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Minutes of Holy Angels Parish Council Meeting
April 17, 2008
Parish Rectory Lower Level Meeting Room, 7:30 PM 

In Attendance:  Fr. Jerry Brittain Fr. Rick Wendell, Paula Beine, Don Felix, Marilynn Gundrum, Earl VanderWielen, Harry German, Jack Trzebiatowski, Mike Nowak, Dan Hanrahan, Colleen Mas.  Guests:  Joseph Heit.

Absent:  Sandy Lang, Steve Albinger.  

Opening Prayer / Scripture Reflection / Personal Prayer:  Led by Marilynn Gundrum. 

Christian/Lifelong Faith Formation Guest Report: 
Joseph Heit shared a report on Religious Education for the parish.  Highlights include 90 First Communicants for 2008 (+18 from 2007), 55 Confirmands (+7 from 2007), Liturgy of the Word for Children reinstated with help from Jenny Funk and Julie Schmidt, Family Faith Formation established with four families participating, Adult & Marriage Program (Dinner for Two) successful in 2008, and solid programming with RCIA.  Joseph also reviewed a new ’07-’08 Religious Ed program at the middle school level, Cross-Aged Religious Educ (CARE), with its successes and challenges.  He reported that the number of families participating in Faith Formation programs is up from the previous year, and speculated on causality.

Future plans for Religious Educ include increasing the number of planned retreats, and increasing the focus on Family Faith Formation.  Struggles include the need for well-formed catechists and the need for increased Adult Faith Formation opportunities.  Joseph will explore religious education texts in conjunction with the school, and look into potential assessment tools. 

School Dress-Code Approval:
            The school board submitted final dress code amendments for Mass Days for the 2008-2009 school year.  Approved by consensus. 

Approval of Previous Minutes: 
Approved March 13th  Minutes by consensus. 

Bulletin and Printing Decisions:
            Father Jerry revisited the offerings for bulletin printing vendors in light of the retirement of Dennis at ProPrint.  After significant discussion, council reached consensus regarding a three year agreement with St. George printers, which includes advertising contracts at $250/year (ads 70% larger), $6000 rebate (to cover additional printing expenses), and overall printing space doubled compared to prior bulletins.  Fr. Jerry will contact ProPrint and St. George to finalize plans.

Faith in Our Future Campaign:
            Fr. Jerry shared a communication regarding a Case Development Workshop, to be held May 1st at 7pm in the church hall.  This Archdiocesan workshop, open to all parishes in the area, will review what to consider when writing a case statement for the campaign, which will begin in the fall.  Council members and others involved in parish leadership are invited to attend. 

Parish Council Nominations/Elections Update:
            Council noted that parishioners have been contacted and the process is running smoothly thus far.  Biographies will run in the bulletin the weekend of May 10th, and elections will take place the weekend of May 17th. 

Committee Reports:

            Finance:  Mike reported that next year’s budget is set.  March envelopes were down, an anomaly possibly resulting from weather issues, an early Easter break, or the economy.  The Committee will monitor the situation.  The Property and Grounds Committee is evaluating and gathering quotes for projects, including tuck-pointing and water sealant for the brick, determining whether to break the project into smaller pieces and/or seek additional bids to minimize costs.

School Board:  According to Dan’s report, Pat Gruenke, Nancy Monday and Greg Rinn were elected to the board for the next term.  An ad hoc committee will address wellness issues, while the Stehling Project is considering Smart Boards and other ideas for the future.  Chuck Dwyer will serve as Artist in Residence for ’08-’09 as part of the near-term Stehling Project offerings.  Fr. Jerry offered some clarification regarding the Archdiocesan Vision for the 21st Century, which calls for formation of a steering committee to draft a five-year plan for the schools in our area.  Meanwhile, the board reviewed ITBS scores and discussed staffing changes for next year due to a retirement and a resignation.  A new physical education teacher has been hired, who will also serve on the Athletic Committee in a position funded by the athletic committee’s revenues.  The cycle of curriculum review will focus on Religion next school year.  Dan shared Development Committee activities (festival efforts, reunions, Gifts from the Heart revenues, Scrip developments) and PAC activities (teacher appreciation, grocery totes, festival efforts, social activities), and noted that the school has adopted a portion of the Eisenbahn Trail from Hwy 33 to Decorah Rd in conjunction with Earth Day activities.

            Quad Parish Seniors:  Harry reported that the April 29th trip is confirmed and completely booked (within five days!), traveling to the Dominican Sienna Center in Racine, with Fr. Jeff celebrating Mass on site for the group and for the Dominican sisters.  The group will also share dinner and visit an orthodox church in Racine, before touring the Froedert complex via bus, focusing in particular on the five-story cancer unit.

            Human Concerns:  Marilynn noted that the parish will staff the Harvest House meal on the third Saturday of April, and the Geranium Sale will be on Mother’s Day.  Additionally, she observed that the St. Vincent de Paul Society is celebrating its 175th Year of worldwide service. 

Closing Prayer:  Led by Father Rick.

Adjourned:  10:00 pm 

Respectfully submitted by Colleen Mas