports should be concise, answering the questions: What did your Ministry/Neighborhood do over the past month and what upcoming events does Ministry/Neighborhood plan to undertake next month?
Upcoming Activities
Four welcome receptions will be conducted each year to ensure new people are invited to participate in the community. The weekend of October 5-6 is the timeframe for the first receptions; Carolyn is looking for a few Parish Council members to help coordinate this event.
The Ministries Fair is coming up quickly, and Carolyn suggested a core task force be identified to support volunteer development at the Ministries Fair and to strengthen follow up. Fr. Creedon asked whether Parish Council members might know of parishioners who are talented volunteer development specialists, and if so, perhaps these individuals could get involved with the task force.
Parish Council members were invited to sign up to provide the opening prayer at upcoming Parish Council meetings. They also were reminded about the dates for the following activities:
Finally, ministry representatives were advised that this year the introduction of various ministries to RCIA candidates would take place during their formation program rather than after Easter. This will provide a greater opportunity for RCIA candidates to learn about volunteer service opportunities. Anna LaNave will circulate a list of RCIA meeting dates at the next Parish Council meeting.
Closing Prayer by Fr. Creedon
Meeting Adjourned
Attending: Monica Beaston (Secretary), Andrea Bender (Education), Anne M. Biedscheid (Hospitality), Colleen Brennan (Neighborhood D), Kathy Censky (Neighborhood A/B), Father Gerard Creedon (Pastor), John Fraas (Neighborhood C), Gail Goodridge (Social Justice), Carolyn M. Gretzinger (Incoming Chair), Betty Anne Hanna (Liturgy), Neyda Jara (Latin American Community), Janice Macdonald (Neighborhood E), Teresa Madrid (Neighborhood F), Liz McCloskey (Community Life), Michael McMahon (Neighborhood A/B), Susana Moncayo (Latin American Community), Jane McCarthy (Parish Center), Jim Murphy and Genie Norris Murphy (Co-Chairs), Kathleen Murray (Neighborhood E), Charlie Sullivan(Stewardship), Carmelita Tucker (Neighborhood C), Milt and Eleanor Werthmann (Community Life)
Approximately 7:35 pm - Meeting Opened
Approval of Minutes from the Previous Meetings:
The Minutes of the May Parish Councel Meeting were approved as submitted
Parish Center Report:
Father Creedon and Charlie Sullivan reported on the status of the planned new parish center. Father Creedon noted that since the Arlington Diocese is assisting with many new construction projects within its jurisdiction, St. Charles is attempting to plan the building of its own parish center so as to optimally dovetail with the Diocese’s overall schedule. The Vicar of Finance has already green-lighted St. Charles’ proposal, and Father Creedon praised Monica Craven for her excellent work in keeping the parish center project on track. Tim Brady and his subcommittee are studying how the new center relates to the Parish Office and School, and the Parish Center Committee is continuing to work with the architect to push the project forward. Charlie also explained that bids will be finalized during June, and that June 25 would be the last day questions could be submitted to the architect. In terms of the financing, it will be easier to be more specific once the bids have been approved. Currently, pledge payments are being amortized to 2006, and pledge payments are expected to cover all costs until March 2005. Any shortfall can be addressed through additional loans and collections. At this time, St. Charles intends to apply for an initial loan of $1,5000,000 from the Diocese. Charlie did not anticipate that St. Charles would encounter any major problems in eventually repaying any loans taken out in connection with this project.
Directory of Services
Goals and Objectives
Ministry Reports
Finance:
Charlie Sullivan reported that the Finance Committee was finalizing St. Charles’ budget in accordance with some necessary adjustments. Final figures would be available in July. Charlie did not anticipate any changes to ministry allotments, but noted that other line items might change. He projected a budget of approximately $175,000.
Neighborhood A/B:
Michael McMahon reported that he had recently updated the Neighborhood Volunteer List and would e-mail his annual Neighborhood report. He also stated that he had successfully transferred his Neighborhood authority to Patricia McKenna and Kathy Censky. Kathy informed that she and other Neighborhood members are currently deciding on the theme for the Neighborhood’s upcoming annual Wine and Cheese gathering at Courtland Towers.
Neighborhood C:
Carmelita Tucker, the incoming Neighborhood C Representative, reported that she had attended a planning event with Father Creedon and Carolyn Gretzinger to prepare for next year’s activities. John Fraas, the outgoing Neighborhood C Representative, commented that he had been disappointed in the turnout for the June Neighborhood picnic. Other representatives responded that June is a very busy month for people in general, with weddings, graduations, etc, so it is hard to attract a large crowd, and that it is especially difficult in Neighborhoods like C, which consisted mainly of single-family homes. John suggested that St. Charles at some point might consider holding a picnic during the year for the entire parish.
Neighborhood D:
Colleen Brennan reported that Neighborhood D would hold its annual picnic on Father’s Day, and that so far the response had been good. Colleen had especially enjoyed hearing from several very enthusiastic new people concerning the event. Colleen was planning an eventual Neighborhood mailing as well as initiating a new Neighborhood tradition: a late summer or fall ice-cream social. Father Creedon affirmed that he liked ice cream.
Neighborhood E:
Janice Macdonald reported that one of her Neighborhood goals is increased participation at Neighborhood events. Jim Murphy suggested that a Neighborhood Meeting might help. Kathleen Murray informed that the upcoming Neighborhood E picnic had been rescheduled for August so as to not clash with people’s Fourth of July plans. Kathleen further explained that the location had been switched to her house to make the picnic a more child-friendly event.
Neighborhood F:
Teresa Madrid reported that, given its very large size, Neighborhood F is streamlining its internal management. She mentioned that the Neighborhood had participated in the Latin American dance with its very successful raffle and excellent turnout. Teresa also reminded Members of the importance of listing Neighborhood Events in the bulletin in Spanish. Teresa was looking forward to the Neighborhood picnic and especially hoped the children would have a good time. Father Creedon mentioned that the picnic would present a good opportunity to further develop the Neighborhood agenda.
Hospitality:
Anne Biedscheid reported that Hospitality had successfully sponsored a whole host of events: First Communion Reception, Last Supper, SALT breakfast, Senior’s Tea, and an overall facility clean up. Anne mentioned that the summer season traditionally features a slower schedule of Hospitality events than the rest of the year’s hectic pace.
Latin American Community:
Neyda Jara reported on the education classes which had been held for members of the Latin American Community. Neyda also referred to the many accomplishments and activities of the Latin American Community as summarized in her very detailed monthly ministry report.
Education:
Andrea Bender explained that, as summer approaches, the education ministry starts to wind down. Nevertheless, there were still some upcoming fundraisers, including a car wash, a selling of nails—scheduled to support this summer’s High School Work Camp in North Carolina.
Social Justice:
Gail Goodridge reported that Social Justice had finalized its directory information and was currently recruiting for the position of Social Justice Coordinator. Gail welcomed everyone to the June upcoming Social Justice Executive Committee Cookout.
Liturgy
Betty Anne Hanna reported on the organizational efforts surrounding the upcoming September 11th Interfaith Memorial Service. She also informed that Christians from the Holy Land would be speaking at upcoming Masses and selling their Olive Wood Crafts. Liturgy would also be sponsoring two ministry workshops during the upcoming year. One will focus on becoming an integrated multicultural church and the other is a Word of God workshop for lectors. Betty Anne further announced that Liturgy had installed seven new EMs and reinstalled one EM so that St. Charles now was at its 40-person limit for EMs. Unfortunately, liturgy leader, Dorothy Slovak would be relocating to North Carolina in either August or September. Fortunately, Gail Goodridge and Brad Harrison had volunteered to act as liturgy Co-Chairs.
Community Life
Liz McCloskey reported on Community Life’s great coffee and dessert May celebration. Liz explained that this light-hearted evening had replaced last year’s September 11 more somber affair as the annual Community Life get-together for all its ministries. Liz mentioned that, unfortunately for St. Charles, Lisa and Marc Michaels, who had done such outstanding work with the Marriage and Mom’s ministries, were relocating out of the area. More positively, Liz welcomed Eleanor and Milt to their positions as the new community life representatives. Liz stated that she was very excited about the great leadership the Werthmanns had already demonstrated in their new roles.
New Council Officers and Introductions
Carolyn Gretzinger and Carol Brown were elected unanimously for the St. Charles Fiscal Year 2003 positions of Chair and Secretary, respectively. New and old representatives introduced themselves.
New St. Charles Staff
Father Creedon reported that new pastoral helpers would be arriving in June. One was Anna LaNave, who would help promote adult formation and education, including evangelization in accordance with the principles enunciated in the document “Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us.” Anna is a graduate student at Washington Theological Union. The other was Jamie Workman, a very impressive seminarian. Jamie had spent four years in campus ministry and had been the Chair of the Georgetown Campus Ministry Liturgy. Father Creedon was confident that Jamie could be of great help to Michelle Miller in her RCIA ministry, and that Jamie could help minister to St. Charles’ 27 homebound parishioners. Father Creedon also hoped that Jamie could be an additional resource for the C’YA ministry. Father Creedon noted that C’YA has been busily reforming itself very successfully with lots of enthusiasm, but with minimum ministerial support. Father Creedon hoped Jamie could help remedy this discrepancy. He also urged members to invite Jamie to their ministry events so that he could meet people.
Parish Calendar
Carolyn Gretzinger and Father Creedon reported that Araceli Manoatl is the main contact point for updating the parish calendar and side door postings. Father Creedon noted that St. Charles was attempting to use resources like the Web site to help streamline such items as notification of changed dates of liturgy events. Gail Goodridge pointed out that it is difficult to print the Web parish calendar in a user-friendly format. Carolyn responded that the St. Charles Web team is attempting to remedy this deficiency, and that it is also about to buy some software, which would allow select individual users, via the use of a confidential password, to make calendar updates directly themselves. Ministries such as C’YA and On the Way are working closely with the Web team so as to post their information more effectively. Overall Carolyn affirmed that the St. Charles Web site is very popular with lots of hits. Eleanor Werthmann commented that because of this great success Mark Alves, St. Charles’s Web Master, needed more help. Carolyn replied that it was hoped that the new software would help ease his burden. In the meantime, Carolyn explained, St. Charles could anticipate some trial and error transitional issues as St. Charles seeks to become more effective at processing and distributing its information. As Father Creedon noted, St. Charles still needed to post notice of its new 6 pm Mass on its Washington Boulevard street sign.
Inaugural Remarks By Incoming Chair
Carolyn Gretzinger, St. Charles incoming Chair, began her remarks by thanking her predecessors Jim and Genie Murphy for their extraordinary leadership during their two-year tenure as St. Charles’ Parish Council Co-Chairs, including all of their excellent strategic planning. Carolyn also thanked retiring volunteers for their good work and asked that they help and support their successors. In Carolyn’s words, “once a volunteer, always a volunteer.” She then congratulated incoming Members and thanked them for answering the call. Finally, Carolyn asked all Members to keep the Parish Council and its work in their prayers.
Closing Remarks By Retiring Co-Chairs
Jim and Genie Norris Murphy, St. Charles Parish Council’s retiring Co-Chairs, shared some closing remarks with Members. Jim noted that he and Genie had been honored to be the Co-Chairs over the last two years. He especially praised his wife’s hard work and dedication as well as thanked Members for all of their efforts and hard work. Waxing spiritual, Jim noted that he appreciated the gift of grace Members brought to their ministries, and affirmed his belief that Members were doing Christ’s work.
Pastor's Words of Appreciation
Father Creedon thanked Jim and Genie Norris Murphy profusely for their outstanding dedication and devotion to their vocations as St. Charles’ Parish Council Co-Chairs during some rather turbulent times. Father Creedon emphasized that both Jim and Genie had needed to take on great additional responsibility in their outside work because of the September 11th crisis, yet even when events were at their most hectic, they did not resign their positions. Father Creedon further noted that it was a privilege to have leaders who brought to the Council their obvious love for one another since ultimately our faith is about caring and love. Father Creedon stated that Jim and Genie were “People People” and that “their faith shines through.” He then presented Jim and Genie with a token of appreciation—a copy of Raymond E. Brown’s book, An Introduction to the New Testament. Jim and Genie thanked Father Creedon for the gift and seemed moved by Members’ heartfelt gratitude for the Murphys’ dedicated service as Co-Chairs. Father Creedon also thanked Carolyn Gretzinger for taking on the challenge of filling the Murphys’ big shoes by agreeing to be next year’s Chair.
Closing:
Father Creedon closed the meeting with a moving prayer by Archbishop Romero. During the meeting, Jim Murphy had mentioned that one of his personal goals as Council Chair was to complete Parish Council meetings by 9PM. Once again on June 5, 2002, he was successful.